Punjab 1984 is a 2014 Indian Punjabi language period drama film directed by Anurag Singh. It is based on the 1984–86 Punjab insurgency's impact on social life, notably it is a story of a mother and her missing son. Starring Diljit Dosanjh and Kirron Kher, the film is the fourth collaboration between director Singh and actor Dosanjh. The film won the National Film Award in the 62nd National Film Awards. Punjab 1984 released on 27 June 2014 to excellent box office collections.
Plot
The film starts with a scene on 4 June 1984, during Operation Blue Star. A group of pilgrims are locked inside a room in the Parkarma - mostly elderly, women, and children - who are dying of dehydration and hunger due to the Army refusing to evacuate the pilgrims from the Golden Temple Complex. The pilgrims are finally able to open the door locking them in. One of the women in the room - a mother of a newborn who hasn't eaten or drunk in two days - proceeds to go under fire to bring water for her child from the Sarovar. However, one of the elderly pilgrims, Bachan Singh Maan, stops the mother and volunteers to bring water for her child. When he comes out of the room as the firing stops, just as he dips in the sarovar, Indian Army machine gunners kill him.
The story flash forwards to September 1986, where Satwant Kaur is living alone and spends her days sitting outside the local police station. Satwant Kaur now feeds poor children and her son's best friend Bittu, a Hindu. It's revealed that Satwant's son, Shiva went to work in the fields one year ago and never came back. To cope with the loss, Satwant treats Bittu as her son, much to the jealousy of his Hindu parents. Bittu moves on to take Satwant Kaur to a human-rights lawyer, who is known to have found many boys who were kidnapped by the Punjab Police and keeps a record of the boys who were killed in fake encounters.
The story then flashes back to 1984, a day before Operation Blue Star. Shivjeet, or Shiva, is a college going young adult who is an avid fan of Kuldeep Manak and loves Jeeti: his classmate. Jeeti reciprocates his feelings. Shiva has a land feud with his corrupt and drug-addicted cousin Jaggi, who is best friends with the village Inspector Deep Singh Rana. Inspector Deep Singh Rana enters - a sadistic, apathetic, police officer - who kills innocent Sikhs for rank promotions under orders from the Central Government. While facing Jaggi and Rana, Shiva guarantees that none of them can plough his land while he's still alive. At home, Shiva has an argument with his father; his father is a law-abiding and court-going man, while Shiva believes that none other than the Almighty guarantees his rights. Satwant Kaur reveals to Shiva of her knowledge of his secretive dating with Jeeti. In the morning, Bachan Singh leaves for Amritsar.
When Shiva, Bittu, and Satwant wake up in the morning, they find out that all of Punjab is under Military Rule, and that there is an indefinite Curfew upon the entire state. There is an entire media blackout, with the only news coming from the Military Radio Channel, which is only referring to Operation Blue Star as a "Minor incident occurring in Amritsar." The entire state is at a standstill while everyone is listening to the Radio updates on the situation in Amritsar. Meanwhile, Bachan Singh is trapped in the Darbar Sahib complex. Against Army orders, the village gurdwara announces that in reality, the Army has invaded Darbar Sahib with tanks and gunner helicopters and the entire city of Amritsar is being shelled. Bittu and Shiva then proceed to sneak their way to Amritsar on their tractor to try to find out whats happening. They encounter an Army blockade on the road to Amritsar, where countless people are pushing against the barricade to make their way to Amritsar. In the entire situation, Shiva is rifle-butted by soldiers and countless protesters have been killed.
After the Operation, Bittu, Satwant, and Shiva go to the Emergency Police Station to try to find out the whereabouts of Bachan Singh. The police officers treat them badly as it's found out that the government declared and executed Bachan Singh a terrorist: who took up arms against the state. The next person in the line of people at the police station, whose brother was also at the Golden Temple, was meanwhile declared a peaceful pilgrim killed in "cross fire." When Bittu asks for Bachan's remains, the police say that the Army already incinerated all evidence of the "terrorists."
Shiva has now left college; he doesn't use his radio any more due to the broadcast of Operation Blue Star coming on it, spending his days working and mourning on the farm to cope with the loss of his father. To help cheer Shiva up, his mother places the radio in the courtyard and talks about selling it. The reverse-psychology works, and Shiva starts playing Kuldip Manak songs loudly on the radio while going to the fields. While working in the fields, Rana shows up and changes Shiv's radio's channel to the news, which is informing of a "terrorist" attack in Tarn Taran, with the police looking for the culprits. Shiva's mute friend immediately runs to Satwant Kaur's house, where she doesn't understand what he's trying to say until the boy makes the sound of a "kutti." This refers to the stopper on a "Halt" well system, meaning one thing: Shiva's in trouble.
