Actors Sharvari Wagh and Sunny Kaushal say that even though their characters in The Forgotten Army might be fictional, the story and events that the audience will experience are real
I don’t believe in enacting a character without knowing him or his background story,” says actor Sunny Kaushal, who is set to make his debut with Amazon Prime Video’s web series The Forgotten Army. So he studied deep. “There is always some blurred information that you have because of what you have read about history in school. But you would have never known the details of everything, including their betrayals, struggles and fights and even some part of their personal lives. We started reading and researching about everything through the 1999 documentary as well as internet and books. We collected a lot of material to educate ourselves on the topic,” says he.
The series showcases the formation of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army after British army’s defeat in Singapore during World War II. It has been told through the perspective of soldiers. Playing the role of soldiers could be highly taxing and challenging for debutantes. So how difficult did they find it to master all the moves? “For a week, we learnt how to live the way Army does. We had regular training on how to handle the gun and create formations. We worked on the standing postures, learnt what angles to hold and keep the gun so that you actually look like one from the Army. Apart from that, psychologically too, there was a lot of preparation to understand what soldiers have gone through in those three years during war,” says Sunny.
Director Kabir Khan brought the story out to the public for the first time through the eponymous 1999 documentary, which also became the first reference for the actors to prepare for their respective roles. Ever since Khan passed out of film school he wanted to tell the stories of these soldiers. He says, “Twenty-seven thousand of them died fighting to liberate the country. Just imagine their patriotism and valour. They are a forgotten chapter in our history and this story is an effort to make people realise their existence.”
Sharvari tells us, “The 1999 documentary really helped us get into the skin of our characters since they are based on real lives.”
However, Sunny points out that even though the characters might be fictional, the story and events that the audience would experience are real. Surinder Sodhi, played by him, might not have existed in reality but has been inspired by real people. Sunny tells us, “My character is an amalgamation of Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, Shah Nawaz Khan and Prem Kumar Sahgal, the three faces who were charged in the Red Fort trial. So different elements from their stories have inspired Surinder’s story.”
Maya, played by actor Sharvari Wagh, is a civilian who later becomes a part of the INA. She is inspired by one the leaders of the Rani Laxmibai Regiment, which comprised women “who fought shoulder to shoulder with men and stood till the end. They have been trained very well and how to fight with guns and all kinds of weapons. I am very glad that my first project has been inspired by such a powerful story.”
Since it’s a period drama, the personal lives and stories of the soldiers, their war rooms and battle set-up have been created based on archival footage and images to recreate the real history. But why is it that there are so many films and series being made around chapters of Indian history today given the recent trend in Bollywood? “With the growth of good content, we are fortunate enough to have come in the industry at such a time when history is being valued so much,” Sharvari says. Sunny goes on to add that another reason why history is making its way into mainstream cinema is because of the enhanced technology that we are equipped with today. “We are much better equipped today to create such content. What the director envisions, he can bring it alive the same way he has imagined. To recreate those times really needs a lot, including the right kind of animation, costumes and set-ups. You need a lot of means to do that. It’s only now that they are able to express their creative vision. The biggest instance is of Kabir Khan himself, who has been working on this script for 20 years since his 1999 documentary.”
Sharvari, who is set for her Bollywood debut with Bunty Aur Babli 2, talks about her take on sequels and whether they revive the essence of an old blockbuster or just take away its originality. She says, “The second part will revolve around the story which happens 10 years later. Might be their kids (laughs). It’s like a time lapse. It’s somewhat the same storyline and same characters but just the people and their approaches are different this time. I think that it’s going to be a fun thing and something that people wouldn’t have watched. So a sequel always has something to add of its own while maintaining the originality of both the versions.”
(The series releases on Amazon Prime on January 24.)
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
