Shoojit Sircar is enjoying family time in North Bengal before he resumes the post-production work on Sardar Udham Singh, arguably his most ambitious film to date. The Vicky Kaushal-led period drama was to originally hit screens in January 2021, but the pandemic put the brakes on its development. “By late next month, we should be able to announce the [new] release date. We were lucky to have completed the shoot of Sardar Udham Singh by February-end last year, before the Coronavirus lockdown. At the moment, post-production work, including editing and music, is going on. The dubbing will begin soon,” says the director. 

Many movies, including Sircar’s last release Gulabo Sitabo (2020), pursued digital premieres in the past few months. It was heard that the biopic — based on revolutionary Sardar Udham Singh who assassinated Punjab’s former lieutenant governor Michael O’Dwyer to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre — may be OTT-bound as well. However, the director believes that the audience deserves to experience the freedom fighter’s story in all its glory, on the big screen. “We are looking at releasing the film in theatres this year. An ideal scenario would be to release it in cinemas first, and then on OTT.”

Ask him about his experience of collaborating with Kaushal, and he heaps praise on the star. “I worked with Ayushmann Khurrana last year, and now with Vicky. They are dedicated, focussed and believe in surrendering to the director’s vision.”