Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 17, 2019)

Sushant Singh Rajput has announced his next project. While the actor had earlier said in an interview that he has okayed as many as 12 films, he thought it would be perfect to make the news of this one official on the occasion of Army Day. Titled Rifleman, the film is said to be the story of a lone braveheart who loses his life while protecting the country at the border, from the enemy’s advancing army. The makers haven’t divulged any further details on the same.

However, we have found out what the film is about. It’s yet another biopic for Sushant after M S Dhoni - The Untold Story. The movie is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Rawat, the famous Indian rifleman who valiantly fought the Chinese army for over 72 hours alone at the Arunachal Pradesh border during the 1962 Indo-China war. Rawat also received the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for going up against 300 enemy soldiers all by himself.

The Kedarnath actor was interested in telling his story from the very beginning. Our source says, “This film has been in the works for quite some time. Sushant has been silently researching on the man and finally, now, they are putting everything in place. It’s expected to go on floors after he wraps up pending work on his other two films — Kizie Aur Manny and Chhichhore. It is being readied for a late 2019 release.”This also means that Sushant is most likely to have five releases this year. He begins the year with Sonchiriya, followed by Drive and has Mukesh Chhabra and Nitesh Tiwary’s directorial ventures lined up as well.

New biopic on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat is expected to roll towards the year-end
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 13, 2016)

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's biopic on Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who was martyred in the 1962 Indo-China war, is all set to roll around September. The team is currently scouting for an actor to play the protagonist and is contemplating between casting a new face or an established actor.

A source close to the development revealed that Jaswant's brother is on board to help with details of his life. His mother, who passed away recently, was also assisting with research over the last two years. In the battle of Nauranang, which started on November 17, this rifleman of the 4 Garhwal, along with two other soldiers, held his post for 72 hours, 21 kms from the Sela Pass near Tawang and killing over 300 Chinese soldiers. According to some reports, a wounded Jaswant was eventually captured and shot but by then Indian army reinforcements arrived stopping the Chinese progress into Arunachal Pradesh.

He was posthumously decorated with a Mahavir Chakra, but over half a century after his untimely demise, the Indian Army continues to treat him as a serving officer. "He gets regular promotions as the army believes he still guards India's Eastern border. It's a story of the exemplary courage and patriotism and a major part of the film will be shot in Arunachal Pradesh where the battle took place. Parts will also be shot at Singh's village in Uttarakhand," informs the source.

Director Sanjay Khanduri who has almost completed his script told Mirror, "Jaswant Singh was a real hero and to commemorate him the locals built a memorial at the spot where he was shot and continue to talk of him as if he were still alive. Writer Kamlesh Pandey and I met with his family and his colleagues from the army who are helping us do justice to this story that needs to be showcased to the world."

The memorial has a bed which is made up everyday by one of the five army jawans posted at the post. His shoes are polished everyday, letters from admirers brought to 'Baba' and taken away the next day "after he's gone through them".

Sonup Sahadevan (MID-DAY; June 9, 2015)

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is set to produce yet another biopic tinged with patriotism. This time, he has sought inspiration from the bravado of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, a 22-year-old soldier who lost his life in the 1962 Indo-China war.

Writer Kamlesh Pandey, who is currently developing the script, says, “We have been preparing it for the last two years. It’s a unique story of a young soldier who sacrificed his life for the nation. The treatment of the story would be somewhat similar to that of Rang De Basanti where we used Bhagat Singh and his friends and connected them to young India. Rawat’s story will resonate especially today.”

For the uninitiated, Rawat was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles when his company came under heavy Chinese attack, firing away at Indian soldiers using a Medium Machine Gun (MMG). Undeterred, Rawat charged at them with grenades in his hand and hurled them just 15 yards from the enemy’s point of attack. Having killed two Chinese and wounding several others, he then seized the MMG and while on his way back to the Indian position, he was felled by the enemy’s bullets.

A war citation says Rawat was hit in the head and died on the spot with the MMG firmly in his grip. The soldier was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously and is today seen as a revered entity of valour and patriotism.

The movie will be directed by Sanjay Khanduri of Ek Chalis Ki Last Local fame. The team right now is focusing on locking the right cast while also completing the formalities with the Indian army and Rawat’s family.

Rakeysh refrained from sharing details, saying: “It’s too early to speak. Let’s talk in a month or two.”