Despite being in awe of Sam Manekshaw, actor Vicky Kaushal revealed he was too scared to play the veteran war hero. Read on to know who made him nervous...
Actors often shy away from revealing that they are scared to play a role. But sometimes they pour out their heart to relax their nerves. One such incident happened with actor Vicky Kaushal when filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, on the sets of Raazi, casually shared a raw idea with the actor on making a film on former war hero, Sam Manekshaw.
While Kaushal was all ears to the filmmaker’s plan, he wasn’t sure who she was talking about. So he secretly searched Manekshaw’s picture on the internet and was in awe of him. A very nervous Kaushal felt that he might not get the role because he was not that good looking.
But years later when he was approached to play the lead in a film on Manekshaw’s life, he was over the moon. As part of the research, he spoke to the officials of the army and that's when his nervousness grew manifold.
“I feel playing Manekshaw is the toughest role of my life, not because of the way he walked and talked, but for the man he was. The officials of the Army had great expectations from me. They told me that he was the best man they had, and that I had to do justice while playing him on screen,” he said.
Since Manekshaw’s military life has spanned to four decades, Gulzar had too much in her hands to show. But she cornered her greed and settled to share his spirit rightly through the film. She researched extensively about reading about Manekshaw and meeting his family members. She also involved Kaushal into this process to help him get into the character’s shoes.
“A lot of time was spent on observing the smallest things. I learnt the way Manekshaw walked and talked, the angle at which he bent and the way he sat. We also collected all the photos that we could find on the internet and observed the way he carried himself in different postures. We did this for three months before shooting the film. We also looked at the videos that were available on the internet to prepare me for this role,” he shared.
When asked why Manekshaw’s story was relevant to tell, Gulzar said, “I think they don’t make men like him anymore. He is so inspiring and motivating. I feel he lived a life with righteousness and integrity. These qualities can never go out of time and style which is why his story is worth sharing.”
Sam Bahadur gives a glimpse of the glorious life of the former field marshal and Chief of the Army, Sam Manekshaw. It also stars Fatima Sana Shaikh as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sanya Malhotra as Silloo, Sam's wife. The film is set to release on December 1.