Shooting in Bhopal for Ritesh Shah’s next, Ankit Siwach on why he looks up to his ‘120 Bahadur’ co-star Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar in ‘120 Bahadur’
Actor Ankit Siwach is having the kind of week most actors manifest on vision boards — a big-ticket war epic, 120 Bahadur; a gritty heartland political thriller shooting in Bhopal; and the chance to work closely with Farhan Akhtar. Fresh off Kull and Madame Driver, he calls this phase “a milestone in the making.”
While promotions for 120 Bahadur are underway, Siwach is filming an untitled project in Bhopal for producer Ritesh Shah of Lunchbox (2013) fame. Directed by Satish Nair and Nav Nirman Singh, the eight-episode series takes him into uncharted territory.
“It’s a political crime drama based in the heartlands of India. My character has grey shades, like most in the series. Being one of the central characters, I get to experiment and unleash my potential as an actor. [After this] I could play more intense roles,” says Siwach.
Ankit Siwach
He is equally invested in the audience’s response to the war film. “People in India and all over the world should know what exactly happened on November 18, 1962, at Rezang La pass and how the whole map of India could have got distorted if the 3000 [Chinese troops] entered.”
Recalling his first day on set in Ladakh, Siwach — who plays Ramlal Yadav of the Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment — remembers the moment with amusement. “A bunch of us were doing physical training. One day, while training, we were told that Farhan sir wanted to meet us. We were looking for him till we realised that he was there in the circle, among us, and we didn’t even know. He was always like one of the boys — simple and kind.”
Siwach credits Akhtar for creating unity on set. “Farhan sir was on set before time and attended shoots even on his days off. From giving cues during night shifts to [help] portray emotions correctly, from [accompanying us] for 3am shifts to protecting us in the cold terrain, he did it all. He is very intuitive.”
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