TELLING REAL STORIES

Ajay Devgn talks about his latest release, Bhuj: The Pride of India, and social media

The theatrical release of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior had proven to be a successful biographical warfare film for the two times National-Award winner. He will be next seen in Bhuj: The Pride of India, another biographical war film set during the Indo–Pakistan War in 1971. The story of Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who was then in charge of the Bhuj airport. The film is premiering on Disney Hotstar from 13th August 2021. We spoke to the actor about all that excites him. Excerpts from the interview:

Q

Bhuj, like Tanhaji, is also a biopic. Is it a conscious decision to do biopics?

I believe in being real to the character and not making it too filmy. Whatever you have seen in my biopics is real. When a person is fighting for his country, he is not showing off. It comes naturally from within. So a film needs to be made true to its craft and should be based on reality. We have shown it to Army and Air Force personnel and they have been happy about it.

Q

Our history has not been

How important is it for the recent generation to know about these unsung heroes?

depicted a lot. The British tried to push our history under the carpet so that the sacrifice of our true heroes shouldn’t come to the forefront. There is not much written about many unsung heroes in our school textbooks too. During our school days, Tanhaji’s bravery had a mention of half a page, which has disappeared altogether now. We should talk about it. This generation does not know who all fought and sacrificed their lives to get us freedom from the clutches of the British. When you understand the difficulty that has gone into achieving independence for the nation, you’ll come together.

Q

Many actors are moving to work on OTTs. What’s your take on it?

I see OTTs as a good change for the industry. For instance, most filmmakers keep complaining about not getting enough theatres. So now when theatres open sometime, producers like us will strike a good balance as some films will be seen in the theatres while others can be watched on the OTT. I see this change as a growth for the film industry, enabling filmmakers to show their work to people all over.

Q

Social media has become the deciding factor for reviews

I believe the deciding factor is the film ultimately. But we do get a sense of how well the film has been received on OTT. As for comments on social media, we cannot do anything as everyone takes on the role of the media when they comment on the film. The best way I see around it is to stay away from it. In any case, I’m not much on any platform. I only use social media when I feel like conveying something.

Q

How do you handle trolls on social media?

I think the best is not to stay updated with all of this. Most of the time, we see cuss words written on it, with no credibility. For many users, their trusted people’s judgment means more to them than the truth on a matter. So also, most times, I remain disconnected.