Local actors shine in massacre biopic

Several Amritsar-based actors have featured in a new six-episode biopic ‘The Waking of a Nation’, which presents the Jallianwala Bagh massacre from a different and lesser-explored perspective.

Local artistes Kuldeep Singh, Sumeet Bharat, Pushp Bawa, Sangeet Sharma, GS Channi, Master Kuljeet, Ranjit Singh, Prabhjot Singh Sangha, Anmol and Ravinder Singh have acted in the series, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ram Madhvani—known for his successful productions like ‘Arya’ and ‘Neerja’. The series is currently being streamed on the OTT platform Sony Liv.

Kuldeep Singh, 50, plays the role of Satyagrahi Sachdhyan Singh in the web series. A veteran of Punjabi, Hindi and Bengali theatre, Kuldeep began his acting journey in Kolkata with Usha Gangully’s Rangakarmi theatre group. He joined Punjabi theatre in Amritsar in 2012. While in Kolkata, he attended acting workshops with Sohag Sen and got an opportunity to work in Aparna Sen’s film Mr and Mrs Iyer, portraying a Sikh gentleman and co-passenger to lead characters Rahul Bose and Konkana Sen. Following the film’s success, he received offers for Bengali serials and movies, and later landed a role in the Hindi TV serial Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam on Sahara TV, playing the general of revolutionaries alongside Raveena Tandon in the lead role.

Now employed with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Kuldeep was transferred to Amritsar in 2012, his ancestral city. Despite his professional commitments, he continued pursuing his passion for theatre and started working with National School of Drama alumnus Rajinder Singh.

Another local talent, 23-year-old Prabhjot Singh Sangha, a student of Khalsa College, portrayed the role of Satyagrahi Salim—an associate of Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew, the national freedom fighter from Amritsar. Prabhjot, active in theatre for four years, has performed on stages in Chandigarh’s Tagore Theatre, Delhi, Patiala and other cities.

Sangeet Sharma, a student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in vocational theatre at Khalsa College, played a negative character in the series. Meanwhile, the acting of Anmol, a female actor, was particularly appreciated by all.

The series delves into lesser-known reasons behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It challenges the popular narrative that Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer—the temporary brigadier-general who ordered the firing—was solely responsible.

The storyline presents a broader conspiracy, highlighting that five British citizens were killed in Amritsar’s streets on April 10, which allegedly prompted the retaliatory attack. It also emphasises the role of Michael O’Dwyer, the then Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, who was later assassinated in 1940 by Shaheed Udham Singh for his involvement in the incident.

Punjab