World on Fire

(dramatic music) - I play Rajib, who is an Indian officer in the British army.

He's the officer of the sappers, military engineers.

Well, the Italian soldiers didn't want to be there.

And in fairness, my men didn't much want to be there either.

But it's amazing what you can get the lower classes to do for a little bit of money to send home.

When you look at history, it's told so differently from where you're situated in the world.

And for somebody at that time who's an Indian, being in the army, what's his idea of fear?

What's he scared of?

And does he really know who he's fighting for?

Why he's fighting?

(guns booming) He's not scared to die.

He's not scared to kind of put himself on the line, not just for his men, but for the mission to be completed.

So that's one thing I really like about him.

Another thing being he's somebody who sticks to the rules.

The only time that he doesn't is when he realizes that there's a right thing to do.

We cannot just leave 'em out here.

- We're at war with them!

- And if we behave like them, what will we be if we win?

- Alive!

- The enemy, you know, if you want to call it that, is just fighting someone else's battle, you know?

They're there because they're taking orders.

And I think that's one thing that you really discover about him as the series progresses.

(tense music) The racism, if it's fair to call it that, is kind of systematic.

They kind of acknowledge that in the first few episodes.

It becomes quite clear, quite quick.

You knew you would be safer with the whites.

It was the Indian regiment who were ordered to escort a supply truck near the enemy lines.

Sir.

- That'll be all, pa. - For someone who doesn't see color, but sees a rank as a form of respect, and for him to not get that and not have a reason why, I think it's infuriating.

- At ease, that's an order.

- That scene is, I think, arguably one of the most crucial scenes, because he doesn't just stand up for himself, he stands up for his men.

Sir, you have neglected to salute me on three occasions now, I'm sure that if you were to salute me, as is proper, my men would gladly obey.

I don't have to tell you, sir, that respect for rank is the foundation of military discipline.

(tense music) I'm fighting for India.

I'm fighting for England.

And I'm losing on all fronts.

I feel like Rajib leads with his head, but as he kind of sees the things that are going wrong, he starts to feel it here.

And that's why things start to change.

The decisions he makes change, especially around the end.

Lead us from illusion to the real.

Lead us from darkness to light.

Lead us from death to eternal life.

(tense music fading)