After his mercenary act in Extraction, Randeep Hooda hopes to be rediscovered as an action hero with Salman's Radhe
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 10, 2020)

When not bingeing on the Israeli series Fauda, Randeep Hooda keeps busy with household chores during the Coronavirus lockdown. "Cooking, baking, and doing the dishes have suddenly become exotic activities," he grins, taking a dig at B-Town stars whose social media feeds are full of such posts.

The PR gimmicks hold little charm for the reticent actor who prefers to stay away from the media glare. That has been particularly difficult over the past fortnight since the Netflix film, Extraction, dropped online. Hooda won glowing reviews for his assassin act in the Chris Hemsworth-fronted action thriller.

"Being an action hero is every actor's dream. You grow up watching action flicks like Rambo. So, with the film, I fulfilled one of my desires of essaying a gun-toting assassin and indulging in hand-to-hand combat," says Hooda. Known for his penchant for grey characters, he hopes the Hollywood production makes the industry see him in "a new light".

This year saw Hooda back on the scene after a hiatus. With Extraction and Love Aaj Kal behind him, he is looking forward to Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai that marks his reunion with Salman Khan after Kick (2014) and Sultan (2016). "Given the current scenario, the film is unlikely to release on Eid. I have indulged in a lot of action in Radhe, too. I busted my knee cap during one of the scenes and had to be hospitalised."

After almost two decades in the industry, Hooda has learnt to take professional ups and downs in his stride. "Before Extraction came my way, I had no work for three years. But, I did not let the situation get the better of me." His dream project, Rajkumar Santoshi's Battle Of Saragarhi, which was announced in 2016, did not take shape. He grew his hair and facial fuzz and remained in character for over two years, waiting for the film to roll. "When I realised it was not happening, I went to the gurudwara, apologised and then chopped off my hair."

Randeep Hooda opens up on Battle Of Saragarhi, admits he didn’t watch Akshay Kumar’s film on the same subject
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 23, 2020)

Randeep Hooda recently wrapped up Prabhudheva’s Radhe, featuring Salman Khan in the titular role. In his first negative role he plays a Mumbai-based gangster and has shot some dare devil action scenes with a Korean stunt team. “I’ve had this action image for a long time and I would always wonder why because I’ve never punched anyone, never used my fists. But I love action, if it’s not too over-the-top,” smiles the actor.

Randeep underwent extreme transformation, shedding 18 kilos for Sarabjit Singh’s biopic and then growing his hair and learning the Sikh martial arts to enact the role of Havildar Ishar Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi’s war drama, Battle Of Saragarhi. “It’s just an extra effort I put in for my character and there’s a sense of responsibility and respect when you are playing one who was for real. There’s also a fear that people will find out that I can’t act,” he guffaws.

Battle Of Saragarhi was shelved and it was Akshay Kumar who played the braveheart in Anurag Singh’s Kesari. Surely, it must have been upsetting? “It hurt that the audience could not see what would probably have been a more authentic version with more real emotions of the story. That apart, you learn to move on. Through the journey I learnt the principles of Sikhism and I’m a better person now,” he avers. Did he watch Kesari, you wonder, and he quips, “Nope, it didn’t excite me much.”

Randeep will soon be seen in Sai Kabir’s Mard and describes him as a “quirky director” who is trying to extend himself with this film. “Every film has a life of its own. Since I don’t go on holidays, my only holiday is to go into the world of films,” he exclaims.

His last release, Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, despite Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, failed to connect with the audience. Ask him what went wrong and he laughs, “It didn’t do well? I’m not sure because had it done well, I’d have got a grand piano from Imtiaz, but I believe I’m not getting it now.” Prod him and he says he thought it was a novel story, underlining the difference between the sex-starved, gender-separated love of the ’90s with the sexually easy yet empathetic world of today. “It was well directed, I enjoyed it,” he avers.

