The only thing I have against the film is that Colonel Savage failed to realize that you had English people at all levels being racists against the Indians and the the Indians were racists among their own social, religious, economic groups. Without that racial divide and conquer policy, the British would have not been able to conquer and hold India for a long time.
In addition, the colonel failed to realize that many British enlisted and NCO soldiers stay in India after their term of service had expired because if they had went home, the only jobs for them would have been menial and physical labor jobs. In the movie The Man Who Would be King, Daniel Dravot and Peachey Camehan did not want to go back to England because ambitious men like them would never be allowed to rise above their social class/caste status particularly after seeing action in the 2nd Afganistan War plus being degraded to the above mention jobs that were awaiting for them. In the movie Gunga Din, Sgt. Ballatine was leaving the service because he was going to going to get married; however, he was going to enter the tea business because there was no way his girlfriend was going let him worked in a menial job. In the tea business, you had a better chance of acquiring a respectable living and social status.
Furthermore, the colonel also failed to realize the extreme prejudices that British officers in the regular English Army had against Britih officers in the Colonial Indian Army. During the Boer War of 1899, the War Office refuse to let any British Indian Officer serve in that war. Finally, the colonel would have face prejudice after being send back to England not only because he was an ex-British Indian Officer, but he would face additional racism if he had married that Anglo-Indian woman.
In addition, the colonel failed to realize that many British enlisted and NCO soldiers stay in India after their term of service had expired because if they had went home, the only jobs for them would have been menial and physical labor jobs. In the movie The Man Who Would be King, Daniel Dravot and Peachey Camehan did not want to go back to England because ambitious men like them would never be allowed to rise above their social class/caste status particularly after seeing action in the 2nd Afganistan War plus being degraded to the above mention jobs that were awaiting for them. In the movie Gunga Din, Sgt. Ballatine was leaving the service because he was going to going to get married; however, he was going to enter the tea business because there was no way his girlfriend was going let him worked in a menial job. In the tea business, you had a better chance of acquiring a respectable living and social status.
Furthermore, the colonel also failed to realize the extreme prejudices that British officers in the regular English Army had against Britih officers in the Colonial Indian Army. During the Boer War of 1899, the War Office refuse to let any British Indian Officer serve in that war. Finally, the colonel would have face prejudice after being send back to England not only because he was an ex-British Indian Officer, but he would face additional racism if he had married that Anglo-Indian woman.