Should a film director tackling a period of history take pains to feature all the protagonists or merely tell the story from the angle that he or she chooses? That's the question some Indians are debating over the absence of a single Indian face in Christopher Nolan's new epic, Dunkirk.
The film is a magisterial portrayal of the mass evacuation of Allied troops from the northern coast of France in 1940. It has received ecstatic reviews in India and has been playing to packed audiences.
The debate was kicked off by an article in the Times of India a week ago pointing out that, for the evacuation, the British needed animal transport since they had disbanded their own animal transport companies after the First World War. They sent out an order for mules and their handlers to come from India, which was under British rule at the time of the Second World War. The mules were essential for transporting arms and ammunition over land in France that wasn't motorable.
The article said: "Four Indian Animal Transport companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps were sent to aid the British Expeditionary Force from Bombay". Of these four companies, three were successfully evacuated from Dunkirk but the soldiers in the fourth contingent were taken captive by the Nazis and died in POW camps. The article lamented the fact that this "significant contribution" was missing from Nolan's film.
Read more: Four Indian companies were present at Dunkirk
Another journalist, Mihir Shar, writing in Bloomberg View, was more acerbic, saying the film adds to the “falsehood that plucky Britons stood alone against Nazi Germany once France fell, when, in fact, hundreds of millions of imperial subjects stood, perforce, with them’’.
The topic was soon picked up by other writers who pointed out that Indians had rarely featured in any Second World War movies even though, according to historical data, about 2.5 million Indians (from both India and Pakistan, as this was before the birth of Pakistan) served with the British army in the war.
In fact, in 2015, when reviewing The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War by Oxford historian Yasmin Khan, writer William Dalrymple said the book finally did justice to "the crucial contribution of the Indian army" to Hitler's defeat.
"The British always liked to believe they stood alone in 1940, a plucky little island defying the massed ranks of fascists and Nazis. What we tend to forget, as Khan reminds us, is that 'Britain did not fight the second world war, the British Empire did'." Dalrymple wrote.
He went on: "No less than five million citizens of the British Empire joined the military services between 1939 and 1945, and almost two million of these … were from South Asia. At many of Britain's greatest victories and at several of the war's most crucial turning points — El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Kohima — a great proportion of 'British' troops were not British at all, but Indian.''
Review: Dunkirk catches the historical verity of the event
Other Indians took a different view of Nolan's "exclusion" of Indians in Dunkirk. After all, when Hollywood was making Vietnam War movies such as Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Platoon, they presented the war entirely from the perspective of American soldiers fighting in Vietnam, not from the viewpoint of the Vietcong or of ordinary Vietnamese.
On a lighter note, the Hindustan Times newspaper lent its voice to the debate by calling Dunkirk "a celebration of the bravery shown by common people. And if Indians were involved, the film, however abstract it is in its ways, pays homage to them too."
Film director Alankrita Shrivastava, who is currently basking in the success of her film Lipstick Under My Burkha, said that both points of view were justified.
"Directors have a certain responsibility, when presenting a historical issue, to get things right. That's fair. But they must have absolute freedom to present whatever perspective they wish. Films can't be put to the same test as history books. You can't tick off all the boxes to please every section of society," she said.
Nitin Tej Ahuja, who produced the films Bullett Raja and Revolver Rani, agreed with Shrivastava. Dunkirk, he points out, is a feature film, not an exhaustive documentary. "Christopher Nolan is not required to be comprehensive. The story telling is his and his credentials are such that you can't question him. Anyway, if we feel strongly about the Indian contribution to Dunkirk or the war generally, then we should make those movies ourselves," said Ahuja.
The debate does not seem to have affected filmgoers.
“Every country tells its own stories according to its own lights,” said computer science student Alisha Barua after watching the film on Friday night in the Indian capital.
“We should be more aware about our own history and tell those stories ourselves instead of bashing Nolan for not doing so.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3 (Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs%3A%20Panamera%20Turbo%20E-Hybrid
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MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
