After ‘Raazi’ Meghna Gulzar is all set to make her next biopic on Sam Manekshaw

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar’s espionage thriller ‘Raazi’ starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal took everyone by surprise by its sheer authenticity and the nuanced performance of its ensemble cast.

The talented director is now all set to start work on her project which is yet another biopic based on the life of Indian Army officer Sam Manekshaw, who was the first officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. Helmed by Meghna this biopic will be produced by Ronnie Screwvala.

Talking about moving from one biopic to the next, Meghna Gulzar told Mumbai Mirror, “It’s bitter-sweet, moving from one film to the next, but it’s always a pleasure to tell a story that has grabbed your attention instinctively. The life that the Field Martial has lived is vast and rich so it’s quite daunting to be able to do justice to it in two hours on celluloid. Ronnie approached me sometime in 2015 saying that he wanted to work with me and I felt flattered because I look up to his work. We didn’t even have a subject back then but over conversations the idea of a film on Sam Manekshaw came up. I leapt at the idea.” (Also Read: After ‘Raazi’ Karan Johar signs Vicky Kaushal for a horror film!)

“We are currently in the early stages of writing while research has been on for a year because it’s an exhaustive subject. I only started internalising the material when Raazi was going into post-production. The film requires tremendous prep. One part of the film will be set in the era of the ’71 war which is fairly familiar for me right now as Raazi was set in the 1970s as well but otherwise, it’s a whole new world.” she added further.

Producer Ronnie talking about his inspiration behind backing this biopic, said, “I have always felt that India lacks role models. When it came to Sam Manekshaw, it’s a story that must be told and it’s not only about him being India’s first and only field marshal or being at the forefront of the wars we fought against Pakistan, but also about it being an inspirational story. I am also related to the Manekshaws from my wife’s (Zarina Mehta) side. Meghna and I were talking about how I loved what she did with Talvar when we got Sam Manekshaw’s story on the table. It took her a few seconds to say that it is what she would like to do after Raazi.”

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Sam Manekshaw was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army and his military career spanned four decades in which he witnessed five wars.

The pre-production work on this biopic has begun while the shooting of the film will begin next year. Well guys now that we know what Meghna is next working on,  We are excited to know who the makers will cast in this biopic.

Watch this space for more such interesting updates.

Pooja Sharma

Cinephile. Bibliophile. Pluviophile. Selenophile. Autophile. Aesthete. Blood group- Tea positive. Poetry lover. Sucker of rom-coms.

PS: Sharmaji ki Ladki sucks at writing bios.
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