On behalf of Bombay's Gujarat Sabha,
it gives me great pleasure
to extend a very warm welcome
to a truly visionary Indian,
who has taken on the might of the British empire in South Africa
with his rather unique methods.
Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together
for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Welcome, Mohandas.
Thank you.
All yours!
I am grateful to Jinnah bhai,
the Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity, for his kind introduction.
[in Gujarati] My dear brothers and sisters of Mumbai...
Both Jinnah bhai and I hail from the region of Kathiawar in Gujarat.
What surprises me is that one Gujarati has introduced another, in English.
This is a potent example of the hold the British Raj has over the people of India.
We are ashamed of our own identity!
Suited and booted English-speaking gentlemen
will not be able to lead us to independence!
The foremost step towards independence is to speak in a language accessible to all,
and allow our struggle to take the form of a mass agitation!
I will again revert to English now
so that elite members of the Bombay Gujarat Sabha can understand me.
I am really glad that the Sabha has chosen Jinnah bhai as the chair
in spite of him being a minority!
Today, after months of anticipation, it is finally
June 2nd, 1947 the day the Transfer of Power plan is expected to be announced.
This morning, key leaders of the Congress, Muslim League,
and other parties have gathered at the Viceroy House to discuss the plan.
Good Morning, Mrs. Naidu!
Ah! Zakir sahab.
Let us at least wait for the morning sun to shine to decide whether it is good or bad.
Well, the day will only break when the fog clears!
Hmm.
Do take a seat. Will you have tea or coffee?
Tea.
It seems this decision too is shrouded in a fog too.
I hope it clears today.
I am sure you too are eager to know whether India will stay united or be divided.
Correct! That is why I am here with you.
-Thanks. -By the way, any idea when we might find out?
Your guess is as good as mine, Zaqir sahab.
The High Command have told me to wait here
and as soon as we receive word, to issue a statement.
So here I wait!
Ah, waiting!
Did you know, more than half of Urdu poetry has to do with waiting?
Well, I'm sure you know, that all of India's politics is also
-about waiting! -...about waiting!
This country has waited far too long for freedom...
Shame on the British Raj! Shame on the British Raj!
Give Mecca-Medina back to us!
Who gave these people permission to block the streets?
Sir, Hindus and Muslims have declared a joint strike today at Gandhi's behest.
For our community, our Hindu brothers are suffering financial losses.
-May Allah grant Gandhi-ji a long life. -Aye!
Keep your eyes on the road, not on politics.
We do not want any concessions from the British,
nor do we want their pity.
We want Swaraj.
And for Swaraj, we are willing to wage war!
Mr. Gandhi is mixing politics with religion.
This will go far... very far!
M.A., this is the first time Hindus and Muslims have come together like this!
What Mr. Gandhi is doing today, I started years ago.
I'm sorry.
But have the Muslims ever accepted a Hindu as their leader before this?
Well, he gets on my nerves!
This will not be a war where we take lives...
it will be one we lay down our lives for.
We must snatch the rug out from under the feet of the British government.
And there is only one way to do that
Total non-cooperation!
Madness! Utter madness!
So now we are straying from legal and constitutional means
and taking to the streets?
We must boycott schools and colleges built by the British, the police,
military, and every other British government job.
We must boycott the courts as well!
If we boycott the courts,
who will bring justice to the people?
If doctors boycott hospitals, what will become of the patients?
I have a family and responsibilities.
Lakhs of Indians like me cannot simply quit their jobs!
What do you say, Motilal-ji?
If the police want to arrest us let them!
Are you all ready to treat prison as your own second home?
We are ready! We are ready!
People from respectable families, our sons and daughter, will go to jail now?
If Jawahar goes to jail, what will you do?
Motilal, if this proposal is passed,
there will be no place for us in the Congress anymore.
A cult of personality will hijack the party.
Gandhi must be stopped.
In Nagpur.
Right, Motilal?
Please maintain decorum.
The session will begin shortly.
Good to see you, M.A.! Please, sit.
Okay, let's see where this goes.
It's going to be fine.
Victory to Mahatma Gandhi! Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!
Namaskar!
The agenda for today's session is for
the party to discuss and deliberate over Gandhi-ji's proposal for Non-Cooperation.
I feel compelled to oppose this motion!
Shame on you, Jinnah! Shame on you, Jinnah!
Please let Jinnah bhai speak.
Mr. Gandhi is leading the nation down the wrong path.
If the people are taught that storming the streets will get them their way,
that habit will persist even after the British leave.
You are a coward who is afraid to make sacrifices!
Death to Jinnah! Death to Jinnah!
To rot in some jail cell wearing nothing but a loincloth is not sacrifice,
it is utter foolishness!
The age of suited and booted brown sahibs like yourself has passed, Jinnah sahab!
It seems the age of ignorant fools has begun!
I am glad that my time is up!
Let history remember
that I am the first follower of Non-Cooperation.
I refuse to cooperate with you!
Please maintain decorum!
There is only one way to resolve this issue.
To put the resolution to vote before the Subjects Committee.
Those in favour, please raise your hand.
What!
Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!
Death to Jinnah!
7 in favour. And 7 against.
It looks like it's a stalemate.
Wait! Wait! Some votes are yet to be cast.
Death to Jinnah!
Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!
Death to Jinnah!
Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!
Mr. Nehru!
We were just waiting for your vote.
It is true that I am uncertain about the implementation of Non-cooperation.
But after a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that oftentimes,
it is important to make decisions from the heart.
I vote for the resolution.
That makes 8 votes in favour, and 7 against.
Which means, the resolution for Non-cooperation has been passed.
Victory to Mahatma Gandhi! Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!
If this party has space for just one voice,
then I resign with immediate effect.
Death to Jinnah! Death to Jinnah!
M.A.! You cannot swim against the tide.
Accept Gandhi-ji as your leader. Like we all have.
You people may have found your leader.
This leader will find his people.
And that is how Bapu took over the Congress.
Fascinating!
But ironically, today Bapu has neither a position in the Congress
nor a government ministry.
Just like he did 26 years ago, can Bapu take over the Congress again
and stop the partition?
You know, Bapu doesn't wear a shirt,
but he always has an ace up his sleeve!
Everybody is asking...
Why is Bapu here when there is such an important decision to be made?
Will Bapu not join Pandit-ji and Vallabhbhai at the meeting today?
Bapu has no faith in meetings and statesmen anymore.
What does he have faith in then...
In the truth!
My faith in the truth is absolute and immovable.
And it is time to pit their politics against our truth!
[clock ticking]
A few more moments. I am sure Mr. Gandhi is on his way.
We represent the party.
So be it. Shall we, gentlemen?
-Before we commence -I'd like to bring to everyone's
Just a moment, please.
Today, things shall proceed a little differently. Thank you.
Over the past months,
I have patiently heard what you all have to say.
Today, it is I who shall talk
and it is you who shall listen.
In all my career, I can think of
no other meeting at which the decisions taken
will have such a profound influence on world history.
I, therefore, ask you to bear that in mind as we proceed.
Mr. Jinnah,
allow me to ask you one more time,
for the record and posterity,
are you prepared to accept Indian unity?
I am not.
Very well, gentlemen,
in front of you are copies of the plan,
its workings and particulars, illustrated in full.
I will await your responses, if you would be so kind.
You have until midnight.
Calling it a night?
Go ahead.
I await his arrival.
Gandhi? It's close to midnight.
He must be placated.
He is threatening mass agitation if the country is partitioned.
I would not underestimate the man.
He has thousands, millions of party workers in the palm of his hand.
If he appeals to them directly...
It could jeopardise everything we have worked so tirelessly to create.
Sir!
Is he here?
Yes. Uh, no sir.
What do you mean?
I m I mean, not Mr. Gandhi...
Not Gandhi? Well, who, then?
Mr. Jinnah! How lovely it is to see you.
Oh, hello.
Is His Excellency busy?
Please take a seat. Please! Take a seat.
Gosh.
I don't believe I've ever really taken the time
to tell you how much I admire your determination,
your commitment to the people you represent.
Thank you.
But... is his Excellency busy?
-It's important I get -What I will treasure the most,
if I may
the moments one has spent in this room.
The study, it's quite a remarkable study, don't you think?
The walls,
a silent witness to living history.
I really do believe that
Madam
Menon.
Mr. Jinnah.
His Excellency is on his way.
To the study?
-To the ballroom. -Yes.
Please, to the ballroom.
-To the ballroom? -Yes, Mr. Jinnah, do follow me.
Alright.
It's quite a divine room as well,
-Yes. -I would love to show you.
Please. Come along.
Or some other time. There is an exquisite view of the moon from the eastern porch.
-I haven't come here to see the -Oh, shh!
Pleasure before business, Mr. Jinnah.
Is His Excellency busy?
Of course not! He is, in fact, waiting for you. In the ballroom.
Come! Come, come. My mistake!
Have you seen what the newspapers are calling it?
The 'Mountbatten Plan'.
I would have gone with the 'Gandhi Plan', knowing what I know.
Upon your suggestion, we have made it so that it is the people,
via the elected provincial assemblies,
that will decide whether to join India or Pakistan.
True democracy shall be observed.
You may not believe this...
I want to assure you,
hand on heart,
I tried everything,
and I mean everything, to avoid partition...
And therefore, I earnestly request, Mr. Gandhi,
you do not make real this threat of mass agitation.
Please.
I beseech you.
[melancholic music]
I have a lot to say,
but I will not be able to say it today.
The sun has set.
It is now my day of silence.
When we meet each other again,
I shall speak.
Interesting.
I thought clandestine meetings were for lovers, not politicians.
Mr. Jinnah, this meeting had been scheduled beforehand.
In the middle of the night?
It seems the Viceroy's Simla habits persist even though he is in Delhi now.
That is why I arrived as well without prior intimation.
The Viceroy's Office has maintained complete neutrality
with regards to Indian politics, Mr. Jinnah.
I was promised an independent and united Bengal,
but half of Bengal is being given to the Congress!
Does that seem neutral to you, Mr. Menon?
