Filmmaker Sashi Kiran Tikka’s upcoming film Major is about the life and bravery of the late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. It stars Adivi Sesh and Saiee Manjrekar and will release on June 3. The Free Press Journal recently spoke to Sashi in an exclusive telephonic interaction.
When asked how he decided to write Major, Sashi shares, “It went into a different emotional space. I was not sure of doing this film. It’s Shesh’s story that he always wanted to do. I met uncle and auntie (the late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s parents). I saw a different side of them. Sandhya, his cousin, lives with them now in Bengaluru. The interaction with them connected me strongly, and I felt this story needs to be told. It’s then I told Shesh this is my story, now I’m telling the story.”
Major marks the second association of Sashi and Adivi. “This is my second film with Sesh. Our earlier film, Goodachari, was a blockbuster hit. It fared very well at the box office, and it was also critically acclaimed. For the past three years, we have been working on Major,” he says.
When Major was announced, it was always meant to be a theatrical release. Despite the delay due to the pandemic situation, it will finally hit screens. “The film is set to release on June 3. Yes, it’s a theatrical release. It was a joint decision as Major was always intended to be a theatrical release. Our orientation since the inception of the project has always been with a theatrical release in mind. We designed the film in such a way that it should be a theatrical experience,” he avers.
Major will showcase various aspects of the late martyr’s life. “Basically, a few slices of life will be shown. We have shown a bit of his childhood, teenage, training in the National Defence Academy, services in the seventh Battalion of the Bihar Regiment and training in National Security Guards (NSG). He was 31 years old, so in a two and a half-hour film, we have squeezed the cream of his life. We still have a lot of content,” he reveals.
Talking about the romantic aspect of the film and the girlfriend angle, Sashi shares, “Actually, it’s based on a true story but not exactly how it happened. We kind of generalised it. It’s a story of a person, so we didn’t elaborate on the relationship part a lot. But it does address what happened, so it has a bit of romance as well.”
Unlike the Hindi film Shershaah, the name of Sandeep’s girlfriend won’t be disclosed by the makers of Major. “Yes, we won’t. Everybody has their own story. Sandeep sir’s story didn’t happen in that way. It’s a little different,” he concludes.
South Indian films like RRR and Pushpa: The Rise have been enormously successful across India. However, Sashi feels no pressure. “I am not pressured at all. I don’t think taking pressure will take you anywhere. Do your job and then give out the movie that’s my view, and the audiences will decide once it is thrown open to them,” he signs off.