Sajid Nadiadwala has confirmed that a sequel to his 2014 directorial, Kick, is being scripted. The first part had featured Randeep as a no-nonsense cop, Himanshu Tyagi, on the hunt for Salman’s Devil aka Devilal Singh. Has the maker returned to him with Part 2? “I have no idea they were doing the sequel!” he exclaims. “I really enjoyed Kick, Sajid’s debut directorial.”

Buzz is, Randeep will soon be seen in a quirky comedy produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He interrupts, “That’s being produced by somebody else now. Yes, it’s a comedy and I play a cop. I am shooting for it right now at Karnal.”

Speculaton is also rife that the actor will soon tie the knot with model-actress, Lin Laishram. The actor neither confirms nor denies the rumour and signs off keeping the suspense around his personal life intact. “As a rule, I don’t discuss my personal life, I have enough to talk about professionally. But yes, I am in a very good space at the moment,” he winks.

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; February 11, 2020)

Last seen in Baaghi 2 (2018), Randeep Hooda is all set to end his break from movies with director Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal. In a chat with BT, the actor talks about working with Imtiaz, the young star cast of the film and missing out on the sports drama, ‘83. Read On...

This is your second film with Imtiaz Ali, after Highway (2014). Was the experience any different this time around? Also, what should the audience expect from your reunion?
It is always a joy to work with Imtiaz, as he is organic in his approach. Talking about Love Aaj Kal, working on this film was a different experience altogether. The environment on the set was more fun, as this is a lighter film. Even Highway had romance, but it was tragic. It showed the complexities in a relationship between two individuals, who belong to different strata of society. But in Love Aaj Kal, they are from the same strata. Also, compared to Highway, I have a lot more dialogues in Love Aaj Kal. Highway was a well-made film, but the shooting process was not enjoyable. My character had a lot of emotions, which he was unable to express. To bring those expressions on screen was taxing. When Imtiaz narrated the script of Love Aaj Kal to me, I liked the concept of love set in two eras — in the 90s and the present times. As far as ‘kal’ is concerned, in the 90s, there was no social media, and people weren’t so casual about physical intimacy. The ‘aaj’, on the other hand, is high on finding love through social media and dating apps.

You have been appreciated for your performance in films like Highway and Sarbjit (2016), among others. While one would expect you to sign more solo-lead projects, most of your outings feature an ensemble cast. Have you ever felt that you have not got your due as an actor?
Well, that has always been the case with me. I was appreciated in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010), but there was a lull post that. It was the same after Highway, Main Aur Charles (2015) and Sarbjit as well. I am just happy that in my journey as an actor, I got to portray a plethora of characters and work with many talented directors. Every movie has been special for me. After Sarbjit, I felt that I should take my craft a notch higher and signed Battle Of Saragarhi. I immersed myself in it, and did not take up any other projects for the next two years. However, the film didn’t happen and I ended up being on a hiatus. Then, Baaghi 2 happened in 2018 and now, I am back with Love Aaj Kal. In between, I shot for an international project for an OTT platform. I am also currently shooting for Radhe with Salman Khan, with whom I have done films like Kick (2014) and Sultan (2016). As an artiste, I explored my talent, and I am happy about that. However, the one thing that I lost as an actor, and which I am trying to get back, is my vanity (laughs)!

You are often referred to as an actor who goes ‘unnoticed’. Do you think that like most of your contemporaries, you, too, need to go all out on social media, especially when it comes to promoting your work?
I think they call me that because it is hard to make a parody of me. I see people imitating other actors, but maybe, they are unable to pin me down. As far as social media is concerned, there are times when I feel that I need to be more proactive, but at the same time, I strongly believe that your work should speak for itself, rather than you going all out. Having said that, I am active on social media — I put up wildlife pictures on Instagram and address social causes on Twitter. Overall, I want my work to speak for itself and I guess, it has not gone unnoticed to that great an extent.

