Crossing borders and hearts
Long before ‘83, the Indian Hockey Team defeated our former colonisers at the 1948 Olympics. A new documentary presents stories that are wrought with emotion
Growing up in New Delhi in the '60s, Bani Singh knew that her father lived many lives in his one lifetime. (Grahanandan) Nandy Singh, was born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad, in Pakistan) in 1926. He was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the gold in the 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki) Olympics. He eventually retired as a commander in the Indian Navy, and was decorated with the Param Vashisht Sewa Medal.
But for Bani, he was her father, someone who had the deepest respect for all women, never differentiated between her and her brother, and always encouraged her to find her own voice, and stand on her own two feet. “I know the biggest compliment he gave me was the day he said, ‘You would have made a darned good naval officer!’” she reminisces.
First thoughts
Now, 74 years after the Indian Olympic hockey team won the gold in London, just one year after Independence and Partition, Bani has chronicled her father’s journey in a film, called Taangh (Longing).
“My first thought of making Taangh came when I saw Lagaan with my father,” she reveals. “I couldn’t stop saying, ‘Your gold medal was the real Lagaan. Why doesn’t someone make a film about that?’ But at the time, I was not even close to thinking I could make a film.”
It wasn’t until years later, after Nandy Singh had suffered a stroke, and they were watching Bhaag Milka Bhaag, that Bani realised what she had to do.
“At the end of the movie, I was very impressed, and much surprised to see how totally unimpressed he was,” she says. “When I wanted to know more, he pointed to himself and the photograph of the hockey team. In an instance, I was stunned by the depth of their achievement. Milkha Singh’s story was so inspiring, and here was my father who had played the Olympics within a year of having witnessed the horrors of Partition, and he and his team had won the gold despite all odds.”
She continues, “I think that was the moment I knew this film had to be made.”
Go for the gold
So, Bani set out to tell the story of India’s golden boys, who, within a year of Independence, defeated the empire and brought back the gold for their country. “At that point, I did not realise that this story had many more layers,” she says.
Gradually, as they started filming, Nandy Singh allowed his daughter access to his inner thoughts. She remembers asking him how it felt when they stood on the victory stand, and how, through gestures, he shared how when they stood on the victory stand and saw the Indian Flag above the Union Jack, the entire team had tears in their eyes as they sang along with the national anthem.
Unfortunately for Bani, she reveals, “The time I picked up the camera was the last year of my father’s life. Most of the filming was done that year. After he passed away, I was unable to work on it for the next two years.” In fact, eventually, her older brother, Mano, stepped in to fund the travel and studio expenses.
A longing
Taangh documents the journey and memories of four Olympians, now all in the twilight of their lives. Bani and her crew also travelled to Lahore, about which she says, “It made me experience how similar we are. I was received with respect at my father’s college, and they made me feel like I would be welcomed back again. I came back feeling wistful as to why we couldn’t be friends. We have so much to share despite all our differences.”
As a first-time filmmaker, she felt validated when Taangh was shortlisted for the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, in the Focus Long Documentary category. Although delayed due to the pandemic, she hopes to organise screenings soon. We can’t wait.
“WHEN I SAW LAGAAN WITH MY FATHER [NANDY SINGH], I KEPT SAYING, ‘YOUR GOLD MEDAL WAS THE REAL LAGAAN. WHY DOESN’T SOMEONE MAKE A FILM ABOUT THAT?’” —BANI SINGH, FILMMAKER & DAUGHTER OF HOCKEY PLAYER NANDY SINGH