Meghna Gulzar Talks About "Sam Bahadur," Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, and Life-Altering Experiences

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar said on Tuesday that she experienced a life-altering event while shooting on "Sam Bahadur," the forthcoming historical drama film on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

Actor Vicky Kaushal has teamed up with filmmaker Gulzar, who has directed highly acclaimed films like as "Filhaal," "Talvar," and "Chhapaak," to narrate the narrative of one of the biggest symbols of the Indian armed forces.

Here, at the Manekshaw Centre, the movie's trailer was unveiled in front of Army Chief General Manoj Pande. The occasion was also attended by Kaushal's co-stars Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and producer Ronnie Screwvala.

Manekshaw's life narrative is "motivating and inspiring," according to Gulzar, and viewers should hear it.

Role models and ideals, in my opinion, never go out of style. A person who has lived a life characterized by truthfulness, morality, and integrity will always be in style and relevant. People of all ages should be aware of this remarkable personality's tale. The director said, "There is so much in him that is so motivating and inspiring.

The process of creating this film on his life and values has changed my life. I think a lot of us have unconsciously absorbed him, and if the audience is affected in any way, that's positive because, in my opinion, guys aren't made like him anymore," she said.

According to the film's creators, "Sam Bahadur" will cover Manekshaw's more than 40-year career, including key moments like his participation in World War II and his role as Chief of Army Staff during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, which resulted in the establishment of Bangladesh.

Gulzar said that narrating Manekshaw's life story in a feature-length film was a difficulty.

"Over the course of his four decades in the service, he has experienced a great deal. As a filmmaker, I am so avaricious that I feel compelled to include everything. However, you attempt to choose the elements you think are more vital since I have to tell a tale in this amount of time. You thread them all together because you don't want to miss out on the little things as well," she said.

Gulzar said that she aimed to portray the essence of Manekshaw, going beyond the anecdotal aspects of his life.

"Getting his spirit correct was crucial for us. Physicality and data are manageable, but for all of us, getting a man's soul correct was crucial, and we gave it our whole attention," the woman said.

The director said that Kaushal was first selected for the title role. Kaushal acted in Gulzar's 2018 critically and commercially successful film "Raazi".

As soon as I had the script in my hands, I took up the phone and gave Vicky a call. We had this chat, and because I follow my gut, I asked him, "Will you do this?" and he said, "I will do this, of course." He refused to read the script when I urged him to. However, we both decided that in order to determine whether or not this would all work out, we needed to do some kind of look test," she said.

As for getting the correct appearance, Gulzar said they both decided against using prosthetics.

"We both knew that we didn't want to become too involved with prosthetics and everything. We made every effort to maintain realism. After a span of three months, we generated this visual assessment. Following that, we both felt comforted. He was on board, and I had the feeling that my instinct was correct," she said.

After getting back together, Gulzar said that they now understand each other better.

I'm not as forced to inform him anymore. He understands what I'm saying. I don't have to finish my phrase if I urge him to do things differently. And I believe it results from a much deeper understanding of one another," she said.

"Sam Bahadur," which is produced by RSVP Pictures, also features Fatima Sana Shaikh as former prime minister Indira Gandhi and Sanya Malhotra as Manekshaw's wife Silloo.

Bhavani Iyer, Shantanu Shrivastava, and Gulzar wrote the script. On December 1, the film is slated to open in theaters.