Haqeeqat, a war film forged in India's steely defiance in defeat

India Today

18-05-2025

As part of our Retro Review series on Hindi films from the past, we revisit 'Haqeeqat', the epic that soothed India's pain of the 1962 war.Film: Haqeeqat (1964)Cast: Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Priya Rajvansh, Jayant, Vijay Anand, Sanjay Khan, SudhirDirector: Chetan AnandMusic/Lyrics: Madan Mohan, Kaifi AzmiBox-office status: HitWhere to watch: YouTubeWhy to watch: For expansive, gritty war scenes shot in Ladakh, capturing both beauty and painMoral of the story: In every defeat there is a victory, even if moraladvertisement'Haqeeqat' isn't a movie. It is the template for almost every war film made in Bollywood since 1964. 'Border' is 'Haqeeqat', 'LoC-Kargil' is 'Haqeeqat', even the recent Tamil biographical film 'Amaran' (2024) is 'Haqeeqat'. Like the beginning of an era that defines everything before and after it, 'Haqeeqat' is a pivotal moment in Indian cinematic history.All epic Indian war films follow a simple stylesheet. They introduce an ensemble, mostly young men - because war is primarily a tragedy where the old cremate their young. The narrative builds with the backstories of these men, full of dreams and hopes. Songs of love, separation and military-camp camaraderie follow as a war looms. And then there is the inevitable death. In eyeball-to-eyeball conflict with a ruthless enemy. As Chetan Anand, the director of 'Haqeeqat', told Satyajit Ray, a war film is a mosaic - of life, love, hate and death.
Photo credit: IMDb
advertisementIn 'Haqeeqat', Chetan Anand crafts this mosaic with philosophical beauty, creating poetry in the middle of mayhem. He layers it with poignant moments of valour and loss, lyrical songs that epitomise pain and sacrifice. And two hours of raw, intense war. With sweeping shots in black and white of Ladakh, its monstrous deserts, imposing hills and daunting streams, he captures both its horror and magnificence. If not for the inherent tragedy, 'Haqeeqat' would have made you fall in love with war. All's fair, beautiful and horrifying in them.THE SCRIPTA lost war, like personal grief, is impossible to revisit. Its humiliation cuts like a shard. Its pain haunts like a silent ghost. So, it was bold of Chetan Anand, the eldest of the Anand brothers, to make a film on India's loss in the 1962 Sino-Indian war. And that too, when the wound was so raw that it was tantamount to sprinkling salt over it.Chetan Anand picks up the defiant resolution of a handful of soldiers to showcase bravery, underlining valour even in retreat, defeat and death. Loosely inspired by the battle of Rezzang La, 'Haqeeqat' shows the heroic last stand of Indian soldiers outnumbered by the Chinese at forward posts in Ladakh. (Much like the battle of Longewala immortalised in JP Dutta's 'Border').advertisementThe battle of Rezzang La was fought by 13 Kumaon, led by Major Shaitan Singh, on November 18, 1962 at 16,000 feet in freezing conditions. On being confronted by the Chinese, who crept up on them before dawn, the 120-140 Indian soldiers fought for five hours, literally to the last man. Major Singh, who sustained multiple gunshots, refused to fall back. For his bravery, Major Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honour.Anand employs the flashforward-flashack narrative that has become the hallmark of such movies. He traces the 1962 tragedy through several sub-plots that finally converge. The film's main arc follows Major Ranjit Singh (Balraj Sahni), whose soldiers have been forced to retreat. To help him evacuate, Captain Bahadur Singh (Dharmendra) fights a heroic battle. In the climactic moments, a local girl - Anand's lifelong muse Priya Rajvansh - joins Bahadur Singh in a till-do-us-part pact.
Photo credit: IMDb
But 'Haqeeqat' is also a political film. It captures India's disgust with China for the unexpected, brutal war. In one scene, Balraj Sahni rails against Chinese treachery. 'We lobbied for them on international platforms. We followed the five principles of peace. We rolled out the red carpets for their visiting leaders (Chinese premier Zhou Enlai); we even asked them to decorate our soldiers for bravery. And, they put bullets in the chest of the same soldier.' His diatribe is amplified by real footage, lending a docudrama edge to the film.advertisementIn another, Sahni's character spits disdainfully as a Chinese soldier repeats ad nauseam, 'Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai.' To show his rage against the back-stabbing Chinese, a soldier thrusts his bayonet into Mao Zedong's Little Red Book, the ideological Bible of Communist China.India's pride was hurt by the defeat in the two-theatre war in Ladakh and NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh). Unprepared for high-terrain battles, soldiers were cut down by the Chinese, forcing a retreat and surrender. 'Haqeeqat' stands out because it is cathartic. Its central message of defiance in defeat still resonates.ART AS DEFIANCEIn his epic 'Dr Zhivago', Boris Pasternek describes art as spiritual defiance. India's humiliating loss in 1962 produced two of the greatest calls for defiance in Indian music's history. Lata Mangeshkar's 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon,' and Mohammad Rafi's 'Kar Chale Hum Fida' - 'Haqeeqat's' swan song.advertisementA lot has been written about Lata Mangeshkar's 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon'- a song that starts like a dirge and roars like a revolution. Some day we will revisit the legacy of its writer Kavi Pradeep and composer C Ramchandra.For now, watan ke logon, remember Rafi, Madan Mohan and Kaifi Azmi for their greatest contribution to cinema.'Haqeeqat' ends with the defiant words of Kaifi Azmi, 'Kar Chale Hum Fida'. Its patriotic fervour rivals 'Mera Rang De Basanti'- the song Bhagat Singh sings to the gallows in 'Shaheed' (1965). Each line is steeped in sacrifice and valour - stirring patriotism.Saans thamti gayi, nabz jamti gayiPhir bhi badhte kadam ko na rukne diyaKat gaye sar hamare to kuchh gham nahinSar himalay ka humne na jhukne diyaMarte marte raha baankpan saathiyon Kaifi's words soar like the Himalayas in Mohammad Rafi's voice, lifting the spirit like an anthem of the undefeated. In the background, Madan Mohan arranges a feast of light strings that start on a sombre note and then explode with violins and brass instruments that go to war. A fitting requiem for the brave, a symphony of resilience, a daring invite to the embrace of martyrdom.advertisementJust like 'Haqeeqat', this isn't just a song. It is a declaration of India's steely resolve - bent but not broken.
Photo credit: IMDb
PS: In 1965, after the war with Pakistan, Kaifi Azmi wrote a poem inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. It appears in Chetan Anand's 'Hindustan Ki Kasam' (worth watching, but for the poor print), as an ode to the role of the Indian Air Force in the 1971 war.Since India is in the throes of a conflict, Kaifi Azmi's lines are worth remembering:Whether a war is a blessing or a curse,Don't ask this question now,Now that it has been thrust upon usA war can only be a blessing!