Vicky Kaushal is all set to play the lead role of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in the next directorial venture of Meghana Gulzar. The film based on the life of first Field Marshal of India will see the versatile Uri actor donning the uniform of an army officer for the second time. Also, with this new movie, Vicky Kaushal and Meghana Gulzar will reunite once again after Raazi.
Vicky Kaushal Feels Honored To Play Manekshaw
The 31-year-old actor who established his acting prowess in the role of Kamli in Rajkumar Hirani director “Sanju” became an overnight star with “Uri: The Surgical Strike.” The dialogue “How’s Josh,” “High Sir,” became very famous. Vicky Kaushal is extremely happy to bag the lead role in the next movie of Meghana Gulzar.
In his post on Instagram, Kaushal wrote, “I feel honored, emotional and proud of getting a chance to unfold the journey of this fearless patriot, the swashbuckling general, the first Field Marshal of India- SAM MANEKSHAW. Remembering him on his death anniversary today and embracing the new beginnings with @meghnagulzar and #RonnieScrewvala” As per reports, it was during the shooting of Raazi that Meghana had discussed the story of Sam Manekshaw with the actor.
The Manmarziyan actor said, “I personally couldn’t witness his achievements, but my parents would always tell me that he was a fearless patriot with an amazing leadership quality. The first time I’d heard of him was in the context of the 1971 Indo-Pak war.” While discussing his second collaboration with the daughter of Rakhee and Gulzar, Vicky said, “Working with them feels like home. I have the utmost respect and love for who they are as filmmakers and people.”
The Film Is Not A Biopic, Says Meghana
According to the director, her film is not a biopic. The ace director who recently wrapped the shooting of her movie Chhapaak starring Deepika Padukone in the lead said, “Ours is not a biopic, because it does not chronologically just record Sam Manekshaw’s life. We need to make an interesting narrative when telling a story by picking out the most crucial, iconic and relevant incidents of his life, giving a view of the soldier, the man, and the Field Marshal.”
On casting Vicky in the lead role, the filmmaker said, “We wanted to finish the edit on the draft first before reaching out to an actor. One day, I just called up Vicky, who happened to be nearby and invited him over for a cold coffee. We had a conversation about Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. He was about to fly to the US and said that he doesn’t want to read the script and would just do the film. But I insisted that he read it and call me.”
The director further added, “We will start shooting in 2021, which is good for all of us because it needs that much prep time as we have the Partition, accession of Kashmir and the 1971 Indo-Pak war to cover in the narrative.”