You have worked with some of the most popular and established names in the industry, including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Compared to them, how was it working with relatively younger actors like Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan?
It is wonderful to work with a bunch of young actors, as they are high on energy. I like their enthusiasm to learn constantly and their willingness to surrender themselves to the director. In fact, Kartik and Sara were so good that they didn’t seem like newcomers. I had a lot of scenes with Sara, and she is extremely disciplined — she would wake up at 4 am, go to the gym, come on the set, get her hair and make-up done and by the time the camera is ready to roll, she would be ready with her lines. I was really impressed. She would bring healthy food from home, while I would be bingeing on burgers.

Your movie on the Battle Of Saragarhi created a lot of buzz. You grabbed a lot of eyeballs, too, for your look, but the film never released. Likewise, you did a look test for Sanjay Puran Singh’s film on the Indian cricket world cup victory of 1983. You were roped in to play Kapil Dev. The pictures of the look test went viral, but again, that film didn’t work out either...
I had put in a lot of effort for the film based on the Battle of Saragarhi. It is disappointing that all that hard work never reached the audience, and you do feel let down, but what can you do about it? In the end, one has to just pick up the positives and move on. I have imbibed the goodness of the character, and I also got to learn a lot about Sikhism from that project. In terms of ‘83, I would just say that as actors, we sometimes say ‘no’ to projects, but this time, it was the other way around. I wish the team well, and I am sure that it will be a great film to watch.

When Kabir Khan took over the reins of the film from Sanjay, did they get in touch with you?
No, there was no communication with me at all.

J P Dutta on completing his trilogy of war dramas, why he is no longer interested in the Battle of Saragarhi, and his upcoming project
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2018)

What was it like going back into the battle field 15 years after LOC Kargil?
I had made a commitment in the media that I’d make a trilogy of war films which I have completed with Border, LOC and now Paltan. And when I went back into the battle field, I felt like I’d never left. It was like two friends meeting after years and picking up from where they’d left off.

You selected a difficult location to pick up from, the first schedule being in Ladakh…
You could call me the filmmaker who shoots in naked places, from Rajasthan and the Rann of Kutch to Ladakh, I zero in on locations that are devoid of greenery. I don’t know why my journey takes me to these barren states but showcasing them on screen help them grow economically and give tourism a boost. I shot through the winter months of October, November and December when the temperature would sometimes drop to minus 20 degree but my producer-daughter Nidhi made sure my team and I were well taken care of.

Border was inspired by your late brother’s experiences as an Air Force pilot. What was the muse behind Paltan?
I have friends in armed forces and once when I was talking to a senior officer he mentioned this battle. It is a story which had got pushed under the carpet by the government of the day for whatever reason and I knew instantly that it had to be told. Like Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh which the Chinese are waiting to grab, they had designs on Sikkim too and the reason Sikkim is a part of India today is because of three battalions--the Grenadiers, the Rajputs and the Gurkhas — who stood their ground when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) attacked the border post of Nathu La in the early of September 11, 1967. We are awe-struck by China’s might today but we gave this powerful country a bloody nose in this battle.

Have you recreated the battles of both Nathu La and Cho La?
No, only Nathu La or else the distributors and exhibitors would crib that I had made another four-hour LOC.

Today, given the strained Indo-China relations, do you expect any objections?
When you are true to your country’s history no one can take objection. I’ve met men who fought in the battle. Their inputs have been woven into the script. It’s a realistic picture. Anyone can make a war film but it’s important to be aware of the ethos of the armed forces to do justice to them. My family— uncles, cousins and brother — were in the armed forces so I know it like the back of my hand.

Is the film on the Battle of Saragarhi still on?
Too many people have jumped into that battle. My film would have played it on an international platform because there are many foreigners involved. Right now, it’s not on my mind because I’m not happy with the way Hollywood works. You reach a stage and age when you don’t need to be told what to do and what not. Hollywood works in a different way and it makes me uncomfortable.