The story flashes back to 1986, where the Human Rights Lawyer asks Satwant to check the record of the youth killed in fake encounters. Fortunately, Shivjeet is not in the album or list of those killed. Satwant and Bittu then go to the local politician Darshan Singh Poonpuri, a peace loving separatist, who vows to help them find Shiva.
When Bittu comes Home, his parents scold him for staying out and helping someone else's parent's instead of his own. His parents also accuse him of helping out a "terrorist's" mother in a time when Hindus are being targeted. Bittu replies that it is going just as bad for the Sikhs as it is for the Hindus. Jeeti's aunt and uncle attempt to convince her to marry someone else, since it isn't sure if Shiva is alive or not.
When Satwant Kaur goes to the police station, as she does daily, a news reporter from a prominent news outlet tries to interview and record her story. However, the stationed police officers find out from their superiors that the Human Rights organisation has found out about Shivjeet and has taken the case to the central government. Rana comes outside and beats the journalist brutally and shamelessly beats the elderly Satwant Kaur to near unconsciousness.
One of the police officers working for Rana, also known for having killed many innocents, secretly comes to Satwant Kaur's home to reveal to her what really happened to Shiva: Shiva was picked up and beaten to unconsciousness while being "interrogated" for "terrorism." Later, Rana and the police officer, who has come to Satwant, tried to kill Shiva and four other youths in a fake encounter, successfully killing two. Shiva refused to run in front of the police and was able to overpower Rana and escape with Taari and Pinda. When the Police Officer tries to leave, Satwant Kaur requests that he eat at her house, returning the favour that he did upon her; and so that as her son is ever in a condition like this, someone may feed him too. The policeman leaves in shame after realising his actions, telling Satwant Kaur where Pinda might be.
When Bittu and Satwant Kaur go to the police station where Pinda might be, the police inspector tells them that he never heard of said lad. Bittu and Satwant Kaur then proceed to Pinda's house, whose family tell them that they haven't seen Pinda in a year themselves. While leaving, Satwant requests Pinda's family that if Pinda ever comes by, do ask him about Shivjeet. Right before they leave the gate, Pinda's mother stops them and reveals that they were lying; in fact, Pinda was tortured by the police when he was captured after his escape and was crippled. He is currently living in hiding in their house, after his parents bribed the Inspector that Satwant talked to earlier. Pinda immediately recognises Satwant as Shiv's mother, since Shiva always talked about her. Pinda begins to talk about what happened:
One year ago, after escaping the police, Shiv, Taari, and Pinda went into hiding on Taari's relatives farm and began telling each other how they all came into police custody:
Taari was a separatist poet and journalist for a couple of Print Magazines and newspapers. Taari was friends with Rebel "Sukhdev Singh Sarhali," due to which Taari was arrested under TADA. However, the real reason Taari was arrested was so that he couldn't write more Revolutionary Poetry. The police subsequently crippled his writing hand. Shivjeet then recalls that he recited Taari's poems in college for multiple school projects.
Pinda was a college going young adult who beat up a man who was eves teasing his girlfriend. The man he beat up turned out to be the son of a Police Inspector, who arrested Pinda. When Pinda was given a chance to apologise and spare himself, the police ordered him to get a rakhri tied on his wrist by his girlfriend, accepting each other as brother and sister. Pinda, once again, beat up the police officer's son. In revenge, the police inspector slapped fake TADA charges against him. When being tortured, Pinda attempted Suicide rather than face the humiliation of being tortured by police.
After discussing their pasts, the three visit Sukhdev Singh Sarhali, a separatist who was Pinda's acquaintance. Sarhali convinces the three to join the separatist's cause. The threem due to the miseries and injustices they faced, agree, after which Sarhali Sends the three across the border into Pakistan where they undergo their training for a year.
Upon their return Sarhali sends them on a mission to eliminate SSP Jagat Ram, a police officer who gained promotions on the basis of fake encounters whose protege was Deep Singh Rana: the police officer who had earlier tried to kill the three. Sarhali's initial plan was to eliminate him on the day of "sagraand" (native new month for Sikhs) as he visits the Golden Temple. But Shiv convinces him that he should be killed inside his headquarters to terrorise the police department even further. The three reach the headquarters according to the plan, disguised as police constables themselves. Shiva was able to successfully intrude into SSP Jagat Ram's office under the pretext of getting a file pertaining to encounters from the DIG office signed. As Shiv stabs him in the neck, Jagat Ram is able to alert every one in the headquarters using the sound of a gunshot. In the chaos that ensues, Pinda is captured by the police while Shiv is shot three times but is able to escape.