South Indian star Varun Tej will lead the cast in a patriotic air force action thriller backed by Sony Pictures International Productions. The untitled image will start shooting from November.
Tej, known locally as “Mega Prince”, has his roots in the regional Telugu language film industry and rose to prominence with the “Kanche” directed by Krish in 2015. With the new image, he will make his debut in a film in Hindi, the default language of Bollywood. The production will take place in Hindi and Telugu versions.
Co-produced by SPIP and Renaissance Pictures, the film will be directed by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada – a seasoned commercials director, cinematographer and VFX enthusiast who will make his directorial debut with this film. Written by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada, Aamir Khan and Siddharth Raj Kumar, the film will be shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. A theatrical release is scheduled for 2023.
SPIP calls the project “a patriotic artist, on the edge of the siege [that] will showcase the indomitable spirits of our frontline heroes and the challenges they face as they fight off one of the largest and fiercest air attacks India has ever seen.
Tej also riffed on the patriotic elements. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to play the role of an Indian Air Force officer and celebrate his bravery on the big screen. “We [will] strive to make a film that we hope will be a perfect tribute to the Indian Air Force,” he said in a statement. “The script for this film is a challenge to get out of my roles As an (IAF) officer, my character has layers that will be interesting for me to showcase, I’m going to undergo immense training and I’m excited to see how the public will react to this one.
Sony Pictures International Productions, co-led by Shebnem Askin and Michael Rifkin, is the local language production arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group which releases more than 30 films a year in 12 territories around the world.
The studio says the story is based on true events, but it doesn’t identify which ones. India has fought three wars with its neighbor Pakistan and regularly clashes with China over issues of regional influence in the Himalayas. In both cases, sections of India’s borders are ill-defined.
Patriotism and war action movies are currently popular all over the world. “Top Gun Maverick” is the highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing film ever made by Paramount. In China, “Battle at Lake Changjin” and its sequel “Water Gate Bridge” grossed $1.5 billion. And currently out in Malaysia, “Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa” is performing very well.