Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
It’s March 1931 in Lahore, and the radio broadcasts news of efforts to commute the death sentences of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru. However, as history bore witness, those efforts ultimately prove futile.
Written and directed by Ketkee Pande, the short film ‘The Last Meal’ imagines Bhagat Singh’s (Aakash Dahiya) final days in Lahore Central Jail, where he grows close to a sweeper named Bhoga (Ishtiyak Khan) and requests that the humble worker prepare his last meal.
Deemed ‘untouchable’ and shunned by society, Bhoga cannot fathom the idea of Bhagat eating a meal prepared in his home. But human connections transcend shallow societal rules, and Bhoga is deeply moved by the young revolutionary’s heartfelt wish to eat food from his hearth.
Around 28 minutes long, ‘The Last Meal’ explores caste divisions and untouchability. Bhoga fears the repercussions of crossing unspoken rules that bar people like him from so much as touching objects belonging to those from the upper castes. His wife Rano (Sarika Singh), however, is more optimistic, hoping that the cries for freedom from British rule might also usher in change for the oppressed castes.
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Since most of the story unfolds within Bhagat’s bleak jail cell and Bhoga’s modest abode in Lahore, the cinematography austerely captures these two starkly different worlds. In fact, we only see the space where Bhoga and his wife prepare their meals, an open area with a mud-brick hearth. Perhaps the irony is deliberate: one man is literally shackled inside a prison, while the other, though physically free, remains bound by humiliating caste restrictions.
Aakash Dahiya delivers a confident performance as Bhagat Singh, unafraid of his looming execution and uninterested in tears or goodbyes. His only hope is that their deaths will ignite an even greater fire for freedom. Rather than relying on impassioned monologues, The Last Meal illustrates his belief in human equality and rejection of the caste system through his actions. For instance, he affectionately calls Bhoga ‘bebe’, a term of endearment for mothers, and doesn’t recoil from his presence like any other upper caste person would.
Plenty of films have explored Bhagat Singh’s fierce revolutionary side, the young man wielding guns, hurling bombs or shouting passionate slogans of freedom. Ketkee Pande’s ‘The Last Meal’ instead invites viewers to imagine a quieter, more contemplative side of the revolutionary: someone who spends his final days reading books and hoping for one last home-cooked meal.
In its climactic moments, Ishtiyak Khan delivers a poignant, deeply moving performance, illustrating how the lives of ordinary people can be transformed by simple gestures of friendship, dignity and kindness. The short runtime robs the film of some of the powerful emotional catharsis that a more fully developed narrative might have delivered. Nevertheless, it’s a well-crafted short film, elevated by heartfelt performances and thoughtful themes.
Watch ‘The Last Meal’ on Youtube.
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