New Saragarhi film wins community backing

A new film about an epic British Indian frontier battle is to be made after securing grassroots support through a social media fundraising drive.

"Saragarhi: The True Story" will tell the story of how 21 Sikhs fought to the last man against 10,000 enemy tribesmen to defend a small outpost in 1897.

The battle was commemorated by the British at the time, with memorials built to it and a battle honour awarded to the 36th Sikh regiment that fought at Saragarhi.

The project has raised more than 9,000 pounds on the Kickstarter website, and is now being developed by the "Saragarhi Society" in partnership with new broadcast channel "KTV" and digital arts producers "Taran 3D".
 

Writer and filmmaker Jay Singh-Sohal said the story is an important one for British Indians but over the years it has had many myths attached to it.

"Our motivation in telling the true story through documentary film is to delve into what really happened, using authoritative research and primary sources, in order to pay tribute to those who fought in accordance with their Sikh creed and ethos to the bitter end.

"This will give the proper respect due to their sacrifices which can only inspire many more young people to take up public service. As a British Sikh I feel it's important our community owns this history, retells it with pride to mainstream audiences, and is motivated by it to stand up for the freedoms we enjoy in our country."

The documentary will be released in September 2017, to mark the 120th anniversary of the epic battle. It will premiere at a prestigious venue in central London before going on the road to be screened across the UK and abroad.

The Saragarhi Society is a project of the "WW1 Sikh Memorial", which created the UK's first national monument to Sikh service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.