| Major Khaled's War | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Vanya Kewley |
| Produced by | Gita Mehta |
| Narrated by | Vanya Kewley |
| Cinematography | Mike Whittaker |
| Edited by | Kelvin Hendrie |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Granada Television |
Release date |
|
Running time | 26 Minutes 13 Seconds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Major Khaled's War is an English-language documentary film that focuses on the frontline combat activities of Major Khaled Mosharraf, the commander of the K-Force during the Bangladesh Liberation War. [1] Directed by television journalist Vanya Sarah Kewley, the documentary was filmed as an episode of the "World in Action" series, produced by Granada Television in the United Kingdom in 1971. It stands as one of the most significant documentaries about the Bangladesh Liberation War created by foreign filmmakers. [2]
The documentary was produced under the executive guidance of Jeremy Aylwin and Indian-born author and television journalist Gita Mehta. Vanya Kewley not only directed the documentary but also crafted and narrated the entire report. The film's editing was handled by Kelvin Hendrie, with Peter Walker overseeing the dubbing.
To produce the documentary, reporter Vanya Kewley, along with cameraman Mike Whittaker and sound engineer Colin Richards, spent eight days on the battlefield in June 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. They accompanied then-Major Khaled Mosharraf and his infantry in the regions of Sylhet, Comilla, and Noakhali under the command of the K-Force. [1] The documentary captures the armed guerrilla warfare and military strategies of the Mukti Bahini (Liberation Army) in the areas of Akhaura and Mandbhag, as well as interviews with Major Khaled Mosharraf, Major Abdus Salek Chowdhury, and families who had suffered under Pakistani forces. The documentary was broadcast on July 12, 1971, as the 41st episode of the seventh season of Granada Television's "World in Action" series. [3]

Mahbubul Haque Khan, known as Azam Khan, was a Bangladeshi singer-songwriter, record producer, and lead singer for the pop-rock band Uccharon. He was also a freedom fighter who took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. He is considered to be one of the greatest artists in the history of Bangladeshi folk music and a founding figure of Bangla rock.

Khaled Mosharraf BU was a Major General in Bangladeshi army who is known for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War and the subsequent coups in post-independence Bangladesh. After deposing Khondakar Mustaq Ahmad in the 3 November 1975 coup, Mosharraf was assassinated on 7 November 1975.

Gita Mehta was an Indian-American writer and documentary filmmaker. As a journalist and documentary filmmaker she frequently covered war and conflict including covering the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971. As an author she published five books which were translated into 21 languages. Her works described aspects of life in India and were intended to interpret the country for a largely western audience.
Armed Forces Day is annually observed in Bangladesh on 21 November, signifying formation of Bangladesh Armed Forces on the day in 1971, when the members of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force were officially unified under and launched joint operations against the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War. On 16 December 1971, the Pakistani Army of 93,000 surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India, ending the 9-month long Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Shafaat Jamil, Bir Bikrom was a Bangladesh Army colonel. He was the commanding officer of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment of Z Force Brigade in Sector 11 of Bangladesh Forces during the War of Bangladesh Independence in 1971. He was among the first Bengali officers who rebelled against the Pakistani Army in the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh and later fought in 11 sector and in Sylhet sector.
Madhabpur (Bengali: মাধবপুর, romanized: Madhôbpur, is an upazila of Habiganj District, located in Bangladesh's Sylhet Division.
There have been numerous works of art created as a result of the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1971, a concert was organized by members of the British rock band, The Beatles, in support of Bangladesh. The songs recorded for and broadcast on Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra are still considered to be the best of Bangladeshi protest songs.
Melaghar Camp was a training camp for Bengali guerrilla fighters during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In a cabinet meeting of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh, held on July 11, 1971, the Bangladesh Forces were divided into eleven sectors. Melaghar, near Agartala, India, was the headquarters of sector two.
The Crack Platoon was a special commando team of the Mukti Bahini. which was formed in 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was formed by young members of the Mukti Bahini, which carried out commando operations in Dhaka and its surroundings and led by Major Khaled Mosharraf. The commandos were mostly students and civilians, who received guerrilla training later in the training camps for Mukti Bahini and then engaged in battle against the Pakistani Army.
Shariful Alam Imam Ahmed was a participator in Bangladesh Liberation War. He is most widely remembered as the husband of "Shaheed Janani" Jahanara Imam and as the father of Guerrilla fighter Shafi Imam Rumi. He is a character in Jahanara Imam's famous memoir Ekattorer Dingulee.
Major General Khaled Mosharraf was assassinated on November 7, 1975. He was a Bangladeshi military officer who was the Sector Commander of Bangladesh Forces Sector 2 and K-Force Brigade Commander during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
K Force was a military brigade of Bangladesh Forces in 1971 headed by Major Khaled Mosharraf as per the direction of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in exile. The brigade was a part of regular army under the Bangladesh Armed Forces formed with the 4th, 9th and 10th Battalion of East Bengal Regiment.
S Force was a military brigade of the Bangladesh Armed Forces that was formed under the leadership of Major K M Shafiullah on October 1, 1971. The brigade was composed of the 2nd and 11th East Bengal Regiment.
Bangladesh Field Hospital was a temporary medical centre under the Sector-2 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The hospital was an initiative of Captain Akhtar Ahmed, who was a physician of 4th East Bengal Regiment in Comilla Cantonment. It was situated in Tripura, India.

Abu Taher Mohammad Haider, Bir Uttom was a Bangladesh Army officer and recipient of Bir Uttom, the second highest military award in Bangladesh. He fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War as the second-in-command of the K force under Khaled Mosharraf. Later he became the sector commander of sector-2 from 22 September 1971. After the assassination of the President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujib in a military coup; he joined a counter coup led by his former commander Major General Khaled Mosharraf. He was killed in a situation marred with confusion along with Khaled Mosharraf on 7 November 1975 by proponents of a counter coup led by Colonel Abu Taher.
Vanya Sarah Kewley was an Anglo-French journalist, documentary maker and nurse noted for her 1988 documentary film Tibet: A Case to Answer about the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule. Born in Calcutta to a French mother and a British father, she moved to London to train as a nurse but did not have much enthusiasm about her career and began working as a researcher for Granada Television in 1965. Kewley had her first foreign assignment in 1969 and continued to be sent abroad for assignments and interviewed major world figures of the period. She moved to working on the ITV current affairs series This Week in 1972 and made several documentaries for the programme.
The 3 November coup d'état was organised by Brig. Khaled Mosharraf against President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad to remove him from the presidency and the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from power: Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Syed Faruque Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim. The coup resulted a return of Mujibist forces in Bangladeshi politics for a short time.
Operation Hotel Intercontinental was an attack on the InterContinental Dhaka hotel on 9 June 1971, in Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan, in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The attack was carried out by members of the commando unit of Mukti Bahini.

Deyal is a 2013 political/historical novel by Bangladeshi writer Humayun Ahmed, based on the socio-political crisis in the aftermath of the war of independence of Bangladesh. It was the last novel of the writer and was published one year after his death. The publication of the book was delayed by a High Court verdict.
Sangram is a Bangladeshi war drama film that was released in 1974. The film was directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam and produced by Kazi Sobuz. Its story is based on true events Khaled Mosharraf wrote in a diary; it depicts the East Bengal Regiment's battles against the Pakistan army and the contribution of Bengali armies to Bangladesh's war of liberation.