Soldier-turned-filmmaker Major Ravi is a man of action, known mainly known for thrillers such as Keerthi Chakra , Mission 90 Days , Kurukshetra , Kandahar and Karma Yodha , most of them set in the background of war, militancy and terrorism. The director says that his latest film Picket 43 , starring Prithviraj in the lead, is quite different from his earlier films. It narrates the tale of an unlikely friendship between an Indian soldier and his Pakistani counterpart in a remote outpost in the snow-clad hills on the Line of Control. Prithviraj stars as Hareendranath Nair and Bollywood actor Javed Jaffrey plays the role of Pakistani solider Mushraff. In an interview with Friday Review , Major Ravi is at his candid best as he talks about the highs and lows of his career as a filmmaker. Edited excerpts from the interview…
What can viewers look forward to inPicket 43?
Like many of my earlier films, war and militancy form the backdrop of Picket 43 too. This time, though, the focus is on the emotional turmoil of a soldier’s job. It is a story of love and compassion and shows the humanitarian side of two soldiers on either side of a strife-torn outpost. The isolation is killing them. Instead of being caught up in the rivalry, they start communicating with each other, which leads to an unlikely friendship.
How topical is the film?
Handy with a gun they may be but every soldier is a human being first. There is space for friendship even at such a place like the Line of Control, which can overpower enmity, rivalry and hatred.
Of course, the equations change when war is declared.
You have mostly made films with Mohanlal... How was it working with Prithviraj inPicket 43?
I share a wonderful chemistry with Mohanlal and our friendship goes beyond films. I didn’t know Prithviraj well before the shooting started but his dedication and hard work was amazing.
Keerthi Chakrawas a critical and box office hit. But none of your subsequent films managed to hit the mark...
I think it was the freshness of the subject that worked for Keerthi Chakra . Viewers didn’t know the real me until then. Mission 90 Days was more of a docu-fiction and it did only average business. Kurukshetra was a winning proposition made on a limited budget, but it had a rather ordinary storyline. Keerthi Chakra became a yardstick and that has become my own competition!
AndKandahar? Despite having big names such as Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal in the cast it didn’t meet expectations.
I learnt a big lesson from the film – not to succumb to outside pressures until you are ready to start a film! I couldn’t devote enough time to develop the script and with the two big stars in it, the expectations were sky high. Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal only had brief roles in the film.
It was actually the story of another character, played by Ganesh Venkataraman, which was being narrated in the film. Perhaps I should have gone for a more well-known actor who could have carried the role more convincingly. I accept that the fault was mine.
What next?
I am planning a film with Mohanlal, where he will be shown as a family man. The story has no connection with war.
In fact, there won’t even be a cop in uniform in the film (laughs).
