Birsa Munda - The Black Iron Man (2004)

Birsa Munda (1875-1900) was a young Munda tribal leader from the Chotanagpur region of present-day Jharkhand who led the Ulgulan, the 'great tumult', against British rule and the outsiders who were taking tribal land. Revered by his followers as Dharti Aba, father of the earth, he died in British custody at the age of about 25, and his birthday is now marked in India as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. This Hindi film dramatises his life, from his childhood and spiritual awakening to the uprising he inspired and the forces that hunted him. It is a modest, earnest production that brings a chapter of tribal and freedom-struggle history to the screen.