Sonup Sahadevan (MID-DAY; June 9, 2015)

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is set to produce yet another biopic tinged with patriotism. This time, he has sought inspiration from the bravado of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who lost his life in the 1962 Indo-China war.

Writer Kamlesh Pandey, who is currently developing the script, says, “We have been preparing it for the last two years. It’s a unique story of a young soldier who sacrificed his life for the nation. The treatment of the story would be somewhat similar to that of Rang De Basanti where we used Bhagat Singh and his friends and connected them to young India. Rawat’s story will resonate especially today.”

For the uninitiated, Rawat was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles when his company came under heavy Chinese attack, firing away at Indian soldiers using a Medium Machine Gun (MMG). Undeterred, Rawat charged at them with grenades in his hand and hurled them just 15 yards from the enemy’s point of attack. Having killed two Chinese and wounding several others, he then seized the MMG and while on his way back to the Indian position, he was felled by the enemy’s bullets.

A war citation says Rawat was hit in the head and died on the spot with the MMG firmly in his grip. The soldier was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously and is today seen as a revered entity of valour and patriotism.

The movie will be directed by Sanjay Khanduri of Ek Chalis Ki Last Local fame. The team right now is focusing on locking the right cast while also completing the formalities with the Indian army and Rawat’s family.

Rakeysh refrained from sharing details, saying: “It’s too early to speak. Let’s talk in a month or two.”