[birds chirping]
-Has Partap-ji arrived? -Yes, Maharaj.
Sir Conrad Corfield leaves for London tonight.
Make sure this reaches him in time.
[rotary dial clicking]
It's done, Nawab sahab.
Nehru and Patel won't know what hit them.
[car engine hums]
You've got your 5 minutes...
[door opens loudly]
-Sir Conrad. -Prime Minister.
Please tell me you're bringing good news.
I come bearing a declaration from the Maharajas and Nawabs of India.
This is outrageous!
I need to speak with Vallabhbhai and Panditji. Right away.
What's the matter, sir?
The princes have declared war upon India.
[tense music builds]
[opening title music plays]
Menon sahab, is that all the kings?
Or are we expecting any more love letters?
Nearly all prominent kings and princes have signed the letter, sir.
What is this nonsense?
Dickie has told them clearly, they have only two options;
India or Pakistan.
[telephone rings]
So, independence--?!
The audacity of them all!
Tell him!
Sir, the kings say they had signed over their kingdoms to the Queen of England.
Now that the British are leaving, they have the right to claim them back.
But she's long gone. How could Attlee agree to this?
Tell him! Come in.
Sir... the princes do have a case, legally speaking.
And morally?!
These royals cannot have the seat of power.
India is a democracy now.
[raises voice] The power will reside with the common man!
"Roadways and railways will be blocked"?
"No passage through their states"?!
They're threatening to bring the nation to her knees!
At a time of great vulnerability!
Delhi is sitting on a powder keg!
The number of refugees from Pakistan is growing everyday,
we have a thousand troubles...
A thousand troubles, right?
Forget about 565 of them.
You take care of the rest.
Menon sahab and I will handle the princely states.
Hm?
You really do want to keep the doctor away!
The Governor-General is the apple of my eye!
[chuckles]
He has a lot to do!
An apple will give him the energy he needs.
Handling these kings is not going to be easy.
But Vallabhbhai, what's the guarantee that Mountbatten will achieve what we can't?
The King of Britain is his cousin, isn't he?
We are ordinary men of humble backgrounds.
Why not let them talk... royal to royal? Greater chance of success, no?
What say?
What exactly are we doing here gentlemen, hmm?
I want all 565 princely states merged with India.
One for each apple.
Mr. Patel.
I remember you once telling me that politics is all about give and take.
You're a sly old fox.
What exactly have you got in mind for these princes in return?
We can flesh out the details together, sir.
But for you, I believe it offers the prospect of building a lasting legacy.
As the man who achieved the unity of India.
In short, what Mr. Menon is trying to say is
we will offer the princes
some Mountbatten magic.
[voices arguing]
[speaks loudly] Gentlemen, please, just calm down!
Gentlemen, I need you to-- I say this in nothing but good faith!
[yells] Gentlemen!
Please.
Thank you.
I say this in nothing but good faith!
Congress Stooge!
[laughter]
Turning your back on India is not the solution.
It is the coward's way.
And you are not cowards, gentlemen.
You are bluebloods.
Now more than ever, your people need you.
India needs you.
Capable men,
accomplished men to replace the British.
Men with experience in statecraft,
with foreign educations for you have seen the world
and you know its workings.
I have spoken to the Indian government
for you to retain your titles, and palaces.
The government has listened.
But then who will pay for our palaces if all the revenue is taken away from us?
Good question!
In return for accession,
the government is prepared to pay a tax-free allowance
to each and every one of you.
Call it the Mountbatten Offer, if you will.
There's a typo in the second line.
Next time, I'd be more careful about what you write.
[music intensifies]
Khairpur and Bahawalpur must join Pakistan...
Or else, the railway link between Lahore and Karachi will be broken.
And if the Khan of Kalat refuses the merger,
we will lose 80% of Balochistan...
[coughs]
Sir, the Prime Minister is here.
The kings have interpreted Mountbatten's offer
as a threat from the Congress, Quaid!
There are several kings and rulers within Indian borders
who want to join Pakistan!
They are just waiting for you to make the first move.
[stifled laugh]
You heard that, Fatti?
And they all thought I was getting a moth-eaten Pakistan...
They all laughed at me.
Mr. Prime Minister!
They all think there is a distance of a
thousand kilometres between East and West Pakistan.
But I have a plan.
I don't quite understand, Quaid.
Well, that's as expected.
[chuckles]
You said they are waiting for us to make the first move...
then let's.
Let's make some calls.
Is the list of all the kingdoms ready?
