From Behind The Barricade
Tapan Kumar Bose
India, 1993
English, Hindi and Punjabi
80 Minutes

Director: Tapan Kumar Bose

The film From Behind the Barricade remained in the shadows for nearly ten years since its completion in 1993 as the Indian Censor Broad refused to grant the film a certificate for public exhibition. In the opinion of the Censor Board the film was unfit for public exhibition as it challenged the nation's integrity and sovereignty and was capable of raising communal passions leading to riots and violence. It took ten long years of battle in the courts to get the film finally cleared.

The documentary is about what happened to the Sikhs in India. It tells the story of the Sikh peoples' search for a homeland from the days of British colonialism, their struggle for a separate home state within Indian federation after India's independence and the movement for the establishment for "Khalistan". The film also presents a vivid account of the culture, religion and the life style of the Sikh people in India. It also tells the story of how the British and the leaders of independent India and particularly the Congress Party had responded to the demands of the Sikhs.

Through historic documents, old photographs, newspaper clippings and interviews the film pieces together a vibrant story of the struggle of a people for their homeland. The film also questions the ideologies and methods of the protagonists of Khalistan as well as that of the India state. It shows how the Sikhs felt betrayed by the Central leaders on the issue of sharing of the waters of Bhakra Nangal Dam and particularly their right to rule in Punjab, a state which the Sikhs felt was created because of their struggle and sacrifices. The film exposes the abuse of human rights and the use of excessive force by the Indian forces particularly during the infamous "Operation Blue Star' in 1984. It underscores the deep alienation of the Sikhs from the Indian state.

Director's Bio

Tapan Kumar Bose is Secretary General of the South Asia Forum for Human Rights based in Nepal. He is an award winning documentary filmmaker, human rights and peace activist and writer. He contributes regularly to leading journals and news magazines in India, Nepal and Pakistan.

His international and national award winning films include An Indian Story, Beyond Genocide: Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Behind the Barricades- Punjab and Jharkhand. Together with a few committed filmmakers like Suhasini Mulay, Jagannath Guha, Baba Mazgaonkar, Meghnath in 1977, he founded Cinemart Foundations perhaps India's first independent documentary film producers’ forum, totally committed to make and distribute independent documentary films on political and social issues. For the next two decades Cinemart Foundation produced several documentaries on issues relating to the violation of civil rights, women's rights, struggles for self-determination, Indigenous peoples, adult literacy and rural hygiene.

He has been actively associated with the human rights movement in India for the past three decades. He is the Convener of the Committee for Initiative on Kashmir and the General Secretary of the Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy. He is the Chairperson of The Other Media and of Mahanirvan Calcutta Research Group. He is also a Council Member of International Council for Human Rights Policy, Geneva.