2019 has lots of promise for genuine content. Beginning on a fantastic note with the grand success of Vicky Kaushal starrer ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, the year has extremely interesting projects lined up for release. Be it the iconic tribute to the heroes of Saragarhi titled ‘Kesari’, or the moving tale of S. Nambi Narayanan as depicted in ‘Rocketry’, or even the much-awaited biopic on the Maratha braveheart Tanaji Malusare, titled ‘Tanaji – The Unsung Warrior’, Bollywood has a lot to offer in 2019.
Now, to the surprise of both cinemagoers as well as critics, it seems that even actor Sushant Singh Rajput has joined the bandwagon. Sushant posted the following tweet on the occasion of Army Day:-
https://twitter.com/itsSSR/status/1085173874700865537
The above tweet was a motion poster for Sushant’s upcoming project, titled RIFLEMAN. Speculations were rife that Sushant could play the role of the iconic ‘one man army’, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC. Now according to a report by Daily News & Analysis [DNA], it seems that the speculations were right. Sushant Singh Rajput, in a major surprise for many, will bring forth the valor of Jaswant Singh Rawat on screen.
To quote the DNA report, “This film has been in the works for quite some time. Sushant has been silently researching on the man and finally, now, they are putting everything in place. It’s expected to go on floors after he wraps up pending work on his other two films — Kizie Aur Manny and Chhichhore. It is being readied for a late 2019 release.” The only thing that now remains is an official confirmation from both the film crew and the actor himself.
For those unaware, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was a young sepoy with the prestigious regiment of Garhwal Rifles. He was posted at Nuranang in Arunachal Pradesh during the Indo China War of 1962. It was during the month of November when his company post was invaded by the marauding Chinese troops.
Despite being brutally outnumbered and almost all of his comrades either dead or having left the post, Jaswant Singh Rawat not only held his ground but also duped the Chinese Army into thinking that the post was still occupied. After 72 hours of incessant battle, Jaswant Singh Rawat, along with two tribal girls, was forced to commit suicide when his ruse was discovered by the enemy. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his bravery, and legend has it that he still serves the nation, guarding our borders against Chinese intrusions.
This is not the first time however, that this enigmatic warrior has been portrayed. Writer and director Avinash Dhyani is up with the biopic ’72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died’, which will release tomorrow. Avinash is also playing the role of the enigmatic warrior in this biopic, which stars established actors such as Virendra Saxena, Shishir Sharma. As such, Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘RIFLEMAN’ is the first major project by mainstream Bollywood that will show the courage of the braveheart on screen.
Given that he won several hearts with his poignant portrayal of MS Dhoni in the Neeraj Pandey biopic, we hope that Sushant pays a fitting tribute to the iconic warrior, just the way Vicky Kaushal did with the unsung heroes of the historic surgical strikes in ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. We hope that 2019 has more pleasant surprises like these for us.