Yes.
[chuckles]
Never had I thought we, too, would have to do what the British did.
Divide and rule.
Later.
[bulb flicks on]
[radio tuning]
[chalk scrapes on board]
[tense music rises]
I'm integrating my state today into the dominion of India,
hoping that this would be in the interest of the country as a whole.
[crowd shouting] Hari Singh, leave Kashmir!
Leave Kashmir, leave Kashmir!
Hari Singh, leave Kashmir!
Leave Kashmir, leave Kashmir!
[typewriter clacking]
Sir, unfortunately His Highness is not going to be able to join you,
he's a bit unwell.
But do enjoy your meal.
Thank you.
Shame.
Two large and honourable kingdoms in Central India, Gwalior and Indore,
had the wherewithal to be independent.
Despite this, they chose to join India.
Their decision was very prudent,
correct in every way, and I give them congratulations.
[applause]
Do you think His Majesty will grace us with his presence this evening?
Uh, if the doctor allows. He's still very unwell.
Unwell?
George!
We're going home.
[ceremonial shehnai music]
He stands on command, he sits on command...
he belongs to a very honourable family!
-Sir. -Yes?
There is a message from Karachi.
Nawab sahab, shall we begin the niqah ceremony?
Yes.
Later.
Bring in the bride and groom!
[shehnai plays]
Name of the bride, please.
Roshana.
And the groom?
Bobby.
Roshana Binte Muhammad Mahabat Khanji Rasul Khanji...
Your niqah with Bobby, at meher Rs. 1 lakh...
-Nawab sahab! -What is it, Bhutto?
Junagadh must choose Pakistan!
[dog whines]
How can I choose Pakistan, Bhutto sahab...
We don't have a single border in common.
You have your faith and the sea in common, sir!
The sea forms one of our borders...
and Karachi is only 300 miles away by sea.
What about my people?
You forget how many Hindus reside in this kingdom.
Nawab sahab, the fate of a kingdom is chosen by its king, not by its people!
And you are the king, a Muslim Nawab!
Hmm.
Let's see what Sultana thinks.
Come! Come, Sultana!
Who do you think we should choose?
Pakistan
or Hindustan?
Let's hear it!
You know, Nawab sahab...
a little birdie told me the Hindustani government
wants to poison all your precious pups for sport...
[tense music rises]
Quaid, we have news.
Junagadh is seriously considering acceding to Pakistan.
We should think very carefully before accepting this accession.
Jinnah has no option but to reject this accession!
Unless he wants to fall into a trap of his own design.
Because he made Pakistan for the Muslims, and...
...the Junagadh population is over 80% Hindu.
The Hindustani government will tell us...
...the majority of the population is Hindu,
and so, Junagadh should be in Hindustan!
[coughing]
And we will agree!
And we shall tell them,
if the majority population principle applies to Junagadh,
it should apply to Kashmir as well.
You mean we will let Junagadh go?!
In order to reach the queen, one must sacrifice the pawn, Liaquat.
Mr. Prime Minister!
A word?
The Independence Day celebrations have impacted Quaid's health.
He is under strict instructions from his doctors to rest.
I can hear you Fatti, and I am fine!
No, you are not fine.
Quaid needs to rest. I am planning a holiday for him.
It is necessary for him to be here,
to make important decisions regarding the nation.
And for his health,
it is necessary for him to go away, to the mountains, where the air is clean.
Kashmir!
For ages, I have kept this cheque in my pocket.
It is time now to cash it.
If I speak to the Maharaja and bring him over to our side,
our borders will be secure.
That's not the kind of trip I meant, Jinn.
We take what we get, Fatti. We take what we get.
Send a message to Hari Singh.
[crowd shouting] Hari Singh, leave Kashmir!
Leave Kashmir, leave Kashmir!
Release Sheikh Abdullah!
Release him, release him!
Release Sheikh Abdullah!
Release him, release him!
Release Sheikh Abdullah!
Release him, release him!
Sod it. I'm going.
-Sir! Sir sir, you can't go in-- -I don't want to know!
[angrily] I don't give a bloody--
Sir, the doctor has said no visitors, sir, please, sir.
I'd like to remind you that I'm the Governor bloody General
-and I'll do what I want! -He's extremely unwell, sir, you can't enter his chambers!
-Sir, please! -To be quite frank he must be at
death's door if he hasn't got the courtesy
to even say hello, let alone--
[coughs]
Unbelievable!
Hari Singh, leave Kashmir!
