With Nazi approval, Bose organized an Indian Legion within the German Wehrmacht. 3500 Indian soldiers received German training and equipment from experienced military men. The Indian national anthem and the Indian flag still in the use today were created in part on German soil. Also while in Nazi Germany, Bose defied Nazi race laws and had a passionate affair with Emilie Schenkl. Emilie gave birth to his only daughter, Anna. Before leaving Germany for the Far East, Bose met personally with the Führer to elicit guarantees for a free India.

Despite Bose’s controversial alliances with Fascist empires and his “independence-at-all-costs” mentality, his importance to the liberation of India is unquestioned. Along with Gandhi and Nehru, Bose is one of the great heroes of early history of the modern Indian nation, even if he did not live long enough to see his dream become reality. In this film, we speak with Bose’s contemporaries and follow his extraordinary journey through the minefields of global wartime politics. Especially noteworthy are the rare glimpses of the cultural tension between the Indian Legion and their Nazi hosts. And for the first time, this documentary presents the newly released document from the British intelligence service which reveals the betrayal of undercover British “triple agent” as well as orders of assassination.

Bose’s untimely death has been the subject of intense speculation. Official reports claim he died in the fiery plane crash in Taiwan in 1945, but after a recent Indian governmental probe into the matter, it has been concluded that no such crash took place. Rumors persist about Bose’s supposed imprisonment in a Soviet gulag after the war. Others believe that Bose retired to an isolated monastery to live out the rest of his days in enlightened solitude.

Whatever the case may be, most Indians can agree that Bose’s life is still worthy of celebration and admiration. Bose’s half-German daughter, Professor Anita Bose-Pfaff, is honoured in her frequent visits to India as her father’s spiritual heir. With Anita’s help, we delve deep into her father’s past, attempting to answer some of the questions that still exist about one of the most controversial personalities of the 20th century.

Distributed by Telepool Munich
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