Shoojit Sircar’s Udham Singh biopic will be released on Amazon Prime Video in October, according to a press release from the streaming platform. The period drama Sardar Udham stars Vicky Kaushal as the revolutionary who assassinated British administrator Michael O’Dwyer as revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. O’Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the massacre, which took place in Amritsar on April 13, 1919.
Udham Singh was a man of many parts – he was a motor mechanic and a bit-part actor before shooting O’Dwyer dead on March 30, 1940, in London. Singh was hanged on July 31, 1940. He was 40 years old.
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“Two decades worth of research and understanding has been put by the team to present this untold story,” Sircar’s production partner Ronnie Lahiri said in a press release. “Vicky has worked tirelessly to bring out the real essence of Udham Singh’s myriad emotions throughout his life’s journey.”
Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India, added, “The untold heroic story of Udham Singh needed to be narrated to the world and we are certain that our viewers across the spectrum will be inspired by this film that honours the life of one of the greatest martyrs in Indian history, whose profound and heart-wrenching sacrifice avenged the death of many innocents.”
The movie was originally destined for a theatrical release. With cinemas in most parts of the country – barring Kerala and the lucrative Maharashtra market – reopened and operating at half capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sardar Udham has instead opted for a premiere on a streamer. In 2020, Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo was one of the first important films to be released on Amazon Prime Video.
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