User reviews

Whenever the topic raises on Netaji, somehow our so-called intellectuals get cold feet. Regrettably, the current generation are fully unaware of what happened to the man who truly turned out to be the foremost catalyst to India's independence. Simply forget about what you are being taught at school, I remember a small paragraph dedicated to Netaji SCB & his INA. Books like 'India's Biggest Cover-up' by Anuj Dhar, 'Women at War - Subhas Chandra Bose & Rani of Jhansi Regiment' by Vera Hildebrand are just some of the examples on the epitome of sacrifice endured by these men & women during the Battle of Kohima & Imphal.

It has been 73 years & still our government did nothing, of-course nothing to expect when treachery is the bread & butter of the system & society. Something for which the Japanese loathes us because we truly don't understand the meaning of honor or sacrifice leaving aside the Indian Armed Forces.

As a start this is the first time where we get to see on the silver screen the exploits of INA at the far east & its ultimate fate. Back in 2005 it was Shyam Benegal's Bose which gave us a little glimpse of our nation's legend. Being a war movie aficionado, I should praise the effort put up by Kabir Khan, who has earnestly tried to put forth the story of the forgotten army. We should never forget the sacrifice made by Netaji & his INA, this the least that can be expected from we worthless souls.

I would highly recommend this mini-series to anyone who has an interest to know about the true story behind our nation's freedom. Anyone who believes that the so-called non-violence truly brought India her freedom, really needs to keep tap on the events which led to sensational trial of INA officers at Red Fort back in February 1946, which raved the country like wild fire. When Subhas Bose took over the INA at Singapore, there was a sizeable amount of 60,000 enlisted men & women out of which 26,000 died during the end of Second World War. It was during the eve of INA trial when around 20,000 Royal Indian Navy mutinied against the Union Jack which lead to a panic across the Raj, which forced them to take a hasty decision for approving the transfer of power as a face saving grace event, so much for so-called ahimsa (non-violence) doctrine.

Note: I'm adding some additional foot-notes after seeing so many negative reviews; Kabir Khan has clearly mentioned in one of his interview, the story is seen from the perspective of one army officer who actively took part in the Battle of Mount Popa & Irrawaddy River operations, as for the love story it was inspired from the personal story of Captain Lakshmi Sahgal & Col. Prem Kumar Sahgal with some alteration, which is quite logical; the intent of the show was to bring forth the untold story of the decisive battle which forged our nation's future. Trust me, I've seen more war movies than many of you can ever fathom, my personal favorites are Saving Private Ryan, Thin Red Line, Come & See, Stalingrad - German Edition, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Hacksaw Ridge etc. I applaud the effort put up by Kabir Khan; its coming from some one who rarely sees Hindi movies in general.

Why worked:

• the production team; the series is beautifully shot, edited, sound and video mixing is fine. What stays out is the action team, the stunts, visual effects and overall war sequences. It's commendable and astonishing. The team were able to build a huge set design because of the adequate budget making the viewer experience more realistic.The series is based on a real story which makes it an especial series. Overall, it is an enjoyable watch especially the action scenes.

What did not work:

• love story; the love story somehow distracted the series instead of enhancing it. The movie which should have been focused on the agenda of the movie seem busy in trying to build a story out of the context, which would have been better if not highly valued in the narrative overall. Also, the love story failed to create the intimacy and relatability.
• glorified scenes: some scenes were overly dramatized and gloried for the sake of making it colorful. Many scenes with the themes of nationality and valor could have been cut down to get a crisp narrative.
• plot holes and flaws; what failed miserably is the screenplay of the series. Although they had a huge budget and great team, the screenplay somehow failed to connect with the viewers making it a mundane and cliche war movie with added flavor of romance and predictability. I think many would have not wanted the over glamorous present story, the chase scenes or the love story or the ending of the main character. I would say it's a weak writing and the narrative could have been made better with giving attention to the flow, the intend and the overall message of the movie, rather than gloried love story added on the real story. It's a missed opportunity, which could have been better.

Final verdict: not recommended if you have something better to do. Watch it for set design and action sequences, it's a treat.

None of us are going to find this in our school history books. It happened the exact way shown here even more. But unfortunately the credit for fight for freedom is limited to couple of people in India. They are the true unsung heroes of the free India we breath in now.

The content of the mini series could be more focused on fact rather than the dramatisation. With the factual history available in the public domain, the legacy of INA can be made into seasons together, let aside a 5 episode mini series. The storyline and cinematography could be better, even as compared to current Indian productions. Overall, 7 starts would do good. However, 10 stars is for the effort for bringing out such a sensitive and important part of the forgotten history.

I don't know much about Indian history , and I wasn't really going to watch this show I put it on to just sleep infront of it as I normally do , but OMG what did I just watch??? What a masterpiece , the acting , the war Scenes , I'm definitely going to watch more Indian shows and movies now, the drama and the love story and the way they tell the story , the directing and the last 2 episodes are just mind blowing , the girl who does maya , she is just mind blowing ! It's very strange they don't even have a photo of her on IMDb , she is really good , so is he , but she was phenomenal. Looking forward to see more of their work ! I'm very picky when I watch shows and movies , If you read this review , watch it !

