मेजर शैतान सिंह भाटी की वीरता पर फिल्म: फरहान अख्तर बोले- ‘120 बहादुर’ देशभक्ति, जज्बे और सैनिक हौसले को सलाम करती है

Farhan Akhtar’s film ‘120 Bahadur’ is based on the real story of the Battle of Rezang La in the 1962 India-China war. The film depicts the sacrifice and courage of 120 brave Indian soldiers of Charlie Company of the 13th Kumaon Regiment, who bravely faced the heavy contingents of the Chinese Army. This film has been produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner. Farhan has played the role of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati in this film. Recently Farhan had a special conversation with Dainik Bhaskar about this film. Here are some special excerpts..

Question: Where did you get the inspiration to make this film?

answer: Our film director Rajneesh ‘Raizi’ Ghai got the inspiration to make a film on this subject since childhood. Both his father and brother were in the army, so he has been hearing the story of ‘Battle of Rezang La’ since childhood. The stories of bravery of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati and other brave Ahir soldiers in that war were always associated with him. He had thought that whenever he would make a film, he would make it on this story. When he decided that the time had come, he came to me and said I want you to play this character. That’s where this film started.

Question: Why was the film named ‘120 Bahadur’?

answer: The thing is that whatever happened on the night of 17 November 1962, till the morning of 18 November, was not the work of one man alone. There was a man who was a great leader, brave and not one to succumb to fear. He boosted enthusiasm and morale among his soldiers, but there were 120 soldiers in the battle. So we felt that the right name of the film should be ‘120 Bahadur,’ because this film is about the entire company. Whenever the army goes into battle, the contribution of every soldier is as important as that of the officer. For this reason the film was named like this.

Question: What changed in your personal life after playing the character of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati?

answer: There is all that strength within a human being, so that if he decides that what is right and it is necessary to stand up for it, then he can do so. Things like patriotism inspire us. The protection of the border or the country is greater than our own life. Even if someone sacrifices his life for this work, his work will still be good for the coming generations.

This teaches us that even if we do not wear uniform (military clothes), whatever work we do, do it honestly. Just as the army does not allow enemies to enter the country, we should not allow bad ideas or bad journalism such as false headlines or clickbait to enter our country. We should keep our hearts and our work free from these evils.

Question: When you play a character, you become completely immersed in it. Would you like to tell us what kind of preparation or research you do to understand and live that role?

answer: If I talk about the character of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, a lot has been written about him in books. A lot of information is also available on the internet, but there is no video of it. There are only pictures. So I read as much as I could. The book ‘Major Shaitan Singh, PVC: The Man in Half Light’ written by Jai Samota is a very good book, in which it is written about him, I read it. Also, when I met his family, I got to know from his son Narpat Singh Bhati what kind of person he was.

But when you play a character on a film set, you have to use a little imagination and your understanding. One should not copy a real person, but should bring his way of thinking and living in his acting.

Question: You have given opportunity to many new actors in this film, tell about them.

answer: Yes yes, the cast of this film is very good. There are many new faces in it. For some this is their first film, and some have worked on TV or OTT before. Now he is coming on the big screen. But when you watch the film, you will not feel that these are new actors. Everyone has done a very good job. No actor seemed weak, everyone’s performance was strong. The entire credit for this goes to our director and casting director, who have chosen each artist very thoughtfully.

Question: Shooting in Ladakh is very difficult. You have shot there before too. What challenges did you face during the shooting this time regarding location, environment or atmosphere?

answer: Ladakh is a very beautiful place, great for holidays, but working there is a bit difficult. Because there is less oxygen and the weather becomes very cold or sometimes very extreme.

Went there for the first time for the shooting of ‘Lakshya’. After that went for ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. Now went for ‘120 Bahadur’. But every time I go there, I take my work like a mission. That’s why the difficulties there never bother me.

The beauty and peace of Ladakh gives me a very good feeling. I stayed there for about 5 months during the shooting of ‘Lakshya’ and now for this film I stayed for 2 months. Never had any problems. On the contrary, when I had to return to Mumbai from there, I felt a little sad because Ladakh is really a very beautiful place.

Question: Every film gives some good message. What will the youth learn from this film?

answer:Hopefully the youth understand how much our ancestors sacrificed for the country. Every film or story should remind us that we should be proud of our country and ourselves. It is not necessary that everyone goes to the border and serve the country, but whatever work they do, do it with honesty and responsibility. If every person does his work honestly then the country’s identity and respect will increase in the world.

Question: Will we see more such films under your production banner in the future?

Answer: Only time will tell. There are many incidents on which a film can be made. But it is the responsibility of the film maker to present that incident in a good and entertaining manner in 2-3 hours. Creating a story is a challenge. If a film comes whose story and screenplay both are good, then it will definitely come.