The border feud with China didn’t end with India’s dismal loss in the 1962 Sino India war. It simmered and continues to boil every once in a while. Prolific filmmaker JP Dutta, who loves war dramas has come up with one just for the patriots in ‘Paltan’ which hit the screens today.
The movie’s cast has a galaxy of alpha males in action – Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Harshvardhan Rane, and Luv Sinha; It also features Sonal Chauhan, Deepika Kakkar, Esha Gupta and Monica Gill to provide a balance.
The movie showcases the series of military clashes or skirmishes between the two most populous countries in the world and unveils the chapter of 1967 Indo-China war that took place at Nathu La and Cho La, along the Sikkim border.
This film is a tribute to those myriad heroes of Indian forces who fought valiantly to ward off Chinese intrusion into its territory and finally won the battle against China.
JP Dutta has a knack for portraying war as necessary and heroic. His movies such as Border and LOC Kargil, wooed people because his story line was based on intense research and his sets were a reasonably realistic portrayal of the harshness of war. Real life soldiers also mark their presence on his movie sets adding a realness to the reel.
Jackie Shroff, who plays the character of Major General Sagat Singh in Paltan, told News Karnataka that he always feels patriotic towards his motherland, but movies like these – Border and ‘Paltan’, enhance it. Though during the shoot, he didn’t get a chance to interact with real war heroes, his performance in a film is a homage to those brave hearts who had given their lives for the country.
He adds that India has such a huge border in the north-east, it’s amazing how the Indian army is protecting us from the countless infiltrations of its giant neighbour!
Should India follow China in its war mongering and jingoism I asked Jackie Shroff. “The father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi has always followed the path of non-violence and peace. Hence, we haven’t been taught the path of attack and aggression; it’s not our state-of-mind. We have learned to live together with peace and non-violence.”
40 years in Indian cinema and Jackie Shroff has begun anew. He is debuting in a Gujarati film ‘Ventilator’, which is a remake of a Marathi film with the same title. He will also be seen sharing screen space with Prabhas in ‘Saaho’ and recently he completed the shooting of a Konkani film ‘Kantaar’. So I tell him that I am impressed with his multilingual appeal and ability, to which he retorts, “In regional movies also work process remain similar from delivering dialogues to exhibiting emotions. As an actor, working in bilingual films has never been a challenge for him. “Moreover, I always put my heart and soul into my work and prefer to go before the camera like a white canvas, which accepts all colours; all it does is reflect the colour and leave an impression”.
He adds that in the 1970s and 1980s, regional cinema had a very limited scope due to a handful of cinema halls across the country. Today, not only are they a good return on investment, but there’s also a booming market for low budget movies with a good storyline that reflects everyday lives and struggles. People have come to love to watch regional language movies because the language and content are close to their hearts.
With several films in the queue, Jackie Shroff has his hands full, his upcoming projects include RAW, Firrkie, Bharat and Paandi Muni.
Jackie is a veteran actor, but he is also much admired by the newbies in Bollywood. On this, he quips, “When I am on the set, I am like an open book and I blend easily with the people’s mood. Besides, it feels great when young actors admire me for my work. It gives me something to live up to”. He adds that even young actors work brilliantly; they are sincere about their job and show professionalism.
His key to fitness includes yoga, meditation especially pranayama, which he performs daily. Also, he loves to unwind himself in the midst of nature in the jungle or on farmland outside Mumbai.
Unlike other top rated actors in the Bollywood, who prefer to do only a few selected movies in a year, Jackie is not fussy about his film projects. Instead of being picky, he says, “I believe in destiny; my sincerity and discipline have taken me a long way”, says the father of a popular young actor Tiger Shroff.
He maintains himself well and that in itself is significant for longevity in this industry. While Jackie feels immensely proud to be the father of ‘Tiger Shroff’. He says that it is a pleasure for the father when his son shares the stage and works with national award winners. He adds that Tiger is very determined to work towards his goals and that makes him feel happy and blessed. His unbeatable dance steps, jaw-dropping gymnastics are the result of a strong mind, which enables perfection through practice.
Watch trailer:
