A brand new documentary, called Battle of Amritsar, highlights through a Sikh perspective the events of June 1984. We at Unsaid Digital went to the pre screening in Hounslow and had the chance to do a Q&A with the team who helped put this together and here’s what they had to say.
Why are you and your team interested in what happened in 1984 ?
Like the entire Panth, our whole team has been deeply impacted by the Battle of Amritsar in June 1984. This is a pivotal moment of contemporary Sikh reality that has shaped the relationship Sikhs have with their patshahi (Guru-bestowed Sikh sovereignty) and the wider world. Following June 1984, the Sikh struggle for Khalistan has impacted our team deeply and we have all been moved by a deep desire to embody the Sikhi of our Panth’s soorme jujharoos (brave warriors). The Battle answers so many of our questions about what it means to be a Sikh of the Guru and how to confront the complex problems we are facing today as a collective.
What inspired you to work on this project ?
Our inspiration was the life and sacrifice of Sikh shaheeds. We wanted to connect viewers with the spirit of Sikh sangarsh (struggle) embodied by our jujharoos (warriors). Reflecting on the current issues facing the Panth and considering our ways forward, we were motivated to better understand the world directly through the eyes of our shaheeds.
Dr. Gurbhagat Singh was a prominent Sikh thinker who lived throughout that period and he wrote about this idea of “jakham nu sooraj bannao” (turn the wound into light). This encapsulates what we had in mind from the beginning. The path of our shaheeds is the guiding light into our future. The stagnation we see in panthic politics today only exists because we’ve completely disconnected from those who fought the Battle of Amritsar and how they existed in the world. We wanted to bring this unapologetically Sikh way of being and living back into focus.
How long did it take to make?
Filming began in 2016 and took the team to different locations to speak to eyewitnesses, but there was tonnes of research and work that went in before we could even start that process. We had to spend a lot of time studying history to understand the political dynamics of the time as well as listening to other eyewitness accounts of the Battle to understand what unfolded over the course of that week. Once we got a grasp of this and completed the interviews, we had to go through over 80 hours of interview footage in painstaking detail to understand how we could stitch the narrative together in a way that did justice to the sooramgati (valour) of the Khalsa. Post-production began in 2018 and required our team to pour through archives all around the world for rare footage of the time period, develop artwork that reflected the environment of a Sikh battle in the early days of June, and compose a soundscape that would immerse viewers into this intense experience.
How much resources were used?
A huge amount of resources went into the production of this documentary, including interviews in different locations, archival footage, creating a unique traditional Sikh soundscape, artwork and graphical sequences. These elements have been brought together to produce a film that is an artistic tapestry which seeks to capture the soul of Sikh resistance.
Why is the Battle of Amritsar important for Sikh to watch?
While many documentaries and films have been produced revolving around June 1984, many have been plagued by the influence of state propaganda or have focussed on outlining the technical details and immediate sequence of events leading up to the battle. Instead, this documentary stands out as one which goes much deeper than merely seeking to justify or explain Sikh resistance.
When we set out on this project, we didn’t want to “teach” or convince people about our point-of-view or even tell them a story. Our attempt was focussed on allowing the sangat to have darshan (vision) of the shaheeds through their own words and actions as told by those who had the fortunate of doing sangat with them in person. We wanted to create an immersive experience to see, feel, and hear what these gursikhs did during those 6 days in June—regardless of the viewpoint of the viewer.
Hearing about the shaheeds from those who spent time with them was a transformational experience for us. We selfishly sought this out because it was something we deeply desired and this is how the project got started. The documentary became the means by which we could share this experience with the wider sangat and amplify its impact.
What would you like the best outcome for families who watch this documentary to take from it?
We wanted to tell the story from an unapologetically Sikh perspective, something which has never been done before. The Sikh perspective has always been an afterthought rather than the central focus, and we hoped to change that with this documentary.
The film is a soulful exploration of a momentous event in Sikh history. Based on interviews of those present throughout the battle, the film will take a deeper look at what the Battle of Amritsar means for the Sikh panth through the eyes of those who witnessed and participated directly. We view the documentary as something similar to the sakhis (tales) we grew up hearing from our grandparents. In that sense, it isn’t meant to just narrate a historical event—it offers inspiration and guidance on how to live our life today.
Today the Panth is facing a myriad of similar challenges and provocations, by revisiting the Battle of Amritsar from a Sikh perspective we hope viewers will learn from those gurmukhs (Guru-oriented beings) that fought so that we can collectively learn how to face our situation today with similar clarity and fortitude.
What future plans after the screenings are there for the documentary?
The documentary is in a phased release which has begun in the UK with a sold out premiere on the 29th of May. Following the UK launch we plan on screening the documentary in California, Vancouver, and Toronto. With additional screenings being added throughout the months of June – August 2022. Over the next year we will be bringing the documentary to locations across the globe.
Below are a list of screening coming across the UK and we strongly encourage everyone to find time to watch the documentary.
Premiere May 29th, Slough, Sold out
June 2nd Midlands Arts Centre, 7pm
June 5th Midlands Arts Centre, 6pm
June 9th Vue, Glasgow, 7pm
June 18th Arts Centre, Hounslow, 1pm
July 2nd Chapeltown Picture House, Manchester, 1pm
July 10th The Customs House, South Shields, 2pm and 6pm
The Documentary will also be showing at select Gurdware for local Sangat and at UK Sikhi Camps over the summer.
More screenings to be added, follow @JungHindPunjab for updates
To arrange screenings contact battleofamritsar@gmai.com
We would like to congratulate the team and their efforts for this fantastic project and we hope to see more similar projects come alight in the future from this team.
