The Waking of a Nation

In April 1919, as protests against the Rowlatt Act sweep through Amritsar, Punjab’s British administration decides to exploit the people’s anger to its advantage. Childhood friends Kantilal, Hari, and Allahbaksh meet after years. In December 1919, Kantilal Sahni decides to lay the truth bare at the Hunter Commission despite a threat to his life.

Following the arrest of popular leaders Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Kitchlew, and a British firing on Indian protestors, Amritsar spirals out of control. Riots engulf the city and tear into the friendship between Kantilal and Allahbaksh, while innocent British civilians are placed at the mercy of the mob.

In April 1919, British officer Major Macdonald’s sensitive handling of the situation restores peace in Amritsar. His approach annoys Punjab’s administrators, who want to use force against the native population. In December 1919, Kantilal receives an unwelcome visitor with a subtle agenda, and he is made an offer that he might find hard to refuse.

Even as General Reginald Dyer threatens Amritsar with a promise of violence, a devious plan is hatched to draw the unsuspecting public to Jallianwala Bagh. The general leads his troops into the Bagh to unleash terror on the city’s innocent. As casualties mount, Kantilal and Allahbaksh set aside their differences to mourn the loss of a friend.

In April 1919, Amritsar reels under the effect of General Dyer’s brutal repression of civilian rights. In December 1919, a murder and a shocking revelation stir Kantilal’s conscience. At the inquiry, Kantilal finds holes in General Dyer’s testimony and proves that the general lied before the Commission.

As Kantilal draws a noose around General Dyer, the actual perpetrators of the massacre risk being exposed. But in a masterstroke, the tables are turned on Kantilal as a damning secret surfaces. Shamed and shunned by his own people, Kantilal resolves to fight back and unmask the mastermind.