Arjan Bajwa: 'State Of Siege: 26/11' took the best out of me

MUMBAI: Actor Arjan Bajwa says preparing for the web series "State Of Siege: 26/11" took the best out of him as he had to learn and unlearn all at the same time.

Arjan along with Arjun Bijlani and Vivek Dahiya will be seen as NSG Commandos in "State of Siege: 26/11". The series is based on Sandeep Unnithan's book "Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11". The show tells untold stories and the different events that took place during the attacks of 26/11.

"No pain, no gain -- that's all I can say here. The training was extensive and was all about perfection. You never really know what's going on in the mind of the people on the battlefield and while I am enacting their role, we could feel all the emotion and pressure," said Arjan, who will be seen playing the role of Colonel Kunal Sahota, a character inspired by Colonel Sheoran.

"Preparing for my role took the best out of me since I had to learn and unlearn all at the same time -- operating the weapons used by NSG, changing my body language, getting the stance correct of a soldier in combat and my fitness regime. Hat's off to all the people who fought on ground," Arjan added.

Talking about his role, Vivek, who plays a character inspired by Capt. Dhingra, said: "As an actor I am always up for challenges, and I had never stepped into the role of a commando before. I remember the first time I had heard the narration, I had goose bumps thinking how difficult must the lives be of these men who leave their families and loved ones behind for the love of their nation, to protect our country, to fight for it and put their lives on the line. It's really so commendable and for me to even come this close to playing an officer, feeling how he must be feeling, his emotions, turmoil and yet the strength he must display has truly been an enriching journey as an actor!"

The Contiloe Pictures' show also stars Sid Makkar, Mukul Dev, Tara Alisha Berry, Khalida Jaan, Jyoti Gauba, Roshni Sahota, Suzanne Bernert, Naren Kumar and Jason Shah. The series is set to go live on ZEE5 on March 20.

Abhimanyu Singh, CEO, Contiloe Pictures, said: "We had to make sure that the authenticity of those three days were maintained. Our aim is to deep dive into the attacks and bring to audiences the reality of what happened and how the NSG played a big hand in neutralising the attacks. Colonel Sen is the only Commando Officer from the 26/11 Operations who has taken early retirement and we were honoured to have him on-board. Apart from training our actors that play commandos he also helped train the actors that play the terrorist."

SOURCE: IANS