Rajkumar Santoshi, who is all set for the start-to-finish shoot of 21, The Last Stand - Battle Of Saragarhi from next month, says he couldn't have found a better actor than Randeep Hooda to play the lead role. The director, who has shot for two days already, says, “Randeep is one of the finest actors of our times. He merges with his character; I cast him because I wanted to bring Ishwar Singh (the leader of the troop) alive on screen.“

The story revolves around the 21 brave warriors of the 36th Sikh Regiment (British Indian Army), who fought against 10,000 Afghan invaders in 1897. The film is a tribute to Sache Pasha Dusve Guru Gobind Singh Ji, whose 350th birth anniversary is being celebrated today. The Battle of Saragarhi, Santoshi points out, highlights the Sikh values of courage, truth, justice and selflessness upheld by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He inspired fearlessness to fight against all odds. The film is scheduled to release this November.