Let me go, fuckers! Why have you kept me here?
[exasperated] You have locked me up! They are very dangerous.
They won't let anyone go. Somebody stop them.
Somebody stop them!
Let me go, you fuckers! They will kill everyone, everyone!
[train whistle blows]
[engine chuffs]
[telephone rings]
[muffled yelling]
The train bound for Patiala Junction has departed at 4 pm as scheduled.
It will reach you in 20 minutes.
[whistles]
They have guns. They have very big guns.
They will blow up all the trains!
Somebody stop them! Somebody stop them.
[heavy wheel clatter]
[train whistle blows]
[angrily] Let me go, bastards!
They will kill Jinnah. They will kill him!
They are very dangerous people,
They will have no mercy! They will kill everyone.
What are you on about?!
Someone stop them...
[tracks thunder]
[heavy explosion]
They will kill Jinnah. They will kill Jinnah!
[opening title music plays]
Quaid, Mr. Prime Minister is here.
Careful of the--
Sir-
Unbelievable!
I am alright.
I was talking about the architecture.
What is it?
There is a message from the Viceroy.
His sources suggest that
on Independence Day, a group of Hindus
is conspiring to assassinate you.
What?!
Lord Mountbatten thinks
it would be best that any Independence Day celebration or procession be cancelled.
As expected.
As expected!
Not Lord Mountbatten!
Lord Nehru thinks it best that
on our Independence Day itself, Pakistan be humiliated!
[telephone rings]
Mr. Jinnah, my sources are seldom wrong and yet you are refusing to heed them.
Cancelling any ceremony now would be an act of cowardice,
demeaning the birth of Pakistan.
I cannot agree to this.
I would urge you to reconsider.
The size, and therefore the significance of the occasion merit the utmost caution.
Is the Governor-General of India
asking the Governor-General of Pakistan to scale down celebrations?
No!
[in frustration] I don't think you quite understand what I am saying!
Oh, I understand it perfectly well.
You cannot get over the fact
that I didn't let you become Pakistan's Governor-General.
No, that is not the case!
I am trying to stop your parade from turning into a funeral march.
Appreciate your concern,
but I am not afraid of death.
[angrily] But the consequences of your actions will be a thousand deaths!
Mr. Jinnah! Mr.-- Mr. Jinnah!
[telephone slams]
The Pakistan Special train has been attacked.
That means the threat on Mr. Jinnah's life is real!
Somebody needs to tell Jinnah that these are not empty threats!
Excuse me, sir.
Is that so?
Hello? Operator?
Please connect me with Mr. Nehru's Pakistani friend.
Yes!
It seems he is extremely worried about Jinnah sahab.
-Vallabhbhai, this is not a joking matter! -And I am not joking!
Have we taken anything from Pakistan?
Their land? Their share of the army?
If we didn't take anything of theirs, why should we take care of them?!
Let them take care of their Quaid-e-Azam!
I am not worried about Jinnah!
A border is a bureaucratic divide.
Tomorrow, if Jinnah gets assassinated, it will create havoc in both the nations.
My dear man!
In our nation, in Punjab, the police force has collapsed!
We should focus on that, and instead--!
Menon sahab, tell him!
Panditji, you are well aware that the Punjab police is no longer a neutral party.
Due to this, the Governor-General has proposed a Boundary Force.
-Boundary Force? -Yes, sir.
It will comprise soldiers from several regiments across the nation.
-How many soldiers? -Around 55,000.
That's ridiculous.
Doesn't make sense.
If 55,000 soldiers are in Punjab, what will become of Bengal?!
The Home Ministry has intelligence
that the Hindus of Calcutta want revenge for Direct Action Day.
And why are we still discussing this?!
Can someone let the Governor-General know
that if we assign all the units to Punjab there will be none left
[angrily] to stop this bloodbath in Bengal!
What makes you think he doesn't know?
The streets of Calcutta are very different to the fields of Punjab.