What is happening to Nidhi’s acting debut with Nafisa Ali’s son Ajit Sodhi?
The film, Jee Bhar Ke Jee Le, is ready and we are in talks with people to release it. It should see the light of the day soon. Meanwhile she’s shaped up into a brilliant producer.

So, with a producer in the house are there plans to make another film soon?
I am planning a historical and have a couple of options in mind. It’ll also be a true story.

Don’t you ever want to make an easier film?
The other day Rahul Nanda also asked me why I keep making these epic films. “Why can’t you make a small film?” he wondered and Nidhi butted in, saying, “Rahul uncle, papa can’t think small.” When we were doing Paltan, Javed (Akhtar) saab, Anu Malik and I were conscious that after the music we had made together, in particular Border (right), we would have to raise the bar with this one. These challenges excite you as a filmmaker.

So, when you look back on Paltan five years from now what will you remember?
(Laughing) That it was the easiest film I’ve made.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; October 6, 2017)

With filmmakers and actors wanting to make movies based on real-life stories and personalities, there is a clamour for subjects that can be brought alive on the celluloid. Though there is no dearth of fascinating life stories and happenings in India, what’s interesting is that the makers end up choosing the same subject and that, too, around the same time! For instance, both Salman Khan and John Abraham came up with the idea of making a biopic on wrestler Gama Pehlwan in 2014, but neither materialised. Now, Salman is producing a serial on the wrestler with his brother Sohail Khan playing the title role, while there’s no news on John’s film. A couple of years ago, Ekta Kapoor bought the official rights for the film adaptation of the suspense novel Devotion Of Suspect X, which is said to have been the inspiration for Malayalam Drishyam. A miffed Ekta has sent a notice to the makers, but the film went on to be a box office hit spawning several remakes.

In recent times, two films — Qaidi Band and Lucknow Central — with the theme of prisoners forming a music band in jail were released within a month of each other, but neither did well at the box office. Earlier too, there have been instances of multiple films made on the same subject like Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey and Chittagong based on the Chittagong Uprising. Freedom fighter

Bhagat Singh inspired three filmmakers at the same time. In fact, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Shaheed and Shaheed-E-Azam even released on the same day!

And, now, again we see the same subjects becoming the bone of contention between actors and filmmakers. Akshaye Rathi, leading exhibitor and analyst, says, “While creativity is subjective, in case of most films, it’s not like rights have been bought to make them. It could be plagiarism or trying to cash in on an interesting subject. It’s nice and interesting that people are thinking of the same subject at the same time, but ultimately, what they need to focus on is making a truly engaging film by putting significant time and money in it.”

A lowdown on such films in the pipeline...

Film: Based on Rudrakesh Jena
Contenders: Nila Madhab Panda and Ujjwal Chatterjee
A few days ago, there was news of I Am Kalam director Nila Madhab Panda gearing up to make a biopic on Rudrakesh Jena, the coach of the rugby team of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) with Abhishek Bachchan playing the lead. The film is slated to go on floors early next year and will be shot in India and the UK. Now, another National-Award winning director Ujjwal Chatterjee is also planning a film on Jena, who coached the under-14 team to victory in London, and has approached Farhan Akhtar for the role. He claims to have the rights to Jena’s story. The movie for which he has roped in former British footballer Paul Walsh will roll in November. In an interview, he said he was shocked to know that another film is being planned on the same subject.

Film: Based on Maharaja of Jamnagar
Contenders: Ashutosh Gowariker and Omung Kumar
First there were reports of Ashutosh Gowariker making a film based on Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji who helped save the lives of 640 Polish children during World War II by providing refuge to the orphans at his Jamnagar palace. A few days later, Omung Kumar announced a film on the same subject with Sanjay Dutt playing the role of the Maharaja. His film was to go on the floors by the end of next year. But now there is a twist to the tale, as the heirs of the Maharaja, Hershad Kumari and Himanshu Kumari have raised an objection and sent a legal notice to the maker saying that they did not take the permission of the family before kickstarting the project.

