This movie is based on a novel of the same name by Bakim Chandra Chaterjee. This novel was penned a century after the events actually happened. Notwithstanding its literary significance, the novel has overtones of Hindu revivalism and attitude of co-existence with the British rule which is a major departure from the actual incidents of this movement. There are official records documented by British officers of at least three incidents where the Muslims and Hindus together fought against the East India Company. The actually rebellion, on which this movie is based, was a united Hindu-Muslim revolt against the British known as the Fakir Sanyasi Rebellion which engulfed most districts of northern and eastern undivided Bengal during the early part of the British colonial rule in India (1767-1800). This rebellion was led by a Muslim Fakir, Majnu Shah and a Hindu Sanyasi, Bhawani Pathak, a fact that is totally ignored in this movie.