I would have thought I shouldn't have to tell you that.
If violence breaks out, the number of troops we have will not matter.
No force will be able to contain it.
Trust me.
We have to use a softer hand.
You are not hurt, see? Here is the medicine.
And here is the bandage.
You will be absolutely fine.
[laughs]
-This way, please. -Yes.
[birds chirping]
I see, the mountain has come to Mohandas!
Must be a big ask.
[goat bleats]
Trains are blowing up all around us, Mr. Gandhi.
The country needs your help.
I need your help.
To administer the correct treatment,
one has to be familiar with the anatomy of the patient.
Don't you agree?
Ointment.
The treatment is a Boundary Force, with which I can hold down the Punjab.
But if in the meantime, if Calcutta goes up in flames,
there's nothing I'll be able to do.
This, Lord Louis, is the inevitable fruit of your partition plan.
Bandage.
[cow moos]
I understand.
But it doesn't have to end in tragedy.
If you choose to help.
Here you go...
I implore you to issue a statement appealing to the Hindus of Calcutta
to help save the city's Muslims from genocide.
I won't make an announcement.
Mr. Gandhi,
consider it a personal favour.
For me?
I said, I won't make an announcement.
Not that I wouldn't help at all.
You see, Lord Louis...
One can never nurse open wounds from afar.
I will go to Calcutta myself.
I hope you will take care of Punjab.
[distant rooster crows]
Very good, catch with both hands.
Keshav.
Can I play too?
Go play over there.
Just listen, Harpal!
Fine.
Harpal, the country is being divided, not us.
What has our friendship got to do with these politics?
You know our promotions to Colonel would have put us in different regiments anyway...
It's just happening a little sooner than expected, that's all!
Okay, let's say you're right.
You want to leave me behind even before becoming a Colonel!
I am not leaving you behind, my brother,
you are right here with me
Oh please, now you belong to the other side.
That's where you will get married and that's where you will have kids.
So what!
I'll bring them here every single year to visit their uncle.
Stop it.
Oh Harpal,
my darling,
my brother.
You want to spend the little time we have left sulking?
Look at me.
Don't.
I love you more than life itself!
I know who they are. Tell the Secretary not to let them in.
-You may go. -Yes sir.
[door creaks & open]
Sir.
What is it?
Punjab, anything...?
No, sir. We are monitoring the situation.
Any news of Bapu?
No sir, there is nothing to worry about. I'm only here to collect your speech.
Well, right now, all I have is a blank page...
I can't seem to find the right words.
You'll find them, sir. No one else finds the right words quite as well as you.
Alright, how does this sound:
"Long years ago, we made a pact with destiny."
No, not a pact...
Sir! Sir, you don't have an appointment, sir.
-You cannot enter, sir! -Who are these people?
Sir, you cannot enter, sir!
[shouts] Out of the way!
Sir, you cannot enter, sir! Prime Minister sahab is busy, sir!
Nobody, sir... they've been trying to meet you for a few weeks.
Don't worry about it.
Let them in!
What have you done?!
Pardon me, I'm not sure I understand.
You have destroyed the future of this nation!
Why don t we have a seat...
On 15th August, India will be born under Capricorn.
A day under the influence of Saturn, dominated by the devil,
in the most cursed site of the heavens, the ninth house of action and planning!
That makes it a day so inauspicious that India may well have ill luck forever!
Ill fortune doesn t only affect people...
It affects nations just the same.
That's right.
We are aware you don't believe in astrology.
But 33 crore Indians do.
The Viceroy has chosen this date, not the Prime Minister.
But it is the Prime Minister who can save us from ill fortune.
As an individual, you are free to believe what you like.
But you are not an individual anymore.
You represent the hope of 33 crore Indians.
They are counting on you.
Don't let them down, Panditji.
That's all the time Panditji had today.
-Maharaj, why don't you-- -What if we take the middle course?
What if India becomes independent at midnight on 14th August?
