New biopic on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat is expected to roll towards the year-end
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 13, 2016)

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's biopic on Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who was martyred in the 1962 Indo-China war, is all set to roll around September. The team is currently scouting for an actor to play the protagonist and is contemplating between casting a new face or an established actor.

A source close to the development revealed that Jaswant's brother is on board to help with details of his life. His mother, who passed away recently, was also assisting with research over the last two years. In the battle of Nauranang, which started on November 17, this rifleman of the 4 Garhwal, along with two other soldiers, held his post for 72 hours, 21 kms from the Sela Pass near Tawang and killing over 300 Chinese soldiers. According to some reports, a wounded Jaswant was eventually captured and shot but by then Indian army reinforcements arrived stopping the Chinese progress into Arunachal Pradesh.

He was posthumously decorated with a Mahavir Chakra, but over half a century after his untimely demise, the Indian Army continues to treat him as a serving officer. "He gets regular promotions as the army believes he still guards India's Eastern border. It's a story of the exemplary courage and patriotism and a major part of the film will be shot in Arunachal Pradesh where the battle took place. Parts will also be shot at Singh's village in Uttarakhand," informs the source.

Director Sanjay Khanduri who has almost completed his script told Mirror, "Jaswant Singh was a real hero and to commemorate him the locals built a memorial at the spot where he was shot and continue to talk of him as if he were still alive. Writer Kamlesh Pandey and I met with his family and his colleagues from the army who are helping us do justice to this story that needs to be showcased to the world."

The memorial has a bed which is made up everyday by one of the five army jawans posted at the post. His shoes are polished everyday, letters from admirers brought to 'Baba' and taken away the next day "after he's gone through them".