Film: Based on Battle of Saragarhi
Contenders: Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn, Rajkumar Santoshi
Ajay Devgn had announced the sequel of Son of Sardaar last year in June. The film’s plot was to be the historical Battle of Saragarhi that was fought between Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army and Pashtun Orakzai tribesmen. The Sikhs, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, chose to fight to death, in what is considered by some military historians as one of history’s greatest last-stands. Earlier this year, Karan Johar and Salman Khan came together to co-produce a film on the same subject with Akshay Kumar playing the lead role. He will start shooting for it in December. Then, there is Rajkumar Santoshi who is making his version with Randeep Hooda playing Havildar Singh. However, the film has hit a roadblock due to differences between the producers and the director.

Film: Based on coalmine hero J S Gill
Contenders: Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn
In May this year, there were reports of Akshay Kumar playing coal mine engineer JS Gill, who rescued 64 miners trapped in a mine in Raniganj. A month later, there was news that Ajay and not Askhay is playing the coalmine hero and that the makers have obtained the rights and work on the script has already begun. Tentatively titled Capsule Gill, it is to be helmed by Rustom director Tinu Suresh Desai.

Actress to play the female lead in the Anurag Singh-directed Saragarhi film, which is expected to go on the floors in January
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 30, 2017)

Mirror (January 4) had earlier reported that Akshay Kumar will play Havildar Ishar Singh in Anurag Singh’s film on the Battle of Saragarhi. We have now learnt that the actor will be joined by Parineeti Chopra, who has been roped in to play his wife in the film.

“Parineeti plays a strong character and has really liked the script. The makers have started prep. Huge sets of the Saragarhi and Gulistan forts, as well as a village, will be erected in Wai, a town in Satara district,” informs a source close to the development.

The film is being produced by Karan Johar and Salman Khan. Amidst reports that the Dabangg actor had opted out of the project, Akshay had told Mirror (July 21), “I have not heard from Salman or anyone else about this.” The source further reveals, “The actors will be provided with a lot of material for their parts and will start full-time prep close to the shooting date. The film is set to tentatively go on the floors in January next year.”

Meanwhile, Khiladi Kumar has finished shooting for R Balki’s Pad Man, which also features Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, and is now filming for Reema Kagti’s sports-drama, Gold. Parineeti is busy promoting Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again with Ajay Devgn and will soon start filming for Vipul Shah’s Namaste Canada with her Ishaqzaade co-star Arjun Kapoor. When Mirror reached out to the actress’s spokesperson, they said, “no comments”.

DNA (August 28, 2017)

After Salman Khan decided against co-producing the film on the Battle of Saragarhi with Karan Johar, there were reports that the film has been shelved. However, that’s far from the truth. An insider says, “The film is now titled Kesar, which means saffron.” There is speculation about link between the title and the colour of the ruling party BJP, especially because Akshay’s last film Toilet - Ek Prem Katha was also in sync with the Government’s Swachh Bharat campaign.

However, a source negates this, “The film has nothing to do with the BJP. Kesar stands for many things. It’s also a name. There is also a TV serial by the same name.” In the film, Akshay plays Havaldar Ishar Singh, the military commander of 21 Sikh soldiers, who on September 12, 1897, led his men in a battle against thousands of Afghani invaders. This clash came to be known as the Battle Of Saragarhi.

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 4, 2017)

A day after Salman Khan and Karan Johar announced their first co-production with Akshay Kumar in the lead; Mirror has learnt that the film is based on the Battle of Saragarhi with the Khiladi Kumar playing Havildar Ishar Singh. While insiders report that the film which will be made on a massive budget and is being planned meticulously by both the production houses, it is interesting to note that this will be the third Saragarhi film after Rajkumar Santoshi’s Randeep Hooda-starrer and Ajay Devgn’s Sons of Sardar: The Battle of Saragarhi.