As per the Hindu lunar calendar, a new day begins at dawn.
At midnight, it will be neither the 14th nor the 15th
We thought you were solely a man of science,
but it seems you are a man of faith as well.
My idea of faith is different.
I don't believe in astrology, but crores of Indians do.
I like to keep a finger on the pulse of my people.
Namaste.
Uh-- May you prosper.
Sir, there s a telegram.
[car engine starts]
When did Bapu go to Calcutta?
I don't know.
Why didn't Pyarelal mention it?!
-Sir- -Phone Vallabhbhai right away.
Yes, sir!
-Ask him to arrange for security! -Sure, sir.
Does he even know how dangerous the situation is in Calcutta?!
[fire crackling]
[engine idles]
[glass shatters]
-Bapu! -Bapu! Gandhi, you traitor!
[shouts angrily] Go to Pakistan!
[tense music]
Bapu! Are you alright?
-Bapu! Keep your head down, Bapu! -GANDHI IS AGAINST HINDUS!
-Bapu, keep your head down! -GANDHI IS AGAINST HINDUS!
[shouts angrily] GANDHI IS AGAINST HINDUS!
Be careful, Bapu! Head down!
[clattering stones]
-Let us come in sir! -Who did this? Hindus or Muslims?
We have questions for you!
It's like flogging a dead horse, Vallabhbhai! You know how stubborn he can be.
He keeps saying he doesn't need security.
No, Vallabhbhai, he is not willing to come to the phone either.
It was about 7 o'clock. On Beliaghata Road.
We were in the car and suddenly, the stone pelting began.
How many people?
I have no idea.
There was so much pelting and we were so afraid, I have no idea.
Okay. We will keep investigating.
Manu, go to Bapu. I'll go take a look.
[crowd yells] In Kolkata, houses are being burnt down! The streets are all filled with dead bodies!
What non-violence?! There are rivers of blood in our streets.
[protesters shouting]
How will we stop this bloodbath?
In non-violence still the answer?
The nation wants to know! Answer us!
[furious yelling] Corpses and blood everywhere!
Calcutta is burning, Bapu! Far too many have died!
-Bapu, where are you going! -To meet the reporters.
Bapu
[crowd shouting]
Let them enter.
Bapu! Bapu! Are you injured, Bapu?
Bapu, is there still hope for Calcutta?
Do you think our people can unlearn this hatred?
If a mere moment of prayer can turn scraps into sacrament...
think what it can do to a man.
It is time we all
come together and pray.
[radio news] The attack on Bapu today in Calcutta has sent shockwaves through the nation.
It is this anxiety amid which we approach a brand new era.
Namaskar. This is All India Radio and I am Zakir Qamar Raza.
[radio news continues] Pakistan is busy preparing to celebrate their own independence.
Karachi is being adorned,
and brand new flags are being hoisted.
The people are swarming the streets
and Muhammad Ali Jinnah is inches away from his goal,
which at a time was a distant dream.
[radio news]However, big dreams like Mr. Jinnah's are often victims of the evil eye.
He can only hope that this dream of his remains protected.
By the grace of God, Pakistan celebrates her day of independence today!
[music intensifies]
Next, the inauguration of Mr. Jinnah as Governor-General.
He takes the oath of allegiance to King George VI as Head of Pakistan.
Many are dissatisfied with partition,
but a united India would never have worked.
Keeping that aside, you are all now free.
[cheering and clapping]
Free to go to your temples,
free to go to your mosques
or to any other place of worship in Pakistan.
And you may belong to any religion
or caste or creed,
and that has nothing to do
with the business of the state.
What is wrong with Quaid? Has he gone senile?
Has Pakistan been created for Muslims or for traitors?
[crowd cheering and chanting] Long live Pakistan!
Long live Pakistan!
What in God's name is Jinnah playing at?!
He's serving us up on a plate.
I requested a bulletproof car, sir...
But he insisted.
