Vicky Kaushal to play lead in film about Indian surgical strike

Image Courtesy: IANS

Mumbai: The story of India's surgical strike on terrorist hubs in Pakistan is being made into a Bollywood film produced by Ronnie Screwvala. Actor Vicky Kaushal plays the lead role in the movie titled "Uri".

RSVP, Screwvala's creative movie company, made the announcement on Tuesday.

"Today we are a confident, aggressive and new age India - standing up for itself in every way and on the world stage. With this one single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics forever and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, 'Uri' is the incredible story of Indians coming together," Screwvala said.

He said the movie was a "great mix" of being a story that must be told and a story they want to tell.

Terrorists from Pakistan attacked a military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, 2016, leaving 19 Indian soldiers dead. Eleven days later, the Indian Army retaliated with a surgical strike, heightening India-Pakistan tensions.

The project will have an ensemble cast and is being directed by Aditya Dhar.

Dhar said: "This is the story of what happened in those 11 days... It's an honour and very reassuring to be backed by Ronnie Screwvala and to execute on this vision and what we believe is an engaging and thrilling story inspired by this true life incident."

"Uri" will go on floor in early 2018 and will release in September 2018, two years after the surgical strike.

Vicky plays the "lead commander in chief who led this operation and led the paratroopers post the Uri attack", read a statement issued on behalf of the actor.

"Humbled by this opportunity... Super excited," Vicky tweeted on Tuesday.

He said: "When this film came to me, I was really thrilled because this is one story I feel everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic Army operations the Indian Army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story."

Vicky will undergo some para-military training for a month to bulk up some kilos before starting the shoot. The "Masaan" actor said the role could be his toughest.

This marks the second collaboration between RSVP and Vicky. The banner's first production, "Love Per Square Foot", too has Vicky in the lead and is set for a release in April next year. 

As of now, Vicky is busy with "Raazi", in which he is paired with Alia Bhatt.