While Ajay had reiterated that he would complete his second directorial, Shivaay, before taking on Sons of Sardaar, Santoshi’s film hit a roadblock following creative differences between the director and the producers. “The initial plan was to start shooting from October and wrap it up by January, 2017. However, the film’s budget ballooned and the makers subsequently asked for a bigger share in the profits, which Rajji, who is also a co-producer, wouldn’t agree to,” a source had informed Mirror earlier.

Meanwhile, Dharma and Sallu have enlisted Jatt & Juliet fame Punjabi filmmaker Anurag Singh to direct the Akki-starrer to bring out the regional flavour of the film.

Talks pertaining to production control of the Saragarhi film reach to a head
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 15, 2016)


Mirror (August 1) was the first to report that Randeep Hooda will play Havlidar Ishar Singh, the military commander of the 36th Sikhs, also known as the fourth Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Battle Of Saragarhi, produced by Wave Cinemas. Producer Rahul Mittra had told Mirror then that Randeep was set to start prep which included studying Sikh history, learning sword-fighting and shooting with vintage rifles, we have now learnt that the film has been left in the lurch following a disagreement between the makers and Rajkumar.

“The initial plan was to start shooting from October and wrap it up by January, 2017. However, the film’s budget ballooned and the makers subsequently asked for a bigger share in the profits, which Rajji, who is also a co-producer, wouldn’t agree to. He wanted complete control over the production which the production house wouldn’t agree to,” informs a source.

Rahul refused to divulge details of the tussle, saying, “We are yet to sign the agreement on the final figures,” while Rajkumar informed that talks with the producers is still on. “The level of their involvement in the project is yet to be decided. They may come on board as presenters,” he said.

Saragarhi follows the events from September 12, 1897, where 10,000 Afghans of the Orakzai tribesmen attacked a British-Indian contingent, comprising of 21 Sikhs, stationed at an army post in the North-West Frontier Province, now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. During the battle, Ishar Singh suffered severe wounds but refused to surrender and fought to his death. The British Parliament posthumously awarded him the Indian Order of Merit. Two Saragarhi Gurudwaras were built to commemorate the soldiers — one in Amritsar next to the main entrance of the Golden Temple, and the other at the Ferozepur Cantonment where many of the soldiers had hailed from.

The script of SOS is 60 per cent ready but already has the trade excited
BOMBAY TIMES (July 29, 2016)

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2016)

Rajkumar Santoshi's much-talked about romcom with Salman Khan has now been put on the backburner. The film, to be produced by Sallu's brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri, was to roll after the actor had completed Kabir Khan's upcoming drama, Tubelight. It was to re-unite the actor-director, 21 years after their cult comedy, Andaz Apna Apna, released. "But that film is not happening now and Santoshi will now be directing a film for Wave Cinemas which was locked on Group Chairman Raju Chadhaji's birthday. The subject of this film is extremely close to Chadhaji's heart and it means the world to him to see this film come alive on a large scale. Saragarhi will release next year," filmmaker-producer Rahul Mittra, CEO of Wave Cinemas, who is working with Santoshi for the prep informed Mirror. "The moment we knew that Santoshi's film with Salman was not happening immediately, we decided to roll with ours. The mahurat shot will be on September 12," Mittra adds.

Titled, Saragarhi, the plot follows the Battle of Saragarhi, which was fought on September 12, 1897, between the British Indian Army and the Afghan Orakzai tribesmen in North-West India, which we now know as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Indian contingent comprising 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs, the 4th battalion of the Sikh regiment, was stationed at an army post when they were attacked by 10,000 Afghanis. Led by Havildar Ishar Singh, they fought till the last man before the post was recaptured, two days later, by another British Indian contingent led by Sikhs. The battle is one of history's greatest last-stands and Sikhs commemorate it every year, celebrating September 12 as Saragarhi Day.

