Even though it has seen a series of A-list stars make a departure, JP Dutta's Paltan seems to be shaping up promisingly. After the maker unveiled the reel army men — Jackie Shroff, Gurmeet Choudhary, Arjun Rampal and Luv Sinha — on social media yesterday, mid-day has learnt that Dutta met the real-life heroes to learn of their struggles.

To lend authenticity to his actioner, based on the 1967 Indo-China military clashes, which saw India emerge victorious, Dutta met families of officials associated with the operation. A source says, "He [Dutta] met the family of Captain Prithvi Singh Dagar. Dagar was the officer in charge of the party laying a wire fence at Nathu La to demarcate the boundary between the two countries. This was being done at the South shoulder of Nathu La. He also met Attar Singh who was the 2/Lt then. Singh narrated the events in detail."