The patriotism of Sehmat Khan – Razi
In 2018, Meghna Gulzar’s spy thriller Raazi grabbed the attention of the audience for its characters which were based on a true story. The film is inspired by the novel “Calling Sehmat” by former Indian naval officer Harinder S. Sikka, which revolves around the character “Sehmat Khan” As it unfolds, she marries a Pakistani military officer to fulfill her patriotic Indian father’s wish to spy on the Pakistani army. . Let’s take a look at the true story of Sehmat Khan.
The life of Sehmat Khan
The story shows the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. It tells about the patriotic character of Indian girl Sehmat Khan. Her father is a Kashmiri Muslim and her mother is a Hindu. Her Indian freedom fighter father, who was suffering from cancer, convinced her to marry the son of his friend, a Pakistani army general, who was also an army officer in Pakistan. So much so that she acted as a spy, providing secret information about the Pakistani army to India.
Sehmat Khan and her mother
Sehmat Khan and her father
Sehmat Khan and her father
Before her marriage, she received espionage training through the Indian intelligence organization “RAW”. After the marriage, Sehmat gained the trust of his family and relatives and gradually began sending secret messages to the Indian Intelligence Agency. During this period, she also worked there as a teacher, teaching the grandchildren of General Yahya Khan.
Sehmat Khan undergoes spy training
Sehmat Khan plays spy
Saimat Khan as a teacher
During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, she provided one of the most important pieces of information to India, according to which the Pakistan Army planned to sink the Majesty-class aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (R11) of the Indian Navy. The ship is part of the naval strategy of military confrontation between India and Pakistan. But with the support of Sehmat, the Indian intelligence agency issued an early warning to the Indian Navy of Pakistan’s plan. In the end, Indian navy soldiers successfully rescued the Vikrant.
Sehmat Khan saves Vikrant
Later, Sehmat’s spy identity and true purpose were discovered by Pakistani agents. But she managed to escape the Pakistani army and return to India. At this time, she was pregnant with the child of her husband, a Pakistani military officer. The child was born in India and grew up to join the Indian Army.
Sehmat Khan
How the true life story of Patriotic Sekhmat came about
According to the author Harinder S. Sikka, it took him about eight years to concoct the story that Sikka received from an Indian military officer during his visit to Kargil, where the The officer told him the story of his Kashmiri Muslim mother who was married to an Indian army officer. Pakistani military officer.
By Harinder S. Sikka
Sikka further traveled to Malekotra (Punjab) to meet the man’s mother to learn more about her true story. After meeting her, he learned the full story of her life and decided to write about it. For security reasons, he did not reveal her identity and replaced her name with “Sehmat Khan.”
Harinder’s debut novel Calling Sehmat
In April 2008, Harinder’s debut novel “Calling Sehmat” was published by Konark Publishing House. Ten years later, in May 2018, it was republished by Penguin Random House India. Sikka said that although he is a veteran, he proudly admits that he learned the true meaning of patriotism from her story.
Harinder’s debut novel Calling Sehmat
Novel adapted into film spy thriller – Lacy
In 2018, the novel was adapted into the Hindi spy thriller Raazi, starring Alia Bhatt as Sehmat and Vicky Kaushal her husband. The film is directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Vineet Jain, Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta.
Novel adapted into film spy thriller – Lacy
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education