Ajay Devgn, one of the most outstanding actors of Bollywood is all set for the release of his next film ‘Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior’ and he leaves no stone unturned in promoting it. This is why he has chosen the well-known comic book publisher Amar Chitra Katha as his promotional partner for the promotion of his film.
Ajay announced the same by tweeting,
“History may not repeat itself but lessons of bravery & valour from our shur-veer yoddhas like Tanaji are a great example for our children. I’m happy to announce a special edition of Amar Chitra Katha featuring Tanhaji.”
https://twitter.com/ajaydevgn/status/1194861435014135808?s=20
For those unaware, Tanaji Malusare was a close friend and a trusted commander of the brave Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He had participated with Chhatrapati Shivaji in many of his historic campaigns, be it winning the first fort of Torna, or attacking the Mughal commander Shaista Khan in a surprise raid, or even ensuring the iconic escape of Chhatrapati Shivaji and his son Sambhaji from Agra.
Probably that was why both Rajmata Jijabai and Chhatrapati Shivaji agreed on his name when they thought of the person who would lead the fight to reclaim the Kondhana fort. Though Tanaji was preparing for his son Raiba’s wedding, he not only put himself at service but also promised to not return before winning the Kondhana fort back.
After facing many troubles, and following a fierce battle with the Mughals under the leadership of the guardian of the fort, Uday Bhan Rathod, the Marathas won back the fort by the morning of 4 February 1670. However, in this campaign, Tanaji breathed his last after succumbing to his injuries. When Chhatrapati Shivaji came to know about this, he couldn’t hold himself and said, ‘Gadh Ala, Sinha Pan Gela’ (The fort is ours but the lion has departed). It was in the memory of Tanaji Malusare that the name of the fort was changed to Sinhagad.
Now if we talk about Amar Chitra Katha, it brings up some of the sweetest memories from our childhood. Under the tutelage of Shri Anant Pai, this publication has introduced us to several Bravehearts of our nation, who would’ve otherwise remained unknown, courtesy the selective history of our leftist historians.
For an Indian child born before the year 2000, Amar Chitra Katha and its engrossing world of stories were synonymous with growing up. Bridging the distance between convoluted Sanskrit texts and the Enid Blyton’s found in school libraries, this iconic book series taught several generations of Indian children about the country’s rich heritage of folk tales and history.
For example, the first book in Amar Chitra Katha series, i.e. Krishna, paved way for a series of dramatic stories revolving around a single hero. This is not all, the series of Amar Chitra Katha books also introduced our young minds to the rich heritage and the real heroes of our nation. Be it the folklore of Panchatantra and Hitopadesh, or the bravery of warriors like Veer Hammir Singh, Tanaji Malusare, Hari Singh Nalwa etc., you name it and Amar Chitra Katha has it in their collection.
As such, to make them the promotional partners of Tanhaji has proved why Ajay Devgn is hailed as one of the most respected figures of the entire Indian film industry, apart from the fact that he has given a new lease of life to the memorable publication of Amar Chitra Katha.
However, going by Ajay’s future projects, it doesn’t look as if he is going to stop here. His next project will be ‘Bhuj – the pride of India’, wherein he’ll essay the role of Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who devised an innovative way to make the Bhuj operational again during the 1971 Indo Pak War. Apart from that, Ajay is also essaying the role of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim in ‘Maidaan’, who had made Indian football an Asian powerhouse by the early 60s. If everything goes well, Ajay Devgn is also essaying the role of Acharya Chanakya in the biopic to be directed by the well-known filmmaker Neeraj Pandey. In an interview, Ajay himself confirmed that he wants to make a franchise of heroes like Tanaji for the silver screen.
To be fair, in the film industry which often has to face criticism for its biased attitude towards Sanatan Dharma and Indianness, Ajay Devgn still holds hope among Indians for this industry. We hope that the movie on Tanaji not only gives Tanaji Malusare his rightful place but also pays a fitting tribute to the real heroes of our country.
