7 Things We Must Know About Real Sarabjit Singh!

A strange thing is happening in Bollywood right now. An industry that for the longest time believed in providing larger-than-life entertainment to its viewers, is now looking to add the element of truth in their stories.

Biographical movie, or Biopic, is really what Bollywood has embraced in the past few years. Each passing year, we are seeing more and more stories inspired by real-life individuals. Whatever might be the reasons behind this, it is certainly a welcome change.

Sarbjit, which will release on May 19, is part of that growing trend. The Aishwarya Rai-Randeep Hooda starrer will tell the story of an Indian national Sarabjit Singh, who spent 23 years in Pakistani prison for being an Indian spy.

Here are all the important facts that we all should know:

Life before imprisonment 

Sarabjit was a small-scale farmer in a village near Punjab, along the Indo-Pakistan border. He was married and had two daughters. According to his sister, Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit was fond of wrestling and kabadi. 

Arrest

In an interview, Sarabjit’s sister revealed that like many farmers at the time, Sarabjit used to be a little drunk while farming. Since his village was right next to the Pakistani border, he accidently crossed it before he was spotted. He was convicted for 23 years under the name of Manjit Singh, during which time he was beaten and tortured.

Sister’s long battle for release

Dalbir Kaur, for decades, fought for his brother’s release. She started campaigns, talked to politicians and employed lawyers but none of it helped in freeing Sarabjit. In 23 years of prison time, she met her brother only three times.

Spy or innocent?

The film portrays Sarabjit as an innocent person, who was inhumanly treated for his honest mistake. But there are some who suggest that he might actually be an Indian agent.

Death

Sarabjit was killed on 26 April 2013 following an attack by fellow prisoners. According to reports, attack on Sarabjit had a relation with Afzal Guru’s execution in India a few days before.

Aftermath

Upon Sarabjit’s death, Government of Punjab declared a three-day mourning period and announced that it would pay his descendants a sum of 1 crore Rupees. At his final rites, a 21-gun salute was perfomed.

Hidden purpose of the film

From what we know of the film, we all have an idea of what the film will be all about. But according to Dalbir Kaur, the true purpose of the film is to improve the conditions of Pakistani and Indian prisoners who are serving time in each other’s country. She has cited the example of a Pakistani prisoner, who is suffering from paralysis and serving in Tihar Jail, a motivation for making this film.