The theme of the historical and period film The Black Prince is richly evocative the life and times of
Maharaja Duleep Singh, son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sher-e-Punjab ( Lion
of Punjab) is making the rounds across Britain. The family’s fall from fortune -- from the
awe-inspiring rule of Ranjit Singh to the pitiful ascendance of the boy king as
a ruler at the age of five -- is a truly touching tale, worth a powerful film.
Duleep Singh’s removal -- abduction – and conversion to
Christianity with love and care amid opulence and indulgence is a story of
which the empire and the conquered subject could both look back with a sense of
pride. Queen Victoria who affectionately
took the boy prince under her wings was more than generous to her Black Prince when she granted the young prince his wish to
see his mother and eventually brought
her to the British shores and even had
tea with her. It was a gesture almost beyond compare – imagine two
imperial women vying for the affection
of the same young man!
Alas such a powerful story has simply been lost in the
current film showing all across Britain
and the Indian sub-continent, including Pakistan. Writer/Director Kavi Raz had
the right idea delivered the wrong way . The choice of singer-songwriter Satinder Sartaaj as lead
actor Duleep is simply
inappropriate. The man does not speak like the Prince. There is no
anger, no impatience, no fire in him. The ‘Lion in the heart of the boy’ promised early
in the film simply does not roar.
Duleep, by all
historical accounts , was a sturdy young man , fond of hunting and game shooting at the sprawling Elveden Hall
estate in Suffolk, British countryside . Not a weakling, brooding character
weighed down by loss and sorrow all the time.
When the film came to the deeply emotional episode of mother
and son (Rani Jindan and Duleep) meeting after years of separation, both actors
were less than equal to the occasion. Shabana Azmi as mother Jindan started well by portraying an old and frail mother unable even to
clearly see her son due to poor vision caused by long years of unbearable separation. But once the two had touched
hands, one would have expected them to caress and hug each other. Yet nothing happened. No
all-consuming embrace , no kisses or tears of joy at reunion. No words like “My put (son), my Lal” -- any
Punjabi mother’s utterance from her heart strings. Even experienced actor Shabana failed. She should have asked the Director Kavi Raz to enhance the script with sorely needed
additional words and gestures.
Amanda Root as Queen Victoria was not much more than
adequate. Victoria and Rani Jindan’s brief meeting over a cup of tea was too
controlled. Here were two women, indeed two Queens, vying for the affection of
the young Prince Duleep, yet no eye movement, no vibes.
And a glaring historical omission. The Punjab of Duleep’s
father Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an overwhelmingly Muslim majority area and he
was the leader of all communities, not just the Sikhs. Some of Ranjit Singh’s
closest ministers, including his personal physician, were Muslims. The court
language of his domain which stretched
from Khyber to the banks of Sutlej, if not more in several directions, was
Persian – not Gurmukhi, Hindi or Urdu. Sadly his legacy and Duleep’s heritage
is shown to be bereft of any Muslim contribution.
Today Punjab’s heritage seekers include the Punjabi diaspora
in Britain, including prominent members of parliament. Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing Southall and chair of the
Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group, has offered to explore the idea of
taking the remains of Duleep Singh from Suffolk where he is buried, back to
Punjab. He is hopeful that his parliamentary colleagues in Britain would
support the move.
Back to the film of
the moment. Had the director, producers and actors read the beautifully written
and touching little novel, The Exile,
by Navtej Sarna, India’s Ambassador to
the USA, or read Khushwant Singh on Punjab’s
history, it could have been a much better film, doing justice to the
film makers and filmgoers.
A pulsating, soulful
life story reduced to a card board production.
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