Keep your date with the charming last king of Punjab -Maharaja Duleep Singh, called Black Prince by his caretaker Dr. John Login. He will meet at you at a theatre near you and beckon you to reclaim the Sikh kingdom snatched from him by chicanery and deceit by the British.

Heretofore, no Bollywood or Hollywood movie has had such a reach on the basis of a story with a historic Sikh character. The Black Prince has broken all records and is on the verge of creating more milestones when it hits a few hundred screens globally. In Punjab alone it will be screened in 70 theatres. I bet there will be one not very far from you.

In a detailed historical review, in which she talks to producer Jasjeet Singh and Director Kavi Raj, Cinema critic Dana Gee of The Vancouver Sun says that “The Black Prince reveals truths about Royal Sikh history“

In a dramatic scene of the movie, Jindan tells Maharaja Duleep Singh, “They are soldiers of the Sikh Raj, they need a leader.” Totally enamoured by the movie, Journalist Gurpreet Singh Sahota says “this dialogue keeps reverberating in my brain since I saw the special screening of the movie in Vancouver.” Emotions take over and he surmises that “every frame of the movie will rattle you into thinking about this historic film.”

Revolutionary Sikh poet, Gajinder Singh remarks, “After reading Facebook posts and reviews, I think The Black Prince has the potential to revive a thought, may be a movement about Sikh freedom. Oh Black Prince, you are not a Prince, but a king. Anxiously waiting to see the movie.”

Jagdeesh Mann has captured the essence of the film makers when he says, “To be the “last king” of anything means you left this world either a legend or a tragic figure. Maharajah Duleep Singh, the final monarch of the Punjab kingdom, who was forcibly separated from his family as a child, dispossessed of the Koh-i-noor diamond, converted to Christianity as a teenager, died a penniless, broken man in Paris, and is today buried in England, clearly falls into the latter category. But just as some within England’s Sikh community are seeking to exhume his remains for return to the Punjab, so are others working at rehabilitating his victim legacy.”

Every newspaper worth its name across the world, especially where the Sikh Diaspora is overwhelmingly present has done a review. The Los Angeles Times talks about how, “Duleep Singh’s wish to return to India, reclaim his kingdom and reconnect with his lost Sikh faith doesn’t go as planned and makes for a less-than-triumphant tale.”

“Kavi Raz’s biopic sets course to rescue Duleep Singh from the forgotten recesses of English and Indian history. For the writer-director and his fellow producers, The Black Prince is clearly a passion project; the period piece is scripted in a mix of English and Punjabi, showcases an international cast, and features detail-oriented sets of Victorian England.”

The Herald Melbourne says, Singh’s story is a tragic reminder of the still pervasive effects of British colonialism, and his late-life attempt to reclaim his Sikh heritage and empire may speak to those struggling to stay connected with their roots.

Jagdeesh Mann writing in The Georgia Straight says, Director “Kavi Raz’s biopic sets course to rescue Duleep Singh from the forgotten recesses of English and Indian history. For the writer-director and his fellow producers, The Black Prince is clearly a passion project; the period piece is scripted in a mix of English and Punjabi, showcases an international cast, and features detail-oriented sets of Victorian England.”

He further says that, “The film is not song-and-dance Bollywood, nor does it fall into the Punjabi-language genre which is bloated these days with slapstick comedies. Like the recent Oscar nominated Lion, The Black Prince is part of a new wave of film and television content capable of generating box office revenue domestically and internationally.”

While the world acknowledges the spirit of the movie, do not miss the beautiful songs and the soul-stirring music.  Sung by Satinder Sartaj, Mitar Pyare Nu endears you to the soul of the movie.

Satinder Sartaaj, Shabana Azmi, Sophie Stevens, Jason Flemyng, Amanda Root, David Essex and Keith Duffy star in the film which has had high ratings at various film festivals last year.

So be ready for the first day-first show.