"We will recreate the 1800s. Santoshi's knowledge of history and his sense of the era is unparalleled. We will be shooting on lavish sets with a magnum opus approach. We need 21 heroes so casting is currently being finalized. An announcement will be made soon," Mittra signs off.

Ajay Devgn and JP Dutta are also fighting the same battle for 2017

On August 19, 2015, Ajay Devgn took to Twitter to announce a sequel to his 2012 film, Son of Sardaar. He promised that it would match the scale of Hollywood war film, 300, and was based on the epic battle of Saragarhi. It added that the film would release in Diwali 2017.

Buzz is, the SOS sequel, titled Sons of Sardaar, is a five-hero film, with Ajay as the leading man. Shot on a huge budget, it will have Salman in a special appearance. A source close to the actor insisted that since the battle's landscape and expanse of the event are so vast, there is no scope of an overlapping.

Border's writer-director, JP Dutta, is also gearing up for another war film on the same subject. In an interview with Mirror (December 19, 2015) Dutta informed that he would be casting an ensemble British cast in crucial roles. "Since the story touches the relationship between the Sikh soldiers and the British officers commanding the battalion, I need a huge British involvement, an international cast and crew. I've spoken to Hugh Dancy, the Hannibal-TV star, and Remi Adefarasin, the cinematographer of Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth and Steven Spielberg's mini-series Band of Brothers. "I am in the midst of working on the logistics carefully before I can kick-start this project, as it will be made on a lavish scale," Dutta had admitted.

After a decade, will flag off two films, one on the Indo-China war of '62, the other on the Battle of Saragarhi fought in the 19th century
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2015)

It's been nine years since he directed the period romance, Umrao Jaan. Now, J P Dutta whose 1997 war drama, Border, bagged the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration along with two other National Awards for best lyrics ("Sandese Aate Hain", Javed Akhtar) and Best Male Playback Singer (Hariharan, "Mera Dushman") and swept four Filmfare Awards, is gearing up to return to action with two war films.

The first is on the 1962 Indo-China War which is expected to roll in September in Ladakh and wrap up by November end. "I make realistic films so I want to stick to the time frame of the real war and shoot in real locations," says the filmmaker, pointing out that he has three scripts cleared by the Ministry of Defence on the three wars that were fought in '62, '65 and '71.

Prod him on why he wants to recreate a war that we lost and Dutta reasons, "We lost the Sino-Indian war but bravery was not lost. Fighting for the sovereignty of their country, a battalion of soldiers stood to the last man against great odds. We've seen such examples of heroism in films like 300 before." Will the film feature big names from Bollywood like Border and its sequel, LOC : Kargil does? "For sure," he retorts. "Without stars you don't get a budget, nor are you able to sell your film."

There's another war film he wants to make on an international scale for a global audience. This one is inspired by the Battle of Saragarhi fought before the Tirah Campaign on September 12, 1897, when 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikh of British India defended an army post against 10,000 Afridi and the Orakzai tribesmen in the North-West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan. The 21-member contingent chose to fight to death and the battle it is considered by some as one of history's great last-stands. The Sikhs commemorate Septembeer 12 as Saragarhi Day and two gurdwaras in Punjab have been named after it.

"Since the story touches on the relationship between the Sikh soldiers and the British officers commanding the battalion, I need a huge British involvement, an international cast and crew. I've spoken to Hugh Dancy, the Hannibal TV star, and Remi Adefarasin, the cinematographer of Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth and Steven Speilberg's mini-series Band of Brothers. Both are keen but I've to work on the logistics carefully before I can kickstart this project. It can only take off after the other film," admits Dutta.

Point out that Ajay Devgn's sequel to SOS: Son Of Sardar is also on the same subject and Dutta says that no one has copyright over history. Also, no two stories can be similar. "I have been doing a lot of research at the British Library and even have the original blueprint of the fort in question," he asserts. "So I can only say, each to his own."

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; August 19, 2015)