Yet another movie based on a patriotic theme was released this Friday -- 72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died. The movie received a mixed response from the Dehradun audience however managers of some cinemas and multiplex in the city stated that the movie is able to attract a good footfall even after two days of the release.
It should be mentioned here that 72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died is a biographical drama based upon the real life of fifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who hailed from the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. The story revolves around the struggle he went through during his life and how he became a soldier in the Garhwal Rifles. The main highlight of the movie is the struggle he faced during the Indo-China war of 1962. The movie stars Avinash Dhyani (also the writer and director of the movie), Virendra Saxena, Shishir Sharma and Alka Amin among other actors.
Shruti Kaul a resident from Dehradun said, “The movie was slow, maximum part of the movie showed the life events of Jaswant Singh Rawat rather than the war on which the movies is supposed to be based upon. The scene near the end however was good- it was portrayed nicely and gave a message of patriotism. Overall it was a nice movie and gave us all a chance to know about Jaswant Singh Rawat who hailed from Uttarakhand,” she said.
Another viewer of the movie Shubham Rawat said, “The theme of the movie revolves around a soldier but there was a love angle too which seemed a bit out of place. The best thing about the movie was the locations, many of the locations were in Uttarakhand so we were also able to relate to these.”
Ajay Barthwal an official at Mukta Cinemas said, “We have received a good response of the audience from Friday. The shows are getting booked and almost two shows went houseful after the release.”
Ragvendra Singh manager of the Silver City complex said, “We had one show of the movie daily since its release. On the first day the show was almost house full. On the second day, 188 seats out of 194 were booke while on the third day 107 seats had been booked online.”
This Hindi film is based on the life of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat. Written and directed by Avinash Dhyani and produced under JSR production house banner, the movie has Dhyani also playing the role of Rawat. The movie depicts the dramatised true story based on the 1962 Indo-China war. It showcases the determination of Rawat towards Indian army. He is believed to have fought the Chinese army for 72 hour against 300 enemy soldiers in the border area of Arunachal Pradesh.
On November 17, 1962, Indian soldiers were attacked by the Chinese army with 300 soldiers at what was then the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) border in Arunachal Pradesh. The movie depicts the valour of Rawat and others which is now part of legend. He was awarded Mahavir Chakra posthumously for his bravery, and is believed to be still guarding the post to this day. Rawat has also attained the status of a deity at the Indo-China border.
