The Man Who Inspired 'Gadar': Real Life Story Of Ex-Soldier Boota Singh Who Died A Tragic Death
"Hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad hai, aur zindabad rahega!"
This one line holds a very deep meaning in the lives of movie buffs, especially those born in the 90s. Tara Singh's (Sunny Deol) "Prem Katha" with Sakeena (Ameesha Patel) is as popular as any other immortal love tale like?Romeo And Juliet and Heer and Ranjha.?
But did you know the Indo-Pak love story shown in Gadar is based on a real-life story?
The film that still gives us goosebumps and the film which Aamir Khan thinks is at least three-four times bigger than Lagaan, which released on the same day as Gadar in 2001, is based on the real life story of a Sikh ex-soldier who served in the British army - Boota Singh.?
The Story of Boota Singh
Born in Jalandhar, Punjab, Boota Singh?was Sikh ex-soldier of the British Army who served on the Burma front under the command of Lord Mountbatten during World War II.
Not just in India, he is popular in Pakistan as well owing to his love story.?
This tragic love story with Zainab
During the communal violence at the time of India-partition, Boota Singh rescued a Pakistani girl named Zainab, who he later fell in love with. The couple had two daughters named Tanveer and Dilveer. However, when their love story turned tragic when India and Pakistan, ten years after the Partition, decided to send back the women seperated from their families.?
Zainab with her elder daughter was deported back to Nurpur, a small village in Pakistan, where her family lived. Boota Singh was disheartened. He wanted to unite with his wife, the love of his life. He went to Delhi to request the authorities to bring back his wife, but nothing worked in his favour.?
Having no other solution, he decided to convert to Islam and enter Pakistan illegally to get back his wife and daughter. However, when he reached her place, his world turned upside down.?
Zainab's family didn't accept him. In fact, they beat him up and handed him over to the authorities. Zainab was also under the pressure of her own family. She refused to go back with Boota Singh in court.?
Boota Singh committed suicide
Devastated with this, Boota Singh died by suicide in 1957 by jumping before an upcoming train near Shahdara station in Pakistan along with his daughter, but she survived.
He wrote a suicide note. His last wish was to be buried in Barki village where Zainab and his parents had resettled after the partition. After the autopsy in Lahore, his body was taken to the village but the villagers refused to bury him at the Maini Sahib, the graveyard.?
Other films inspired by Boota Singh's tragic love story
Boota Sing's love story with Zainab has been adapted in many books and movies. Not just Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, 1999's Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh, a Punjabi movie starring Gurdas Mann and Divya Dutta, is also based on his real-life tragic love story. In fact, Veer Zara is loosely inspired by Boota Singh's story and so is 2007 Canadian film Partition. Furthermore, Ishrat Rahmani's novel Muhabbat is also based on the story.?
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