Although director Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur did not achieve the success it deserved at the box office, partly due to stiff competition from director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s controversial Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal, the biographical war drama resonated with audiences and many praised Vicky Kaushal for his exceptional portrayal of Sam Manekshaw, India’s first Field Marshal.
Vicky, who still regards Sam Manekshaw as the most challenging role he has played thus far, recently shared an incident where he received a message from the late Army chief’s daughter after she watched the song “Tauba Tauba” from his latest outing Bad Newz.
“There’s a thing about playing an army officer and then there’s a thing about playing an army officer that the Army considers a legend. It’s a huge responsibility. I grew up hearing stories about him from my parents since both my mom and dad were in Punjab when 1971 (India-Pakistan) war broke out. They used to tell me how they would study in a dark room and hide out in the storeroom and how they waited for Sam sir’s instructions to come through the radio and all that. Growing up hearing stories about such a hero and then getting the opportunity to play him (on screen), it felt like such a huge responsibility. That was really nerve-wracking for me, but I was very happy and lucky to have been in the capable hands of Meghna Gulzar,” he said during a recent chat with Bollywood Hungama, adding that the director is extremely meticulous and hard-working.
“The other day, Maya, one of Sam Manekshaw’s daughters, messaged me after seeing ‘Tauba Tauba’. She was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ and I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ She replied, ‘Five months ago you made me believe you’re my father; you can’t be doing this now.’ I mean, it’s my job,” he said, laughing, “but it felt like the biggest compliment for me.”
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