Tag: akhtar-starrer

Sumit Arora has carved a niche for himself thanks to his solid writing in shows like The Family Man, Dahaad, Guns & Gulaabs and Citadel: Honey Bunny and in films like Stree (2018), ’83 (2021), Jawan (2023), Chandu Champion (2024) etc. November 21 was a significant day for him this year for he had 2 releases the season 3 of The Family Man dropped on Amazon Prime Video while the Farhan Akhtar-starrer war drama 120 Bahadur arrived in cinemas. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Sumit Arora spoke about his dialogues in 120 Bahadur and a lot more. You had 2 releases in a single day. How was the experience and what did you do on November 21? I was at IFFI, Goa as we had screenings of The Family Man as well as 120 Bahadur. I was checking the reactions of both. The Family Man Season 3 was available digitally while 120 Bahadur had released in theatres. So, it was very interesting and also overwhelming to have two releases on two different mediums on the same day. The Family Man has been widely loved and hence, we knew that people have been waiting for it. We were curious as to how they receive the new season. Thankfully, they are finding a lot of joy in watching it. 120 Bahadur, meanwhile, is also a special film as it told an important chapter from history. The love for it is also pouring it and hence, the experience has been satisfying. You had mentioned to us before that you don’t believe in doing dialoguebaazi for the sake of it. Did you apply the same idea in 120 Bahadur as well? Of course. I apply it in everything that I do (smiles). The film is based on a true story and even the characters were real. So, I had to stay rooted and have the punchiness in the dialogues wherever required. I had to ensure that the punchy dialogues needed to be mouthed for a reason. For example, when Farhan Akhtar tells his soldiers that he ‘Main peeche nahin hatunga’, the dialogue had to be emotionally charged and should express his feelings for the country. He brings up the fact that they are the sons of farmers. So, he says, ‘Zameen ke liye ladna tumhare khoon mein hai. Aur iss baar, baat zameen ki nahin, hamare sarzameen ki hai’. This line came up organically as he’s talking to soldiers who are sons of the soil who are now fighting for their motherland. So, we were not trying to create a punch for the heck of it. How was it working with Farhan Akhtar? I had worked on Dahaad before, which was produced by him. But this was the first time I interacted with him. He’s a very thorough professional, sharp and witty. He’s also well-respectful and accepting of ideas from everyone around him. So, it was a great experience. I had seen his directorial debut, Dil Chahta Hai (2001), before coming to Mumbai and loved it. Just to see his creative process from up close was very enriching. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sumit Arora (@sumitaroraa) You went on the sets of Jawan for 100 days. Did you visit 120 Bahadur’s sets as well? Yes, I did go to Ladakh and I went twice. Was it challenging to shoot the film in a hostile terrain like Ladakh? Yes. To shoot at such an altitude is always a challenge. The unit members were always falling sick. I, too, fell sick in one of the trips. My condition was similar to Radio Operator Ramchander Yadav (played by Sparsh Walia) in the film as I suffered from altitude sickness. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and I felt ill for a few hours only. I faced breathing issues because I forgot to take the tablet to acclimatize oneself. Hence, it’s very difficult to shoot there. Shah Rukh Khan recently won the National Award for Jawan. Did it feel like a personal achievement? More than a personal achievement, it felt like an achievement of a man you have always loved. I felt great that I could be a part of the film that got Shah Rukh sir the National Award. It was an award he should have won long back as he has done such remarkable work over a period of time. So, I feel it was the National Award that deserved him and not the other way round (smiles). What are your upcoming projects besides Border 2? Are you a part of Dahaad 2? Yes, Dahaad 2 is happening. And I am also working on Kabir Khan’s next film. There are also a couple of more projects which I’ll be able to talk about in the near future. Also Read: Residential societies join schools in organising theatre visits for 120 Bahadur.