Leave Kashmir, leave Kashmir!
Release Sheikh Abdullah!
Hari Singh, leave Kashmir!
Leave Kashmir, leave Kashmir!
Release Sheikh Abdullah!
[coughs loudly]
Hari! Enough with the charade already!
Look,
it's time you embrace democratic principles and release all political prisoners.
Especially Sheikh Abdullah.
Arresting popular leaders is not exactly the right thing for you...
Given the current circumstances.
Dickie, did you know this entire valley was once a lake?
The Dal was drained by the great Rishi Kashyap
by carving a gap in the hills at Baramulla.
Have you heard a word of what I've said?
You can't keep running away from facing reality.
You have to make a decision.
90% of your subjects are Muslim.
The supply routes run from Rawalpindi & Sialkot.
Dickie! I am not going to accede to Pakistan under any circumstances.
Well, that's up to you.
Go with India for all I care, just make a decision, man!
You know I detest Nehru!
He has been plotting day and night to get his friend
Sheikh Abdullah on the throne, traitor.
Your Highness, Mr. Jinnah has requested your permission to holiday in Kashmir.
Denied!
Unbelievable!
Last year, you arrested Nehru for entering Kashmir.
Now, you're refusing entry to Jinnah.
If you carry on like this,
the last of your worries will be losing your throne.
Look, Dickie, I... I think I need to retire for the evening.
I really am feeling a bit under the weather.
[distant crowd shouting]
Hari.
You've got 24 hours.
Or I'm opening the gates and letting the protestors in!
And I am not bluffing.
Pack some extra mufflers.
The cold in Srinagar will not be good for Quaid's cough.
Quaid, I have good news and bad news.
[coughs]
Bad news first.
Hari Singh has denied your request to visit Kashmir.
I don't think he will choose Pakistan.
Mountbatten.
At Patel's behest, Mountbatten is ruining our prospects in Kashmir...
What is the good news?
[vehicle engine approaches]
Thanks to Mountbatten, Corfield is no longer of any use to us!
The promise of purse and pension has all these princes
wagging their tails at Patel like lapdogs!
Even Patiala.
But the way things are going,
it is looking tough for us to keep holding out.
By the way, where are we going?
Do you see this sand, Raja sahab?
People often think sand is barren, infertile...
But this very sand is going to give us the biggest harvest of 1947.
[slow exhale]
Welcome to Pakistan!
[hidden camera clicks]
If these Hindu kings fall for Jinnah's schemes and choose Pakistan,
it will be very difficult to convince the Muslim Nawabs to choose otherwise.
[chuckles]
Good looks have favoured Raja-ji...
but good fortune has not.
[table clatters]
Hello, Jaswant bhai? Send it over.
The British government has gathered information
on every skeleton in these kings' closets.
That too for five generations.
Corfield wanted to burn these.
But our good fortune, India's good fortune,
that Jawahar had these sent to me.
Jawahar detests these princes
almost as much as he loves his principles!
[chuckles]
Now that we have this, might as well use it.
Your Highness, as I was saying, the Indian government is your friend.
Anybody with designs upon my kingdom is an enemy,
no matter what his name is...
Menon...
or Patel.
Maharaj...
Vallabhbhai, if we stoop to Jinnah's level and blackmail the princes,
we are hardly better than him!
Then don't stoop to his level.
But remember one thing.
A student of politics using a moral science
textbook for his study is bound to have a hard time passing his test.
[table clatters]
Maharaj! We don't deal in bribes like the Pakistanis,
nor blackmail like the British.
Your Highness,
consider this a present from the Indian government.
[chuckles]
Well, here's a present from me.
Ah! Thank you.
[panicked voice] Your Highness! What are you doing!
Your Highness, stop!
[gunfire]
I-- I remember your father, Your Highness!
Wa-wasn't he a staunch believer and practitioner
of Hinduism, Your Highness?
If - if his Hindu populace was forced to join Pakistan,
how will his soul ever rest in peace?
Don't forget... that same sooryavanshi blood flows through your own veins!
[door creaks open]
[coughs, retches]
I can almost hear them laughing!
Patel, Nehru. And his stooge, Menon.
Those Hindu kings have revealed their true colours.
I should have never trusted them! Never!
[coughs]
And I should have never trusted you!
Quaid...Quaid?
-Are you alr-- -Leave me!
Here.
Why can't you take care of these matters yourselves?
[angrily] Because they're a bunch of imbeciles!
