Sonali Bendre noted that many initially wrote off the cult-classic film ‘Sarfarosh’ as a “documentary” because of its grounded, realistic approach to cross-border terrorism. Even the cast and crew occasionally felt this way during filming, before the addition of music and character dynamics.
Bendre revealed that during initial screenings and early development, people dismissed the thriller because it lacked the typical Bollywood clichés.
Because director John Matthew Matthan had an extensive background in ad filmmaking, the gritty, realistic take on state-sponsored terrorism made the team wonder if they were making a documentary.
Once the film released and became a commercial success, her own contributions were frequently reduced to being just the “comic relief”.
Released in 1999, it was one of the very first mainstream Hindi films to directly call out the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and name Pakistan, rather than using vague terms for the “neighboring country”.
Notedly, the gritty investigative film featuring Aamir Khan and Naseeruddin Shah tpook seven years to research and produce. It eventually won the National Film Award for Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
News Edit KV Raman
