After their previous successful collaboration on Raazi, Meghna Gulzar and Vicky Kaushal have come together again for Sam Bahadur. In a recent interview with a leading news portal, Meghna emphasised the influence of “circumstances” and “perspectives” in shaping an individual.
When discussing the differences between Sam Bahadur and Raazi, she explained that in Raazi, Alia Bhatt plays the role of Sehmat, an undercover Indian spy who marries a Pakistani army officer. She further mentioned that she felt a lot of empathy for Sehmat as her character had many shades of grey. However, with Sam Manekshaw, there is no room for portraying anyone as a villain. The story of Sam Manekshaw is not about that, and he himself was not that kind of person. He did not engage in such actions during his lifetime, and she couldn’t depict him that way in his film.
She further stated that he didn’t demonise the enemy while defending his country. This is evident from the fact that he treated the prisoners of war with humanity and respect, which is what every soldier deserves. She added, “He treated them with the humanity and respect that a soldier merits.”
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, Sam Bahadur portrays the life of Sam Manekshaw, who served as the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971. He was the first Indian Army officer to attain the rank of field marshal.
Apart from Vicky Kaushal, the film also stars Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh. It is scheduled to premiere on December 1, 2023.
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