I have to do everyth--
[panting angrily]
We will not let Patel hoodwink our Muslim brothers!
Fatti, all three Muslim states will be ours...
Junagadh, Hyderabad...
and Kashmir.
[indistinct chatter]
I believe we have company.
[smirks]
Miraculous recovery!
[birds chirping faintly]
Dickie, I've made up my mind.
And?
Kashmir will remain an independent state.
I think you might have misunderstood the options available to you.
Kashmir will not remain an independent state because it cannot.
Hari!
It is a landlocked state; oversized and underpopulated.
And if you dilly-dally any further,
you're going to have two countries with daggers drawn as your neighbours.
Kashmir is a historic state with an army ready to defend herself.
Oh, don't be so bloody silly!
You call that an army?
Well, I'm the King of bloody England. Your ragtag army--
[angrily] You forget that I am a Dogra Rajput!
I have warfare coursing through my blood, and I will and CAN defend Kashmir!
And I will NEVER! Never accede to Pakistan! Or India!
The man will not be moved.
He demands Kashmir's independence.
And the moon on a stick. To be quite frank, he's intolerable.
It's official.
Mr. Jinnah has formally accepted Junagadh's accession.
Christ.
What a hypocritical opportunist!
Yes...
After going on and on about religion, majority, minority...
Better to know your opponent's next move than your own.
I guess we underestimated the Nawab.
Who could have thought the Nawab of Junagadh would be out of his mind?
Out of his mind yes,
but well within his legal rights.
I mean, I hate to say it but we ought to respect his decision.
His decision may be legally valid, but it's certainly not popular.
Sorry.
The local population wants to integrate with India.
Well then, let's make sure they are given a voice...
Jawahar.
Menon sahab, take care of our dear Lord Mountbatten.
If you want, why don't you...
lately you... You enjoy your drink, we'll join you.
Please.
Jawahar, let me handle Junagadh my way--
Not your way, Vallabhbhai, the RIGHT way!
We will make each decision the RIGHT way!
And Jinnah?
Jinnah can do as he pleases?
Hm?
What sort of a partition is this?
Where Jinnah only deals in politics, and we only deal in principles?!
Jinnah has been handing out blank cheques to the kings! Blank cheques!
Well, what would you prefer, Vallabhbhai?
That we start doling out blank cheques too?
I would prefer that we don't give anybody anything.
And CERTAINLY not to Jinnah.
What do you think he will do with Pakistan's share of 55 crore rupees?
He'll buy land on our side of the border,
weapons to attack us with, then declare war on us!
Let alone 55 crore rupees, I wouldn't even give him 55 paise!
Let me handle Junagadh my way.
When I'm done, Jinnah will have to forget not only Junagadh but also Kashmir!
Nawab sahab, come on!
-But Bhutto sahab-- -You don't understand, come on!
[over radio] In an unprecedented step, Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
has marched into Junagadh with a military convoy.
The Indian army has completely taken over the state of Junagadh.
[over radio] The Nawab has fled the country, along with his family, and all his pet dogs.
[voice continues over radio] In his historic speech,
Vallabhbhai Patel has declared that a plebiscite has been held in Junagadh.
And the result, unanimously, has been in India's favour.
[voice over loudspeaker] Not a fly has been harmed in Junagadh, no weapons were fired!
The Dewan himself begged us to have mercy and take over the government.
And the Nawab ran off to Karachi like a coward!
There is nothing to discuss about Junagadh.
I always say, conduct a plebiscite, let the people vote,
we must do as they wish!
Give the people what they want!
Let us not beat about the bush!
How many of you want to live in Hindustan?
[crowd shouting] WE DO! WE WANT TO STAY! WE DO! LONG LIVE SARDAR PATEL!
That's it! That's final, then!
Now, Hindustan belongs to you, and you belong to Hindustan!
Starting today, Junagadh is a part of the union of India!
[crowd shouting] Victory to Hindustan! Victory to Hindustan!
The hooliganism of these Hindustanis has no end!
What if they repeat their Junagadh spectacle in Kashmir and Hyderabad?
Why don't you ask Quaid what is to be done?
Quaid is under the weather...
Well, ask Fatima bibi then!
-Look... -I am looking, show me!
Show us you are the Prime Minister!
Show us that you too can make a decision.
I can make a decision.
Even if it is a difficult one?
Even if it costs thousands of lives?
Even if it is declaring war?
For the sake of our Kashmiri Muslim brothers,
is the Prime Minister of Pakistan
prepared to declare war upon Hindustan?