Reel heroes to bring alive 'war heroes' on-screen

MUMBAI : Actors like Sidharth Malhotra and Adivi Sesh will don the uniform to play Indian soldiers who fought for their country till their last breath.

Amidst the tension between India and Pakistan, actor-writer Adivi Sesh on Wednesday took to Twitter to share "major news". He tweeted the first look of his upcoming film titled "Major", based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guards (NSG) commando who lost his life while fighting terrorists at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in 2008.

The actor, who will play the lead in the Shashikiran Tikka directorial, called it his "dream project".

The shooting will start later this year and it is scheduled to release in 2020.

Back in 2003, actor Abhishek Bachchan brought Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra to life in J.P. Dutta's "LOC Kargil". The army officer was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra -- India's highest gallantry award. Soon, Sidharth will be working on his biopic, directed by Vishnu Varadhan.

Talking about the film, Sidharth had said: "It is the toughest role of my life. I feel it is an emotional responsibility to play that character because the family of Vikram Batra felt that I can play his role so, it is a big responsibility to present their story on the big screen."

Director Sriram Raghavan and producer Dinesh Vijan, on the other hand, have teamed up for a biopic on Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for the courage he displayed during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

"When I heard the story of Arun Khetarpal, I was inspired. He is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. What he did and the kind of life he lived was absolutely exemplary and unbelievable," Vijan said in a statement.

He said it is a huge responsibility to make a film with such an inspirational message.

"Arun involves a lot of passion since we all are moved by it. We are doing our homework," he added.

According to reports, director Srikanth Velagaleti will be making a biopic on Captain Saurabh Kalia, who was taken prisoner by the Pakistani intruders in 1999.