Ram Madhvani’s upcoming thriller film ‘Dhamaka’ starring Kartik Aaryan is all set to start streaming on the Netflix OTT platform from 19th November onwards. And now the acclaimed filmmaker is reportedly (via Variety) already geared up for his next project, which will be set amidst the backdrop of the horrifying Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The project would be set in a series format comprising six or seven episodes with the title ‘The Waking of a Nation’.
The heinous incident, also called the Amritsar massacre, occurred on the fateful day of 13th April 1919 when a large but peaceful public gathering at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab was ordered to be mercilessly fired upon by Brigadier R.E.H. General Dyer. What made the incident even more shocking is how the British Army had blocked the exit to avert any chances of escape. In October that year, the formation of an inquiry committee called the Hunter Commission headed by Lord Hunter was announced, to investigate the events of Punjab.
Besides focusing on the monstrous Jallianwala Bagh incident, the series would ostensibly revolve around the Hunter commission, court proceedings, the cause of the incident, and its aftermath. The series’ final script draft is purportedly heading for completion in two months’ time. Ram Madhvani has been approached by a prominent OTT platform to be the streaming home for ‘The Waking of a Nation’ series. However, the name of the streaming service is not yet known.
This is not the first time for the on-screen portrayal of the monstrous massacre. The recently released critically acclaimed Amazon Prime Video film ‘Sardar Udham’ helmed by Shoojit Sircar and starring Vicky Kaushal had featured the abominable Jallianwala Bagh incident during the intense and brutal pre-climactic portions of the film. Furthermore, in the year 1977, there was another film titled ‘Jallian Wala Bagh’ that featured Parikshit Sahni, Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi, Gulzar, and Deepti Naval.
Ram Madhvani, who made his feature film directorial debut with the Boman Irani starrer ‘Let’s Talk’, went on to direct the National Film Award winner ‘Neerja’ followed by the International Emmy Award-nominated series ‘Aarya’ starring Sushmita Sen for Disney+ Hotstar and his next release would be ‘Dhamaka’ on the Netflix OTT platform.