Upala KBR (DNA; November 16, 2016)

Salman Khan is co-producing Lions Of The Sea, a film based on a true story along with Dr Ajay Virmani’s First Take Entertainment Ltd. (FTE). About the voyage of Indian immigrants to Canada aboard Japanese steamer Komagata Maru, it was a subject Deepa Mehta had announced in 2006 with John Abraham in the lead role, but the film was subsequently shelved because of the budget and actor’s dates.

Says a source, “While Salman’s film will be shot in English, it will also be a bilingual. The makers are deciding whether to shoot it in Hindi or Punjabi. The English script has been locked and Irrfan Khan will play one of the main leads while Salman will only produce the film and not act in it. Indian and Canadian actors will be cast in it and the film starts shooting in summer 2017.

Salman says, “Lions Of The Sea depicts heroism of all those on board the Komagata Maru and challenged the racial policies of the British Empire. It is imperative to tell this story as it mirrors the current global refugee crisis.”

The film will be shot in India, UK, Hong Kong and Canada and is the first film to be announced and be produced under the India-Canada co-production treaty.
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Bhai’s next production rolls in mid-2017, will be shot in India, UK, Hong Kong and Canada.
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 16, 2016)


After Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan, in which he played the lead and Athiya Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi’s launch vehicle Hero, Salman Khan is ready to roll with his next production, Lions Of The Sea. Based on the Komagata Maru incident, the English period-drama features Irrfan Khan in the lead and will roll in mid-2017 with schedules in India, UK, Hong Kong and Canada.

The Komagata Maru incident involved the Japanese steamship of the same name on which a group of Indian citizens, comprising of 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus, all subjects of the British Raj, attempted to immigrate to Canada in 1914. The steamship sailed from Hong Kong, another British colony, via Shanghai, China, and Yokohama, Japan, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, carrying the passengers from Punjab. Of them, only 24 were admitted to Canada and the ship was forced to return to India. The incident was the first in a series in which Canada and the US used their exclusion laws to bar immigrants of Asian origin in the early 20th century.

“It’s a powerful human story of struggle and triumph in which Irrfan will play a Sikh named Gurdit Singh. The story of those Sardars, Muslims and Hindus is relevant even today as we hear and read about the refugee crisis and racial profiling constantly. We have begun work on the preproduction and will announce the director and the rest of the cast in the next few days,” confirms Amar Butala, Chief Operating Officer of Salman Khan Films. Meanwhile, Irrfan will soon start shooting for Homi Adajania’s Takadum with Sushant Singh Rajput and Parineeti Chopra in which he plays a rockstar-mentor, mostly followed by Tanuja Chandra’s untitled next and will then begin work on Lions of the Sea. He begins prep for the film early next year.

“Lions Of The Sea is a film that depicts heroism of all those who were on board and challenged the racial policies of the British Empire,” Salman who has partnered with Ajay Virmani on the film said while addressing the media, adding, “It is imperative to tell this story as it mirrors the current global refugee crisis. Lions of the Sea will allow us to embrace multiculturalism, diversity and bring humanity closer together,” he concluded.