As India is all set to welcome New Year, multiple movies and web series are lined up for OTT and theatrical release. While the world is eagerly waiting for Avatar 2 movie, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt starrer The Good Maharaja is all set to hit the theaters as well. For the unversed, The Good Maharaja is a period drama slated to release in theaters on December 17, 2022. Directed by Vikash Verma and produced by G7 Films Poland, The Good Maharaja has a star cast including Sanjay Dutt, Dhruv Verma, Raaj Vishwakarma, Deepraj Rana, Gulshan Grover, & Sharad Kapoor. Although the hype around The Good Maharaja is not that overwhelming as compared to Avatar 2, Vikash Verma-directorial has been in the middle of a controversy in the past. For the unversed, the Movie was originally taken by Omung Kumar of Legend Studios. However, after the announce of the 1st look, the daughters of Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji sent a cease & desist notice to the creators, Omung Kumar & Sandeep Singh, co-owners of Legend Studios. The legal indicative of the daughters claimed, “The Maharaja movie was a public figure & if the facts are twisted, it will tarnish his photo. Hence our clients have objections to the picture, as no permission is sought from them." Now, the question arises whether The Good Maharaja is a true story or The Good Maharaja is a real story or not.
The Good Maharaja True Story
The answer to this question is Yes. The Good Maharaja is a true story based on the real-life event of the Maharaja of Jamnagar named Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja who saved one thousand polish kids during world war II. The Good Maharaja is a period drama on the Indo-Polish War with Sanjay Dutt playing the title role of Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar now Jamnagar, Gujarat India.
About Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
For fans who are wondering about the Maharaja of Jamnagar and how he made India proud around the wold, here's what you should know-
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Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja was the Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar from 1933 to 1948, succeeding his uncle, the famed cricketer K.S. Ranjitsinhji. He was educated at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, in Saurashtra, then at Malvern College and University College London. Digvijaysinhji joined the British Army in 1919. By 1920, he served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and was promoted to lieutenant by 1921. Digvijaysinhji’s military career spanned over two decades and after a promotion to captain in 1929, he retired from the army in 1931.
Maharaja Jadeja's Poland connection
During the years preceding World War II, a huge number of Polish people were taken away to work at the Soviet-run labour camps by the Red Army in remote parts of North-Eastern USSR and Siberia. When Germany’s attack on the USSR in 1941 changed the political landscape considerably, and a year later, some Polish refugees were allowed to leave the Soviet Union.
As a result, a great exodus of Poles began from the cold parts of Siberia to warmer southern regions of Central Asia. The long and arduous journey stretched over hundreds of kilometres. Many Poles lost their loved ones en route owing to the cold, hunger, malnutrition, and dehydration. During the migration, many European and Asian countries refused to give them shelter. In fact, when the migrants reached to Bombay (now Mumbai) the British Governor also refused to let them enter.
However, it was Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar who came to their rescue when he heard about their dismal conditions and plight. He pressured the British government to allow the refugees to disembark. Frustrated by the lack of empathy and the unwillingness of the government to act, the Maharaja ordered the ship to dock at Rosi port in his province. Thus began the story of Little Poland in India. After arriving in Gujarat in 1941, the Maharaja arranged for their stay at camps in Balachadi, a village in Jamnagar, where apart from food and shelter, a concerted effort was made to further their education and keep their Polish culture and traditions alive.