'Dream to play Indian soldier' says Varun Dhawan as he signs film on youngest Param Vir Chakra

We all loved Varun Dhawan in director Sriram Raghavan’s film ‘Badlapur’ that reinvented the term hero in today’s context as he acted on his vices and gave into a character that was more anti-hero than hero in a Bollywood film. 

The two have now signed up for a film together and we are sure it will be good, at least we hope so. 

They will now work on a film based on 1971 war hero Arun Khetarpal, the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient. Arun was a second lieutenant of the Indian Army and was martyred during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was honoured with Param Vir Chakra at the age of 21, posthumously.

Speaking about his role, Varun said, “When I heard Arun Khetarpal’s story I was awed that this could have actually happened. I understood then why Dinoo (Dinesh Vijan) and Sriram are so passionate about it. When I met Arun’s brother Mukesh, I was moved. I too have a brother and I can’t understand what he must have gone through. And it’s our responsibility to tell it correctly. This is the most important film of my career and I’m excited to start work with Sriram again. I hope all Indians will feel as proud when they see our story unfold on screen.”

Meanwhile, the filmmaker Sriram said, “The courage of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal during the 1971 Battle of Basantar is well known. I was a kid during the ’71 war but I remember pasting black paper on windows during blackouts. When Dinoo approached me to make a film on the subject, I found it daunting initially. But movies set in wartime have always moved me and this made me reconsider my decision. This is a solid story told over two generations of soldiers and we hope we can do justice to it.”

The film was announced earlier in 2018 by producer Dinesh Vijan.