Eh Janam Tumhare Lekhe – ‘This life is dedicated to you’ is the most eagerly awaited humanitarian post-partition narrative and first Punjabi film of 2015, released worldwide on 30th January, presented by White Hill Production Inc. in association with Pingalwara.
For the first time in Punjabi film industry, there’s a film being made that’s based on the life of late Bhagat Puran Singh ji – a visionary and deeply spiritual and compassionate human being the man who founded ‘Pingalwara’ (Amritsar) – a home for destitutes and differently-abled people.
Pawan Raj Malhotra who we saw playing a negative role opposite Diljit Dosanjh in Punjab 1984 and Bhaag Milka Bhaag has played the powerful character of Bhagat Puran Singh and his selfless service towards humanity. Besides Pawan Malhotra, the movie has introduced various newcomers, theatre actors and character artists from places such as Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana etc. The film is a journey of one man, ‘Bhagat Puran Singh’, who was greatly inspired by the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh Gurus.
Pawan Raj Malhotra has put a lot of energy and dedication towards his role to his best and the way it should have been represented. Also salute to the director Harjit Singh, who has put a lot of research and did a lot of study to bring out the best from the life of Bhagat Puran Singh ji onto the big screen.
Expressing words for such an inspirational movie is really very hard. The movie has opened an important chapter in the history of post-partition Punjab and a varied approach has been used to meaningful events which makes a great appealing and emotional connection with the audience.
Some scenes of the movie especially where the original Pingalwara children have been included are really emotional and makes you connected with them. Personally I felt an important chapter missing in the movie which could describe how he started falling in love with the sewa of Gurdwara Sahib and later into Sikhi. But then another thought clicked me that this could have been skipped for the sake of avoiding any controversy of Bhagat ji’s transition from Hindu religion into Sikhi.
Though an approximate two hours movie can’t cover all the chapters of Bhagat Puran Singh ji’s life but the movie does depict a great deal of realism via the tireless research done prior to making of the movie giving an authentic and genuine touch to the movie.
The movie shows the journey of selfless service towards humanity and how Bhagat Puran Singh ji accepted all his patients as his family members and fought for their shelter so that they could live with dignity and die with dignity. It shows the path traveled was indeed a difficult and exhausting one yet he never gave up. The journey was made possible by his infinite faith in his mission; the moral values he received from his mother; and the courage, vision and determination he received from Guru Granth Sahib. With compassion in his heart, he found the energy that could move mountains and create miracles.
Though we have read several books about life of Bhagat Puran Singh ji and also seen people carrying donation boxes around various cities in Punjab, but this movie brings a great inspiration for our upcoming generations and a great tool to educate about real concept of selfless service (Sewa in Sikhi). We all see poverty, we all see people crying for help but do we stop for them- No. We all carry on with our lives and journey. But he actually stopped and did something for people, I know people’s sensitivity levels are different from one another, but if you spend time in Pingalwara it’s like an alarm clock it is life wakening.
The music of the movie itself is a very emotional, devotional and inspiring. The beauty of this movie is indeed complemented by a rich music score soaked in featuring Shabads, traditional Punjabi sounds, folk songs and the culturally rich rhythms of the region.
Overall, the true account of Bhagat Puran Singh ji’ life captured in this movie is definitely poised to set a new benchmark in biography cinema. It’s a soul-stirring film. It’s an emotional film and brilliant cinematically as well. Promoting the film is a social cause.
But we should not just walk away just with discussions about the emotions after watching this movie. It is very important for us all and especially youth to take inspiration from this movie and then later dig deeper by reading his books, making visits to Pingalwara and spend time with the residents of pingalwara to learn and make contribution to the community with selfless-service.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal views of the author after watching the premiere show on 29th Jan in Melbourne and may not necessarily reflect those of the wider audience.