When the Japanese Empire spearheaded into India during the Second World War, the newly-raised Assam Regiment was one of the few that held it back at the epic defence of Kohima. There, in the blue-green baize of hills with clustered forests of bamboo and orchid, separated only by the few yards’ span of a tennis court, Indians, Britons and Japanese fought in a battle so savage and heroic it was voted Britain’s greatest ever.
As indomitable as the bravery of the Allied and Japanese soldiers is the story of Badluram of the Assam Regiment. Legend has it that he died in battle, but an ingenious quartermaster continued to draw rations in his name, enabling troops to fight without dearth of supplies.
So remarkable is the story that Badluram has entered the annals of history and is celebrated to this day in the regimental song — ‘Badluram ka badan zamin ke neeche hai, par hamhe uska ration milta hai’ (Badluram lies beneath the earth, but we get his ration). Its rousing tune is sung and danced to by young recruits of the regiment at their attestation parade in Shillong, and it lives in your heart long after it has stopped echoing in the hills.
Soumil Shetty, Somesh Saha and Rohan Sharma with soldiers from Dada's unit
To this regiment’s roster of heroes has been added Havildar Hangpan Dada AC, awarded the nation’s highest peacetime military decoration posthumously at the Republic Day Parade this year.
As his wife Chasen Lowang received the medal from the President, it inextricably linked his name to the long line of men and women whose acts of bravery have not dimmed with time.
It is this extraordinary feat, this story of a simple man from a pretty woodcut of a village in Northeastern India who found glory in a lonely glade in Kashmir, that fired the spirits and imagination of three filmmakers in their twenties from Mumbai. Somesh Saha, independent music composer and producer; Soumil Shetty, writer and filmmaker who has worked in advertising; and Rohan Sharma, independent animator and editor, were approached by the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) to make a film on Dada in August 2016.
Released on Republic Day, it has already garnered over 3.5 million hits.
“We started shooting for the 12-minute docu-drama in October and completed it in two weeks, with post-production work taking a couple of months,” says Saha, over telephone. “When we first heard the story, it was so interesting that the three of us discussed what had to be done; Somesh and I come from an Army background, and it was very special for us,” says Sharma.
“It was a lesson for me,” says Shetty, describing how they started out in the field together. Part of the thrill was telling a story so compelling.
Dada was born in a countryside too pretty for war. This native of Borduria in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district was married with two children.
Havildar Hangpan Dada AC
A gentle, church-going man who was grateful for his job, is how Father Pradeep of the Don Bosco church describes him in the documentary.
His brother Laphang Dada calls him a regular sort of chap, who joined the Army through a recruitment drive in Khonsa; his friend Somhang Lamra is grateful he saved him from drowning; his buddy Lance Havildar Vareshang speaks of his bravery on the banks of the Mira Naar when he was with a Rashtriya Rifles unit in Kupwara, where he neutralised three militants before being felled by a fourth; and his Commanding Officer extols him.
And through Lowang, photographs, reconstruction of the terrorist incursion, operation and footage from his funeral, the film deals with the anatomy of courage under fire, without becoming a mere flag-waving exercise.
To memorialise this, the filmmakers hoisted their equipment and marched off to Borduria, where — almost through the year — raindrops rake the earth, and to a place similar to Kupwara, a land shrouded in an oppressive black nimbus.
“We travelled with a team that was involved in the operations and they identified places that closely matched the original,” says Saha.
Filming the narrative brought with it immense challenges.
“When we do ad shoots, there is a crew, a sequence. Here, it was just three of us with a camera attendant. The terrain was daunting — it would rain suddenly, it was slippery, the river was the most bizarre location. But, in the process, we raised our standards,” says Shetty.
The filmmakers say help often came from unexpected quarters.
“The boy who acts as the young Dada was from the Don Bosco hostel; we worked around his school schedule. So many contributions came from Dada’s village,” adds Shetty. “Going to the Northeast was a brilliant experience — it gave us an opportunity to discover these friendly people. That they were represented drew a lot of positive response on Facebook. Secondly, it gave us a peek into how disciplined the working of the Army is.”
Somesh Saha, Soumil Shetty and Rhan Sharma were awarded the commendation card by the chief of Indian Army on Monday for their film Dada - The Warrior's Spirit, on February 14. (L-R) Col Manta, Maj.Gen.Sandeep Singh, Somesh Saha, COAS Gen. Bipin Rawat, Rohan Sharma, Soumil Shetty, Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha.
How easy was it to work with Dada’s family and colleagues, since hardly any time had passed between his death in May 2016 and the commencement of the project?
“We had to respect them, be patient. We could not apply the same formula to everyone. We didn’t shoot it like a film — we would meet the person, share a meal, and hope they’d open up to you. Dada’s children warmed up to us easily. And, Chasen called to tell us how lovely the film was,” says Shetty.
“There were some memorable moments. When Chasen broke down during the interview, we stopped rolling, it started raining; it was surreal. There were funny instances too. We were totally unprepared for leeches in our pants and that really changed the mood of the shoot,” Shetty adds, and the others join in the laughter.
Recording ‘ Badluram ka badan ’ with young recruits was unforgettable. “We knew we would end up in Shillong,” says Saha, who was raised there. “It’s such an important legacy of the regiment.”
As is Dada’s story, and the narrative of a medal awarded for defending miles of motherland.