Dear KABIR KHAN Sir From #EkThaTiger #BajrangiBhaijaan #Tubelight to #TheForgottenArmy you made so many movies and now a Web series. From an Independent film maker (Documentary Maker) to a Bollywood director. The Journey is unbelievable. But I just wana tell you guys once in your life watch the amazing Web series "THE FORGETTEN ARMY". Just completed the series #TheForgottenArmy which is live on #AmazonPrimeVideo. I know that some people will like it and some people do not each and every people have their own views. But It has been transformed into a series from some unintentional pages of India. Each character has given the best from their side and Kabir Khan handled all those characters well. You are outstanding #KabirKhan 😍 #India need more #movie and #series like this.

A story long overdue.. Sacrifices forgotten due to political reasons.. Ones worth remembering.. The true reason why India got Independence (yes, Red Fort trials and the subsequent Naval Mutiny were the reason the British left and the British PM Clement Attlee himself accepted this).. But a mediocre execution on part of the director as usual.. This could have been a muti season series based on all the adventures and battles of the INA spread over 3 years! But a 5 episode series simply fails to capture the entirety of the glory and valour that was the INA.. And I get that a love story isn't unusual given that the soldiers were humans themselves.. But what's with the blue bird nonsense? Is this a fantasy Disney show? And the side story of 90's Burma is absolutely pointless and even demeaning to the main story.. Had high expectations from this but alas, Bollywood.. 2 extra stars only for the sense to do a series on the INA..

I just finished watching The Forgotten Army and I'm unable to find words to express how awe-inspiring and beautifully made it is. I think it's extremely important for every Indian to feel the deep-rooted patriotism that watching this show made me feel. Really, thank you so much for giving the country an opportunity to understand and cherish the sacrifices made by those soldiers who gave up their todays for our yesterdays.

It could have been Band of Brothers but these BOLLYWOOD director have to make love story in everything 😠 This was great story to create the web series but this is just mediocre at best . had huge expectations but Kabir Khan failed yet again

Heared about INA so many times but know them First time.Thanks to all who make us to meet our unsung hero's. The series took us truely the sara of our freedom and once again remember us "Fighting for freedom but to maintain is much more harder"

I liked the series in a way that it was really informative and gave us an insight about INA. But the execution was more like a bollywood movie. Kabir Khan should have kept it more grounded. The love story has been given a lot of emphasis, specially in the last episode.

Feeling sad to give 5. Why would you mess up INA's struggle with unnecessary love and abusing. Very amateurish effort from Kabir Khan. Being a web series it has to be crisp and content driven. Kabir Khan learn from Raj DK how they had made a quality content with The Family Man. Too Bollywoodish.

Instead watch Bose: Dead/Alive, at least it does justice to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army.

Jai Hind 🇮🇳

I am any more episodes than just 5 please. It is beautifully portrayed with hint of love and story going back in past and relate to his memories is amazing.

I gave 10 score so that the series reaches more people and the forgetten army becomes unforgettable!

Storyline: 10 acting: 10 action: 10 reality: 10 cinematography: 10

A Phenomenal movie I have watched in my entire career. A tribute to all soldiers who have given their lifes for freedom of India.Such a great movie with thousands of goose bumps. Handsoff to the director Mr. Kabir khan & lead role sunny kaushal.

Don't know but VFX are getting worst in Indian cinema. When I see the prisoners are coming to Red Fort , I want to kill myself after seeing. Not just there only.

I only judge an art by seeing what was the aim of its makers and did the art achieved that goal. And if the goal was to aware the audience about the INA's effort from singapore. That, indeed is achieved, at least to me. And so, in my opinion, this series is a super success. It not only achieves it's patriotic mission with it's superb title song and steller performances (which made me cry each and every time), but also gives me a very good time. There's honesty in it's humour, necessary passion in patriotism, and purity in love and honour. Nothing felt too fictitious, at the same time, kept everything a little dramatic, to not make it boring. Though some moments may be debatable as to being authentic or not, but the discussion is of no importance to either me or any fine layman. Those discussions are only important to cinephiles, which is a fun thing nonetheless. I have had a very good time watching the whole season, one episode a day. Binging wasn't an option, and thankfully not, otherwise I wouldn't have enough tears for the whole series in one sitting. This series is definitely worth a try to every prime user. It's a good detour from our daily soaps. But remember, do not binge. It's not good for your health. (Are personal disclaimers like this, a no no in a review?) Happy watching!

The dramatization was awful. Giving it 7 only because it was about INA

It's good to see amazon prime teaching us history in form films and TV Shows because using books will not show you the photographical version of history. It's really inspiring to watch these kind of history which every person should be aware off.

The only thing I liked about this film was the camera work. The quality of content degrades through each episode. The plots are completely illogical and theirs too much Bollywood in it. Could have been better

Kabir Khan lost some brain cells working with a certain khan for such a long time. This had the potential to be a masterpiece but it was turned to a love story. This is not acceptable. The fight sequence were too good. But the story is not worth it. Give this series a miss.

Thanks a ton to the director for making this wonderful series. The real history has been whitewashed in form that makes britishers very generous and letting gullible indians believe that Gandhi alone paved the way for the victory of India. What many people don't know that it was INA which triggered a Major revolt inside British Indian Army which let indian solidiers revolted against britishers. Unforunately this tv series only potrays love story of couple and that is why i told that this movie is in the right direction. Hoping for a more dramatic season 2 of the same.

I love everything about this web series. Acting, cast, cinematography, music, war scenes and emotions all balance well enough which engage the audience so well. Beautifully done. It was a treat to watch. Some scenes were too emotional and tried to capture all aspects beautifully. Innocence love story, blend of two generations and how that connected to the plot and ending of the story brings the story life.