The idea to make a tribute film on Netaji, the rebel political leader of the Nation, said Benegal, caught his attention in the eighties but he could not make it due to lack of viable financial backers. Benegal happily chose the Januray 23, 2003 which observed 106th birth anniversary of Netaji to start his tribute film in Kolkata, the place of Netaji’s political activity.

Benegal says, “As one of Indian history’s great personalities, his name is revered but little is known about him and very little has been done in cinema. It’s strange since his is a fascinating story, a great tale of adventure.” According to the director, from the time he was expelled from the Congress, he had no credentials. Yet, his ‘conviction’ about what he wanted to achieve never wavered and his ‘idealism was unblemished’, qualities Benegal feels are ‘characteristic of a truly international figure’. About the motif of the film, Benegal stated, “Here I am just trying to capture a political personality of great dimension like Netaji with authentic details. And I would only deal with his life between 1940-1945, the crucial period of Netaji’s life.” The film will showcase how a historical meeting takes place between the German Fuhrer and the Congress rebel from India Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who had raised ‘the Indian legion or Azad Hind Fauj from the prisoners of war in Germany and Italy’. According to Benegal, Netaji planned to ‘march this army into India’ through Russia but as Russia was ‘attacked by Hitler’, Netaji’s plan fell through. As per history, Hitler offered Netaji a U-boat which carried him by the old sea route all the way round Cape of Good Hope to Madagascar and here Netaji shifted in mid -ocean to a waiting Japanese sub-marine. Following the thread of pattern of realised history, Benegal has just completed this part in Berlin, an event Benegal thinks of great historical urgency and hence of political interest. “My aim” said he, “is a standard big-budget one being shot in locals in Germany, Khazakhistan, Myanmar and Japan.”

Benegal’s interest seems to have made him an avid follower of Netaji’s valuable catalogue of events leading to the making of the film. Is it the spirit of rebellion of Netaji that inspired Benegal to make a film of ‘epic subject’ or just a personal, frenetic curiosity prompting him to follow the path? To such curious query Benegal has definite, unwavering answer which reads, “Because, he is truly the last romantic hero of our nationalist history. In this film, I have concentrated on his final course of action. When he disappeared from house arrest in Calcutta and started his four years’ saga of endurance, he had but one fixed idea to raise an army to fight for India’s independence. The war that the INA undertook was a true war of independence.”

Again one can feel the very sharp inention and deep desire of Benegal as a creative director when he sinks more and more into a hectic job, marked by a slew of complexities and barbed controversies, inherent in such a film project. The conviction carries him to remark, “Look at the journey he undertook, from India to Peshwar, through Russia, to Germany. Then the long journey in the U-boat to Japan when he doesn’t see daylight for three months. Bose finally arrived in Burma at the head of the army, advanced to India through Manipur and Assam. The Indian Tricolour is planted on Indian soil for the first time.”

It may be mentioned here that earlier the late Manju De, the eminent actress of Bengali cinema and director of two films Sanjarur Kaanta and Abhishapta Chambal and Biswajit, an all-time popular hero of both Bengali and Hindi screen, got emotionally worked up to make films on Netaji and his life. But they failed to take off as Manju De, while arranging to marshal finance for shooting her 5-crore budget Netaji film, died suddenly and Biswajit, despite honest intention, could only make a biopic, a documentary on Netaji but never a feature film. So, seen in the light, Benegal is the first major filmmaker from outside Bengal to have taken the real interest to make the ‘tribute film’ on Netaji and with a new vision.

Said Benegal, “While capturing the life of Netaji, all myths and mystery of his disappearance would be kept out of purview of the film’s texture.” It is interesting to note that Netaji is the one national figure, a political python about whom a spate of esoteric myths run deep and high even today. Those in particular interest include the ‘strange meeting’ with Hitler, the Nazi killer of millions of jews in Germany and Europe during his rise, soft leniency for Hindu religion and divergent views on partition. However, these aspects of Netaji’s life and personal belief are not given space and depth in the film, Benegal asserted.

Produced by Sahara group, Benegal’s film would highlight only the relevant events and happenings, covering the life of Netaji between 1940-1945 and in doing so all kinds of controversies and gossamer of myths around Netaji, the visionary would be chucked out. The film would begin with Netaji at the Presidency jail and the character is being played by Sachin Khedekar. Said Benegal, “I took screen tests of 60 people for the role and I found Khedekar very close to the feel of the hero.” While reacting to the new role, Sachin Khedekar said, “This kind of role comes once in a lifetime and I am grateful to Benegal for offering me a rare opportunity to enliven a legendary political leader like Netaji who himself is part of social history in India.” One believes Shyam Benegal is a different kind of cinema innovator and uses his tool so intelligently that themes in his film-works assume sharper looks and life of its own, quite different from, alienated from others, the mill of the conventional.

Benegal was in the city recently and informed this critic that for certain reasons he had to ‘fine-tune certain things and situations’ to complete his film on Netaji. As Benegal enjoys a very good track record, brightly shown in films like The Discovery of India (Nehru), A Portrait of A Director (Satyajit Ray) and The Making of the Mahatma (Gandhi) speaks volume in his favour, one deeply feels his Netaji Subhash: The Last Hero may emerge as a film of epic dimension. The film is releasing on August 15.