Gurkhas and khukuris in the movies

tallwingedgoat

tallwingedgoat

Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
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What are the movies that I can find gurkhas or khukuris in?

I noticed a khukuri used by Kevin Costner in "Water World". "7 Years in Tibet" had Gurkha prison guards. In "The Man Who Would Be King", there is a Gurkha who makes a solo khukuri charge shortly before Sean Connery's demise.
 
Bram Stokers' Dracula had Ang Kholas that looked like the HI but I can't be sure. Cyborg with Jean Claude van Damme. An old Errol Flynn movie called Dawn Patrol or something like that had both Gurkhas and khukuris. Paul Copher (letter from Northern Iraq and letter from Lebanon) served as tech advisor on a movie that used HI Ang Kholas but I can't remember the name. I'll ask when he checks in next.

There's more but this is a starter.

Uncle Bill
 
The Richard Attenborough film, "Gandhi" has several scenes with Gurkhas, most notably the infamous Jallianwala-Bagh scene which depicts the 1919 incident when Indian Army troops were used to put down anti-British demonstrations in Punjab. 1/9 Gurkha Rifles, along with the Guides-Infantry and several other units were deployed that day.

For the movie shooting they requested the Indian government for authentic Gurkha soldiers and 14 Gorkha Training Center (dad's regimental center), being the closest to the filming location, sent a detachment.

As for the units actually involved in that incident, the Guides and most others are with the Pakistan Army now and probably couldn't care less, but poor 1/9 GR, with the Indian Army still hasn't been able to live that day down! Jallianwala-Bagh is a rallying cry for any self-respecting Indian. The incident is so touchy that in 1984 Operation Bluestar, when Indian troops launched their attack on Sikh extremists holed up in the Golden Temple and other places in Punjab, no Gurkhas troops were deployed - we were told the government didn't want cries of a 'second Jallianwala-Bagh."

Another scene later in the movie shows Gandhi and his followers being arrested in a railway station by Gurkhas.

- Sonam
 
... how could I forget? "Objective Burma" made, I think in 1945, has two Gurkhas guide US troops into Japanese lines - the Gurkhas speak Hindi throughout!

Some more trivia: the Gurkhas shown in "7 Years in Tibet" are most likely British Gurkhas - the badges on their hats, if I'm not mistaken seem to be that of the current Royal Gurkha Rifles. The film was shot in Argentina - wonder what the locals thought about their former enemies filming in their neighborhood!

- Sonam
 
In one of my favourtie stupid movies, "Big Trouble In Little China," the "Three Storms" carried smallish (12") khukuris.



------------------
Clay Fleischer
cdfleischer@yahoo.com

Picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue...

 
That's right, Nephew: Objective Burma, that's the old Errol Flynn movie whose name I could not recall so just named it Dawn Patrol. Thanks again. I am getting ancient and forgetful.

Interesting note about the film Paul Copher played tech advisor on -- they started filming in Arizona using machetes from Mexico. Paul, who owns maybe 12 or 15 HI khukuris, suggested they use something with a bit more personality than a machete and showed the producer and director some HI khukuris. They immediately opted for the khukuris but when actions scenes began to be filmed Paul got so nervous (remember van Damme put out the stunt man's eye with a khukuri) he stopped filming, fearing an injury. So a 15 inch HI Ang Khola was used for a master to make a mold that producend an identical rubber khukuri. The prop khukuri was painted so it looked real and this was used for filming -- a rubber khukuri!

Uncle Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 28 April 1999).]
 
Were it not for climbers,Ghorkas and their khukris;would anyone have heard of Nepal?

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I mentioned this a while ago, but it fits this thread. In the Peter Sellers short The Running, Juing, Standing Still Movie, a character is shot with a kukhri in a duel.
Aaron

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aaronm@cs.brandeis.edu
I like my women like I like my knives: strong, sharp, well-formed and pattern-welded!
 
Okay, I'll ask the obvious:

How is one shot with a Khukuri?

Mike
smile.gif


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Hey! Uncle Sam!

(_!_) Nyah nyah nyah!

Refund! You lose! :)


 
I remember that, Aaron. I think I mentioned it was the strangest use of the khukuri I'd ever heard of.

Uncle Bill
 
Intelligence report khukuri sighted in new Sean Connery flick "Entrapment."

I'm there

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No, I was never lost. But I was mighty bewildered one time for three days.

--- Daniel Boone
 
re: "Entrapment"-

The khukuri held to the neck of Catherine Zeta-Jones sure looked like it came from HI; the scabbard, too. I couldn't quite see if it had a scrolled butt-cap though; for some strange reason, whenever C Z-J was onscreen my ability to focus on other things was severely degraded.
 
That khukuri in "Entrapment" sure looked like a BAS model, judging from the laced frog on the scabbard. Also didn't notice if the buttcap was scrolled, though I thought the groove on the blade was the plain type. But then again, as Bruce E noted, there were "other" stuff that needed paying attention ;-)

- Sonam
 
When Entrapment becomes available at the video stores I'll rent it and to a "still" study and see if I can figure out what sort of khukuri this is.

Uncle Bill
 
"Objective Burma" was filmed in the "wilds"
of El Monte,CA; specifically in the Rio Hondo
wash. It still looks like a jungle today. A
friend of mine's father was a sheriff's deputy assigned to security, and took my friend to see the movie being made.
 
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