Indian soldiers' love stories during World War I in new film

Heartwarming stories, including romantic ones, about Indian soldiers who fought in the First World War as part of the British Army, culled from archives and personal testimonies, feature in a new documentary.
The upcoming feature-length film "Mademoiselle France Pleure" (Miss France is in tears) attempts to piece together the lesser known fact about the 1.4 million Indian soldiers and civilian workers who came to France and Belgium to defend France's freedom against invasion.
"The soldiers faced various hardships, casualties and diseases in the war. The feature-length documentary attempts to show their specific situations within the British Army and hospitals," says Vijay Singh, an Indian filmmaker and novelist based in Paris.

Singh, who has shot critically acclaimed feature films like "Jaya Ganga" and "One Dollar Curry" in the past was here recently to announce the project and firm up plans to shoot in countries including India, France, Austria and Belgium.
"Everybody remembers India's freedom struggle, but very few or in fact nobody would remember the contribution made by Indian soldiers during the World War I about the role played by Indian soldiers during the World War I," says Singh.
The filmmaker attempts to show various tragicomic situations faced by the French and the British while feeding Indian soldiers according to their strict religious beliefs and the hospitality of French hostesses, which won the hearts of Indian soldiers during their convalescence in French barns.

With the initiative of the French government and embassy, Singh, says he has been successful in gathering testimonies from the archives and descendents, in France, India, Belgium and UK of the brave soldiers out of which 10,000 did not even return home.

There are accounts of the soldiers who fell in love with French women during their stay in France and had children with them.
"In one such camp when the Indian soldiers were going to the battlefield, the French women carried placards which read - "Miss France in Tears", says Singh explaining the title of his documentary.
Singh's film also features a 71-year-old woman whose grandfather was an Indian. The woman's narrative is among the numerous interviews, which make up the documentary.

A part of the feature film was shot in Chamba, Uttarakhand where the "Gabbar Singh Negi Mela" is still held every year on April 21 for the past 94 years with assistance from the Chatwal Regiment of the Indian Army.