Netaji and The Forgotten Army

Surendra Ullal

CHICAGO: The Forgotten Army, released on January 24, 2020, of the five-episode series touches upon one of the engrossing narratives of India’s modern history and Britain’s colonial past. The series is a gripping tale of India’s battle under historic Indian nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose, whose defiant patriotism made him a hero in India. Still, whose attempt during WWII to rid India of the British rule with the help of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan left a troubled legacy.

Incidentally, the Indian National Army (INA), which was forged out of British defeat in Singapore during WWII, was led by the charismatic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and had the first-ever women infantry regiment anywhere in the world.

Set during the second world war, this was the first instance of women in active combat, at a time when women around the world were confined mainly to non-combat roles.

The Synopsis:

The Forgotten Army – AzaadiKeLiye, is based on the true story of Indian soldiers who marched towards the capital, with the war cry ‘ChalloDilli’, to free their country from the reign of the British. The Indian National Army (INA), which was forged out of British defeat in Singapore during WWII, was led by the charismatic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and had the first-ever women infantry regiment anywhere in the world.

While these soldiers (men and women) fought against all the odds and against the British army to free India, their struggle and story somehow got lost, and they became ‘the forgotten army.’ With the love story between two soldiers – Sodhi& Maya at the heart of it, the series raises several questions about identity, independence, and the idea of the motherland and the cost of freedom. Freedom that we often take for granted but the freedom that costs countless lives and sacrifice.