The Battle of Bhima Koregaon: A Documentary Film by Somnath Waghmare

History speaks about great wars fought, brave warriors and clever kings and emperors. What history doesn’t do is justice to the wars, warriors and leaders of the oppressed. This documentary is about the 500 Mahar soldiers (the untouchables) who offered to fight alongside their countrymen, against the colonisers. Rejected by the ruling class they joined forces with the colonisers and fought in the ‘Bhima Koregaon Battle’, defeating the Brahminical rule of the Peshwas. Just as history did, so do the media and ruling class today conveniently forget to acknowledge them. On the 1st of January, every year, 20 lakh (2 million) people gather at Bhima-Koregaon, Pune, Maharashtra to commemorate that battle. No national or local media covers the largest annual gathering in the region. The documentary captures the history of Bhima Koregaon and its relevance to contemporary Dalit issues and politics in the country. It tells the history of the Bahujans through the coverage of the events of this gathering.
The celebrations in Bhima Koregaon became a national issue this year, on the 200th anniversary of this battle when a few Hindutva organization attacked the predominantly Dalit and Bahujan crowd who had gathered there. Subsequently, protests were held across India against the violence inflicted during the Bhima Koregaon celebrations.