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Bollywood beats the war drums as viewers troop in
War dramas have long been a staple of Hollywood, and in the past couple of years, Indian cinema has upped the ante in this genre — the two Baahubali films, and this year’s Padmaavat gave audiences epic war scenes.
Earlier, there were war movies in Hindi on and off — one name that instantly comes to mind is Border (1997) — but now this genre has got a fillip. A host of war dramas have been announced or are in the making, including JP Dutta’s Paltan (based on Indo-China War of 1962); Arjun Kapoor’s Panipat (based on the Third Battle of Panipat, 1761); three films based on the Battle of Saragarhi; and Manikarnika, on Lakshmi Bai, the warrior queen of Jhansi.
The latest and biggest example is of Aamir Khan’s rumoured project on the epic Mahabharata, in which sources say, he is keen to play Lord Krishna. However, Aamir has never confirmed that he’d make such a film.
Trade expert Komal Nahta feels that the interest in such action-packed films had waned in the past many years. He says, “There was a Bajirao Mastani in 2015, and one before that was Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se (2010). But we had forgotten them for some time, because there was a belief that the multiplex audience doesn’t want too much action. Since such films have done well in the past four-five years, there has been a renewed faith in action, and so, in war dramas.”
AUTHENTICITY IS KEY
Making such films is mentally and physically taxing. The focus has to be on authenticity, feels director JP Dutta, known for helming Border and LOC Kargil (2003). “The one thing that sets Paltan apart from every war drama made in the country is authenticity, right down to the cast. When you see such films with battles, you see actors. But in our film, every person on-screen is an actual soldier deployed by the government and Ministry of Defence. The soldiers on our sets told the actors how to look authentic,” says Dutta.
RECOVERY POSSIBLE
Aamir Khan’s Mahabharata — as per rumours — is said to have a budget of ₹1,000 crore! On whether it’s feasible to make a war drama at this astronomical budget, trade expert Atul Mohan says, “The makers must have made a recovery plan.” Nahta says, “Aaamir is too intelligent to not just blow his money off, or whoever’s money it is. He must have done his research. Earlier, recovery would have been difficult, but now we have satellite and digital rights. And Aamir has a huge audience appeal in China.”