J P Dutta’s Paltan makes for a perfect family film to watch together. The war film will surely evoke the patriot in every individual. Paltan focuses on the lesser known war of 1967 between India and China and puts forth the struggle Indian soldiers put up to protect Sikkim. Below are the top 5 reasons which make this film a must watch.
Brush up your history
Indian Army lost the Sino-Indian war in 1962. After 5 years, the skirmishes along the border began more pronounced once again. The Nathu La and Cho La clashes were one of the historic wars fought by our Army. However, the victory of the soldiers is still not known to all. The clashes began after China made several attempts to seize Sikkim which wasn’t demarked as an Indian state at that time. The war continued for three days and the Army lost many brave soldiers in the battlefield. The Chinese Army finally surrendered on 15 September 1967 after their casualties escalated.
Also read: Paltan | We didn’t choose the roles, the roles chose us, say JP Dutta’s boys
Know about India’s geographical borders and boundaries
Nathu La, which means ‘listening ears’ in Tibetian, is located on the East Sikkim district. It’s one of the three open trading border posts between China and India which was sealed after the Indian Sino war in 1962.
During the war, Nathu La witnessed skirmishes between soldiers of the two countries. In 1967, the border was been marked with barbed wires which ignited the clashes. In 1975, Sikkim acceded to India and Nathu La became part of Indian territory. China, however, refused to acknowledge the acquisition at that time.
See real Army men in action
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Filmmaker JP Dutta roped in 300 Army personnel for Paltan war scenes. JP Dutta visited the families to understand their nuances and the difficulties they went through during the war period and post that. He explained that trying to recreate those times today to shoot required a lot of research and meeting the families was a part of the research.
Recollecting the incident, JP Dutta shared, “The movie focuses on the action and existential angst that our soldiers faced during the wartime. Who better than the real army officers themselves to showcase the true emotions? The ministry of defense was very supportive throughout the making and to shoot with real army men as part of our own crew helped us a lot. In no time, they all gelled with us and even helped the actors get into the skin of their characters. From training them to hold the real guns properly to aping army character traits, the real army personnel helped us and I am hugely grateful to them.”
Some great acting by the powerful ensemble cast
The powerful ensemble cast will take us through the riveting, untold story of the bravest of Indian soldiers who fought with their brothers till the end, honouring the spirit of brotherhood. The actors had to match up to the stature of the real-life characters.
Interestingly, the date of the release of the film also has a great significance. The war drama hits the screens in the same week as the Indo Chinese war, which took place on September 11 over 50 years ago along the Sikkim border.
Read more: Paltan review | Climax makes up for sluggish first half
Memorable music
The popular musical trio of Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, and Sonu Nigam once again collaborate again with JP Dutta for Paltan who have earlier given soul-stirring songs like Sandese Aate Hain for Border. Music of the film promises to leave the audiences with a feeling of patriotism. The last song of the film, Main Zinda Hoon, would surely leave you teary-eyed.
Presented by Zee Studios, produced by JP Films, Paltan, directed by J. P. Dutta released today.