MUMBAI MIRROR (February 28, 2019)

The last words of the brave heart Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who died in the line of duty during the November 26 attacks in Mumbai in 2008, were, “Don’t come upstairs, I will handle them.” Sony Pictures Entertainment and Mahesh Babu are bringing the story of real-life hero, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, to life on the big screen. The brave NSG commando had saved several hostages during the 26/11 attack at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and ended up sacrificing his life for the nation. He was decorated with the Ashok Chakra, India’s highest military honor in peace time for his bravery. The film titled Major will dive deep into the life of legend Major Unnikrishnan whose courage and bravery has made the nation proud.

Major is a bilingual and will be released in Hindi and Telugu. It marks the foray of Sony Pictures International Productions into the Telugu film industry as well as Mahesh Babu Productions’ entry into Hindi cinema. The film is co-produced by Adivi Entertainment, Sharath Chandra and Anurag Reddy’s A+S Movies.

Major Unnikrishnan’s role will be played by Adivi Sesh, a young actor who has previously written and featured prominently in breakout Telugu hits, Kshanam and Goodachari. The film, that will explore the life of the martyr, will be directed by Shashkiran Tikka.

Vivek Krishnani, MD, Sony Pictures Entertainment in India, says “We are excited to partner with Mahesh and Namrata who are such creative forces and are equally thrilled to welcome them in the Hindi film industry. Sesh and Shashi make their debut in Hindi cinema wth this film and we absolutely love the passion with which they have envisioned Major.”

Namrata Shirodkar Ghattamaneni, MD, G Mahesh Babu Entertainment says, “Mahesh and I have envisioned GMB to bring stories that resonate globally. We are excited to be able to tell such a unique and original story about a National hero’s life. The honesty of Sesh and Sashi’s vision for Major’s story echoed with us and in Sony Pictures we found the right partners to bring the incredible story on the big screen not only for a Pan-Indian audience, but an international one.”

Major will go on the floors in the next few months and is expected to release by 2020.