Know Freedom Fighter Usha Mehta Who Sara Ali Khan Is Set To Play In ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’

Sara Ali Khan is all set to portray the role of Indian freedom fighter, Dr. Usha Mehta in her upcoming film 'Ae Watan Mere Watan'. Ever since the first look of Khan from her next film has been released, it is creating a lot of buzz online. However, little do most netizens know about the freedom fighter Usha Mehta around whom the entire story revolves.

Ae Watan Mere Watan is based on the Quit India Movement that took place in 1942. The movie is an ode to the unsung heroes who played a key role in India's freedom struggle.

Who Was Usha Mehta?

Born on March 25, 1920, in the village of Saras near Surat in Gujarat, Dr. Usha Mehta was an active freedom fighter against British rule from a young age. She was an active participant in most of the movements led by Mahatma Gandhi to fight against the Britishers. In the year 1928, she was a part of the protest against the Simon Commission. Dr. Mehta was also a part of the Salt Satyagraha movement.

The Girl Behind Congress Radio

After Dr. Mehta attended speeches by freedom fighters like Maulana Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1942 at the All India Congress Committee, she got the idea to start Congress Radio. Congress Radio was a secret radio station that was set up on August 14, 1942. On the radio, Dr. Usha Mehta used to deliver Hindi and English news bulletins. The secret radio station also reported all the outrageous events by the British authorities.

The underground radio station operated for three months during the Quit India Movement in the year 1942. Dr. Usha Mehta back then was a 22-year-old student activist. Congress Radio broadcasted from August 27 to November 12 in the year 1942. The radio station was then shut down by the British authorities and all the operators were arrested.

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Getting Arrested And Journey Further

Dr. Usha Mehta and members of her radio station often changed their location to keep it a secret. However, on November 12, 1942, Dr. Mehta and her team got caught and ended up in jail.

According to reports, she was offered to go abroad for studies if she revealed information on other freedom fighters. However, she declined the offer and only came out of jail after completing her sentence in the year 1946.

Later, she did her PhD in Gandhian thoughts. She spoke about her journey and post-independence in India for a book called Freedom Fighters Remember by Naveen Joshi. In the year 1998, Usha Mehta was honoured with Padma Vibhushan. She passed away at the age of 80.

Coming back to Sara Ali Khan playing Usha Mehta in her next movie, the first look got mixed reviews from the netizens. 'Ae Watan Mere Watan' will be released on the OTT platform, Amazon Prime Video. The release date hasn't been announced yet.