-Um, it does, sir -A 'moth-eaten' Pakistan
is not the one I wanted.
Beggars cannot be choosers, Mr. Jinnah.
A moth-eaten shirt is better than no shirt at all.
Your Excellency.
Let me make it very clear to you.
I have secured Congress' approval on the basis that all parties agree simultaneously.
If they think for one second that you are holding out,
they will withdraw and the agreement shall collapse.
Well... I'm afraid, in the absence of the League's Council,
I will not be able to give anything in writing, Your Excellency.
Ah, I see.
Well, you are in luck, then because I do not require it.
A word or even a nod will suffice.
That is highly unfair, Your Excellency!
You would talk to me about fairness.
I have had to put up with your bickering and your disputes
and right up until now I have been so very patient.
If you do not accept what is on offer,
I will hand all of India over to the Congress,
and I'll withdraw.
Fair?
Menon! We have work to do.
At your own risk.
This is All India Radio, and I am Binod Kumar Mishra.
Today, once more, we wait with bated breath
for the Transfer of Power plan to be announced.
We have received hundreds of letters from across the country,
and the only thing on the mind of one and all, is the future of India..
Pradyut Saikia from Guwahati, Assam, wants to know:
Will free Hindustan be a loose federation like the United States of America
or a centralised state like the Soviet Union?
Dileep Tekchandani from Karachi writes:
If the nation is divided on the grounds of religion,
then will the two new states ever be able to maintain friendly relations?
And the most important question is, will the Congress,
Muslim League, Sikh leadership, and 575 princely states accept the plan?
Or is there to be more bloodshed?
Bhutto sahab, please phone the rest.
Please ready the plane. I will be leaving for Patiala.
There are 35 crore lines in the palm of Hindustan.
Today, we will find out the fate of these 35 crore Hindustanis.
Ah, Mr. Jinnah.
We were not sure whether to expect you or not.
I, for one, am so glad that you could make it.
Would you like to take a seat?
Thank you.
Now, gentlemen, I trust that you have all read the Plan's proposals.
It is now time to give your verdicts.
On behalf of the Congress, Mr. Nehru?
Yes.
We agree.
Good.
On behalf of the Akali Dal, Baldev Singh?
We agree.
Good.
And finally, on behalf of the Muslim League,
Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah?
Hm.
[clock ticking]
So there we have it, gentlemen.
We are all in agreement.
All except one.
You go.
He will not listen to me. You go.
It has been very hard for the Congress, the League, the British,
to agree with one another.
Bapu...
If you...
if you can't support us...
please don't oppose us.
So, just like the Viceroy, you would rather I stay quiet.
Bapu...
Jawahar,
I will not cross your path.
But on this path, I will not walk with you.
Never.
They will be here now...
to address the nation.
Namaskar. We apologize to our listeners for this interruption in the programme.
According to this treaty, the British took our provinces from us,
so how can they hand them over to someone else on their way out?
Hindustan is not a spare coin the British government
can simply pass around as it sees fit!
Agreed, Nawab sahab.
Hindustan is and will remain ours!
You all know of my friend.
He has always been in support of us Kings and Princes.
As soon as the British leave, we will declare our independence.
And rule over our kingdoms once again.
['ON AIR' sign light flicks on]
It is with great dismay
that I announce that it has proven impossible
to obtain a unanimous agreement
that would preserve the unity of India.
And indeed, the only available course now left to us,
regrettably, remains... Partition.
I had expected independence to bring light and joy.
And this border will divide Punjab and Bengal both.
We will continue to protect our motherland...
as we have thus far.
If that means bloodshed, then so be it!
This Plan is not a success, it is a compromise.
If there is any relief,
it is only that the Muslims will have their own state in the subcontinent,
I urge you to make peace with this decision
and say as one
Long live Pakistan!
[intense music]
Pakistan may or may not live long...
but this Quaid-e-Azam will certainly not live long.
I, Jawaharlal Nehru,
with the greatest regret, inform you all, that...
Hindustan will be divided into two independent nations,
India
and Pakistan.
It is a difficult decision,
but the circumstances are such
that there seems to be no other way out.
Safiya, take Zubair inside.
Take him inside!
Muslims, quit India! Muslims, quit India!
[whistle sounds from below]
For the sake of God let us start packing.
On the contrary, now it is even more important for us to stay.
Don't wor-
-Open up! -You better open the door!
-Open the damn door! -They're in there, I found them!
[tense music swells]
When a tree is severed at the root,
it ceases to be conscious of where it is falling.
But it is people we are severing from their roots, Maulana!
They will cease to be conscious too!
I hope we will not need to remind Nehru our guns are not just for hunting!
Salim has been shot! Doctor!
Let go of me! Traitorous Leaguers!
You all have destroyed Punjab!
Take him away!
There is no place for this Hindu-Muslim stuff in the army.
What did I say? Don't come out. Don't come out... don't come out!
[woman screams]
Let me go! Let me go!
We ruled before...
And we shall rule again!
[typewriter clacking]
[printing press clangs]
[tense music builds]
[tense music reaches a head]