Actors should turn producer at least once: Sonu Sood
Sonu Sood’s next release, J P Dutta’s Paltan, sees him playing a soldier in an Indian Army. The film is based on the 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes between India and China along the Sikkim border after 1962 Sino-Indian War. While Sonu is ecstatic to be donning the uniform on screen, he says the timing could have been better.
The actor says, “The only regret I have is that I wish my mom was here to see me do this movie. She was a history and english literature professor and she had a lot of books that helped me prepare for role. When I was doing Jodhaa Akbar (2008), she sent me a book to read about the Mughals. She used to read for me and make notes for my characters. Even when I signed Paltan, I was going through her library in Punjab, and I found some interesting books. In fact, I found a line in her book that said, ‘No solider fights a war because he hates his enemies, he fights it because he loves the people he left behind’. This line has also been incorporated in the film. This film is not just about guns and bullets and war. This film also touches upon the emotional aspect of being a soldier and his life. We have tried to capture that.”
The actor plays Major Bishan Singh, who was one of the officers responsible for taking over the front line to hold Nathu La Pass in 1967. ”I play Major Bishan Singh, who was also called Tiger Nathula. All the Chinese troops were very scared of him. He is the reason why Sikkim is still present on the Indian map. I read a lot about him. I also saw his pictures and we have tried to maintain some similarities,” Sonu says.
Sonu is also turning producer with a biopic on the life of badminton player, PV Sindhu, and he says that acting is a cakewalk compared to production. “When I am on the set, it is more relaxing as an actor, because you just do your job and go home. But as a producer, you have to wait till everyone leaves, because there are 200 things you have to take care of. It is important for an actor to turn producer at least once, so you know the numbers and how everything on a film set works. You mature as an actor a lot sooner,” he says.