Only recently did Vicky Kaushal become blockbuster material with Aditya Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strikes, and he’s ready to don the Indian army uniform for a second time. Kaushal will be playing the role of Sam Manekshaw in Meghna Gulzar’s biopic. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP, which also bankrolled Uri, the makers recreated one of Manekshaw’s most famous pictures with Kaushal sporting that inimitable moustache. The picture has understandably generated plenty of curiosity around the project.
The swashbuckling general & the first Field Marshal of India- SAM MANEKSHAW. I feel honoured & proud of getting a chance to unfold his journey on-screen. Remembering him on his death anniversary & embracing the new beginnings with @meghnagulzar and @RonnieScrewvala.@RSVPMovies pic.twitter.com/ozyUO69wKV
— Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) June 27, 2019
Who was Sam Manekshaw?
One of the most widely respected figures of the Indian army, there are many urban legends around Manekshaw. Being appointed as the first Field Marshal of the Indian army in 1973, Manekshaw was nicknamed Sam Bahadur (Sam – The Brave). With an illustrious career spanning four decades, five wars, Manekshaw was popular and notorious for his outspoken manner. He is attributed with negotiating the Hyderabad crisis and taking part in the first Indo-Pak war in 1947. One of Manekshaw’s shining moments was his role in negotiating Pakistan’s surrender in the 1971 war, that resulted in Bangladesh.
There are many wisecrack quotes attributed to Manekshaw, making him an instant favourite with the media. An anecdote goes around where Manekshaw was reportedly lying on an operating table and when the surgeon asked him about what had happened, Manekshaw apparently replied saying he got ‘kicked by a mule!’ Popular with the Gorkha regiment, Manekshaw was even conferred with the title of an honourary General of the Nepalese army in 1972.
Why is Vicky Kaushal such a fitting choice?
Vicky Kaushal has previously worked with Meghna Gulzar in Raazi, where he played a more demure version of an army officer. He’s also played the role of Major Vihaan Shergill, where he went on more than one blood-thirsty, jingoistic rant with a conviction rarely seen in actors these days. Kaushal is an interesting choice to play the straight-talking Field Marshal, who reportedly even politely asked Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to mind her own business, when asked if Manekshaw was planning a military coup. Building up on Raazi‘s nuance, one can hope that this biopic won’t be as one-sided and more layered than Uri.
And with this film, Kaushal is expected to have a string of some very interesting films in the next 12 months. He’s reportedly finished shooting for Shoojit Sircar’s Udham Singh, he will play the role of Aurangzeb in Karan Johar’s period magnum opus – Takht, he’s also experimenting by starring in a horror trilogy produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions called Bhoot: The Haunted Ship. The times they are a changin’ for Masaan‘s Deepak.
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