Meghna Gulzar on How She Saw Similarities in Sam Manekshaw and Vicky Kaushal

By -

DECEMBER 01,2023

Sam Bahadur released it today to resounding critical acclaim. Apart from that, it has also managed to collect over Rs 6 crore on its opening day. She was approached by producer Ronnie Screwala to make a film on Sam Manekshaw. At that time, she only knew some basic things about the man. But she says that she instantly said yes to the film when she read the story.

When it came to who would play the role of Sam Manekshaw in the film, Meghna Gulzar was definitely certain that Vicky Kaushal was her leading man. She said, "I saw a strange similarity in the personalities of Vicky and Sam. No one could imagine Vicky transforming into Sam so perfectly. There is this mix of affability and gravity in the actor, and Sam was simply that. He'd speak with affection to his soldiers and indignation to his ministers."

However, Vicky Kaushal doubted if he was handsome enough to play Sam Manekshaw.

But Meghna has made up her mind. Along with that, she was also certain they wouldn't need any prosthetics for the part. She believes that the essence of Sam Bahadur lies in his integrity. She said, "All we had to do was dramatize his life's episodes. Each incident is founded on his loyalty, integrity, and righteousness. He was larger than life. We have retained his real lines in the film and captured the man's inherent flamboyance."

Also read: Sam Bahadur Movie Review: Twitteratis Shower Praise on the Vicky Kaushal Starrer

Along with that, it was more of a challenge to fit everything from his glorious life into just 3 hours on the screen. "The bigger challenge was to fit his professional life, spanning 40 years, into a film's runtime. We had to do justice to the life he had lived."

Further speaking about the clarity of thought Sam had about almost everything, Meghna Gulzar recounted, "There is a scene where Sam, in 1947, says, 'I was born in Amritsar, I work in Delhi, and my wife is from Bombay. I can't get more Indian than this.' Sam was a Parsi. He was challenged with identification. But Sam would find the crux of the most complex issue and put it in lines that would touch everyone."

Sam Bahadur clashes at the box office with Ranbir Kapoor's Animal. It has a runtime of over 2 hours and 30 minutes and has received a 'UA' certificate from the censors.

Read More: Sam Manekshaw's Daughter Reviews Vicky Kaushal's Sam Bahadur: I Teared Up Everytime I Saw The Film