On what? On us being gunned down in the street?
Look at the thing.
We're sitting ducks in it!
[crowd cheering and chanting]
-Your Excellency. -Thank you-
The Governor-General of Pakistan will sit in front, sir.
-I'm sorry, have you any idea-?! -It's alright, Abell.
I beg your pardon?
As per our new roles, protocol dictates that the Governor-General of Pakistan
gets precedence over the head of a neighbouring state.
The protocol-?!
Abell, please.
Until midnight, there is no "neighbouring state".
So tell your Governor-General, until then he is not the Governor-General.
However, I am still the Viceroy!
It's alright. We will both sit in the back seat, together.
That way!
Unbelievable.
Faith! Unity! Sacrifice!
[patriotic music]
So much pomp and glory, is it worth dying for?
No,
but Pakistan is.
[bike roars by]
Long live, Quaid-e-Azam!
What are you doing here? Go back to your posts!
[cheers and chants]
Faith! Unity! Sacrifice!
[loud chants and cheers]
[music builds tension]
[rifle clicks]
[gunfire]
Fire!
[honor guard fires salute]
[rifle fires]
[rifle clicks repeatedly]
Motherfucker!
Long live, Pakistan!
Our wish has been fulfilled!
Today, the Quaid-e-Azam's dream has materialised before our very eyes.
Thank god!
Don't thank him, I have brought you back alive.
Long live, Pakistan! Long live, Pakistan!
[clock ticking rapidly]
[faint birds chirping]
[crow caws]
[sorrowful music]
[cycle bell rings]
[metal gate creaks open]
[religious chanting]
Tomorrow,
India will be independent...
and divided.
Our straits are akin to the man who,
in order to better light his home, lit it on fire.
Now we must put out the fire we ourselves have lit.
To every Hindu, I beseech you to
protect and safeguard your Muslim brothers.
In return,
our Muslim brothers in Noakhali
will protect and safeguard their Hindu neighbours.
To assure us of this,
our brother Suhrawardy is here today.
[crowd murmurs]
[indistinct chatter]
The Mahatma inside you awakens only in service of THEM,
not us!
[spits]
Let's go.
[wistful music]
What were the police doing?!
I want the situation under control in 24 hours, no matter what!
[phone slammed down]
What is it now, Papa?
Lahore is in flames...
[sword whooshes]
[car bursts into flame]
[shouts and screams]
[cries for help]
[panic and shouting]
[gunfire]
Harpreet, take your mother and run!
Run away now!
[woman yells in pain]
Bebe!
[woman cries out loudly]
[Sanskrit hymn plays]
[door opens]
[flashbulb flashes]
Long years ago...
we made a tryst with destiny.
And now the time comes
when we shall redeem our pledge...
Not wholly or in full measure,
but very substantially.
At the stroke of the midnight hour,
when the world sleeps,
India will awake to life and freedom.
[loud thumping on desks]
A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history,
when we step out from the old to the new,
when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation,
long suppressed, finds utterance.
It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication
to the service of India and her people,
and to the still larger cause of humanity.
The greater triumphs and achievements that await us.
Are we brave enough and wise enough
to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?
Freedom and power bring responsibility.
That responsibility rests upon this Assembly,
a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India.
Before the birth of freedom,
we have endured all the pains of labour
and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow.
Some of those pains continue even now.
[firecrackers crackling]
Nevertheless, the past is over
and it is the future that beckons to us now.
The appointed day has come when India stands forth again
after a long slumber and struggle.
Awake, vital, free, and independent.
It is a fateful moment for us all in India,
for all Asia and for the world.
A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East,
a new hope comes into being.
May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed!
Jai Hind.
[audience cheering and clapping]
[clock ticks loudly]
[conch blows]
[crowd cheers and applauds]
[joyful music]
[crowd chanting] Long live Pandit Nehru!
Long live Pandit Nehru!
[firecrackers bursting]
[melancholic music rises]