HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies

Prof. Anjali Malhotra

Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Visual Research Essay:

Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021) (15%)
Due: Sat, March 25, 2023 before 11:59 pm to my Canvas Inbox
Length of Essay: 8-10 minutes in length or more
Required Citations: 10-15 citations required directly quoting dialogues from the film and your
academic research. Your visual research essay must use proper CMS style of footnoting and a
proper bibliography. If you fail to show me your CMS, you will receive to a low to failing
grade.
You should use at least 3-5 outside academic sources or more are permitted to be used in
your analysis/essay
You may work in pairs or individually for this assignment

What is a Biopic?
The rise to glory and fame, and fall of an important historical figure
Comprehensive examination of a historical figure
Focus on one protagonist
Covers a multitude of events
Does not always cover from life to death, but a significant portion of one’s life
HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies
Prof. Anjali Malhotra
Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Biopic filmmakers often take creative liberties with the narrative of the subject’s life. They may
condense timelines, omit details, and rewrite key conversations to heighten the drama and make
for a more compelling film.

'Biopics' is a term derived from the combination of the words "biography" and "pictures." These
films depict and dramatize the life of an important historical personage (or group) from the
past or present era. We will be watching the film Sardar Udham (2021) in class to examine
the role and crisis of the Revolutionary and Freedom fighter in India’s struggle for
Independence.

The film, Sardar Udham is a biopic featuring the rise, fame, and struggle of India’s forgotten
revolutionary, Udham Singh. Your aim is to watch the film with a critical eye and focus
closely on the presentation of the Indian revolutionary, and treatment of a biopic in history.
HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies
Prof. Anjali Malhotra
Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Udham Singh 1899-1940: A Silenced Indian Revolutionary

Your goal is to focus on creating a Visual Research Essay on exploring and examining any of
2 questions minimum: One from the list of academic research and one from list of questions
from the film. You must be able to prove your message based on direct evidence coming from
the film as well as your own outside research.
HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies
Prof. Anjali Malhotra
Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Your goal is to go into as much depth as possible, analyzing and not describing the contents
of the film or the research you have done.

A Visual Research Essay is a careful balance between text and image done on a video maker
platform.

Visual Research Essay Required Components:

1. What is the most important/interesting finding from my research project?
2. How can I visually share my research through a use of graphs, charts, photos, film
clips and other images?

Planning and Developing:

● Create a simple outline and organize the information you have. (Intro, Middle and
End)
● Research all the relevant sources in order to support your main message.
● Find images related to your topic and your main message
● What images can illustrate my main message?
● What evidence in the form of my research can help me to prove my main message
asked?
● Did you use quotes from your academic research and film clips from sources can
make your essay more trustworthy?
● Can you support your graphics and images with some music?

You should make careful observations of not only the actual firing, but also of the events
leading up to the massacre, The British decision to order the firing, the after effects of the
Massacre and the emotional impact as Udham Singh rescues individual lives of people.

You should do this by developing your argument based on any of the following questions at
least one-two from your Academic Research list and one from the Film for your
essay/analysis:
Keep in mind that you must incorporate direct dialogues from the film and your academic
research to support your message.
HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies
Prof. Anjali Malhotra
Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Academic Research:

What knowledge did you gain about Udham Singh’s earlier life and in the years leading up to
his planning and assassination of Michael O’Dwyer?
Were you able to gain any knowledge whether Udham Singh in reality did have the support
of any other Indian Revolutionary groups in the UK to support his cause?
What knowledge did you gain about Udham Singh’s life before the Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre?
Is there any research knowledge you gained about why it took Udham Singh 21 years to
finally assassinate Michael O’Dwyer?
Did you gain any knowledge of whether Udham Singh was involved with the Ghadar
movement in the United States, which he supposedly left in 1927?
What knowledge did you gain of Udham Singh’s dealings with the Irish? Irish Republican
Army?
What exactly was Udham Singh’s involvement with the HSRA, and with the working class
and political activists in Africa, US, and Europe?
What was the political and public attitudes towards Udham Singh as Gandhi prescribed in the
Congress Committee Report?
What knowledge did you gain about Michael O’Dwyer’s role in Jallianwala Bagh Massacre,
and in his personal beliefs about Indians? In other words, What was his attitude towards the
Indians and how could this have become the basis for Udham Singh’s assassination of him?
Did you encounter any of O’Dwyer’s writings or speeches?
Who was V.K. Menon? What importance does he have in Udham Singh’s trial? Why is he not
really highlighted in the film?
Why have public memories of Udham Singh been repressed in the pages of Indian history?
Why did the British government attempt to silence all media and press releases on Udham
Singh and that long after his death, the records of his trial and execution were not open to the
public?
What did you discover about Udham Singh that was not portrayed in the film? Was there any
other information you gained that should have been shown in the film to better facilitate our
understanding of Udham Singh’s revolutionary goals?
Why does Udham Singh choose to assassinate Michael O’Dwyer 21 years after the
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?
Why do you suppose Udham Singh chose to murder O’Dwyer instead of General Reginald
Dyer?
HIST 201: British India and Its Legacies
Prof. Anjali Malhotra
Winter Term 2023
Examining a Biopic: Sardar Udham (2021)

Film: Sardar Udham (2021)

What does Udham Singh reveal as the purpose of Revolution, and how is that different from
the British portrayal of Udham Singh?
What specific roles did the state and government play, both Indian and British, and how did
they fail revolutionaries such as Udham Singh in the film?
Focus on the bloodshed and vivid imagery shown in on the tragedy of the Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre (1919). Choose at least 4 key scenes from the film that exemplify Sardar Udham’s
role as the Indian Revolutionary.
Is the meaning of Revolution made explicit in the film?
Focus on the lighting, dark and night scenes, the realism of the bodies being pulled from the
dead ones and those struggling between life and death at Jallianwala Bagh.
What are some of the Udham Singh’s thoughts expressed in the film, and not just his actions,
that make him a true revolutionary? How does this help you to understand his mind that led
to his actions?
Does the film make it clear, why Udham Singh should he not be portrayed as a criminal, but
rather as a Revolutionary?
What were the severe limitations placed on Udham Singh as he attempts to define the
concept of Revolution as shown in the film? As we know the film shows us that the concept
of Revolution was still in its amateur state.
If the goal of the revolutionary, Udham Singh is freedom, how does the film present this
vision of freedom?
Why is the revolutionary often found alone in their struggle? Why did both the Indian and
British government suppress the voice of the revolutionary based on the film and from your
academic research? Be critical in your approach.