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Sanjay Dutt and Nargis Fakiri starrer ‘Torbaaz’ has managed to strike a chord with the movie buffs. The heartwarming story of Afghani children, who are the tragic victims of terrorism, has left the OTT audience mighty impressed. The makers of the action thriller are elated with the response the film has garnered. Although, ‘Torbaaz’ has completed a month of release on Netflix, it is still trending in many countries.
In an exclusive interview with ABP News, producer Puneet Singh and director Girish Malik opened up on working with Sanjay Dutt, getting a positive response, shooting in Kyrgyzstan and a lot more.
Excerpts from the interview
Torbaaz has received a good response from the audience on Netflix. The hard work has paid off, right?
The movie was conceived with a vision of addressing the global problem of Terrorism through the lens of reform and to receive such a response worldwide has been extremely encouraging. While Torbaaz received an excellent audience response in India, but to receive overwhelming responses globally from countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh invigorate the fact that fighting terrorism through reforms resonates with the global audience.
While we anticipate a good global response, however being number 1 movie in multiple countries and trending among the top 10 movies globally was extremely overwhelming, emotional, and heart- warming. We were moved by the touching messages and reactions the movie received from audiences worldwide on social media and through other channels. We as Directors and Producers, are extremely pleased to receive this generosity of good wishes – and thank immensely our lovely audiences, critics, and media that helped Torbaaz reach a global milestone and achieve worldwide recognition.
What inspired you to make a film which is set against the backdrop of Afghanistan?
Puneet Singh: It was sometime when we were sitting with few cricketers – one line about Terrorism and Sports came from Rameez Raja, former captain of Pakistan cricket team. That is how it started, and we ideated on the ingredients of the hot topics of terrorism and sports. We decided to come up with an impactful human story that revolves around -Terrorism, Children, and Cricket, connecting people on a global level. It was fantastic how Girish Ji, worked on this idea in just two weeks’ time – with all his in-depth research on the lives of Afghani came up with the treatment note and we decided to go ahead and make Torbaaz.
Girish Malik: Being a curious student of international relations, I am always fascinated to learn what’s happening around the world and Afghanistan has always been in my mind. Afghanistan has seen nothing but destruction for over four decades and all we have heard is gloom-ridden, pessimistic things about the country. Honestly, terrorism is not just about Afghanistan, it’s a global problem. I desired to bring a film that talks about Afghanistan in a positive light; a story that brings hope to Afghanistan and the world in general. The idea was conceived with a background of a human story of suffering and how we can bring solutions to the problem. We know we cannot restore the losses, but we can make a change and introduce solutions. I am glad that the message of Hope was well understood and well-received.
What was it like working with Sanjay Dutt?
Puneet Singh: It was amazing to work with such a great actor like Sanjay Dutt, who is a very fine and down to earth human being, . I have never seen anyone like him who has this amazing photogenic memory which is truly a God’s gift to him, who does not need to read the script at all – with just a glance at the script he is on the set giving his best performance. He is such a natural when it comes to acting, I would love to work with him again.
Girish Malik: I had a fantastic experience while working with Sanjay Dutt, it was so easy to direct him. He
has this amazing balance of being informal and at the same time a star quality that takes over the silver screen. He was a natural when it came to bonding with the children, which you can see in the film. I can say he is perfect- I cannot visualize anybody else in this role- but him!
How was your shooting experience in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan?
Puneet Singh: Although the movie is set against the backdrop of Afghanistan, we never really shot there. Most of the shooting was in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The people were very friendly and warm, which helped us in making this shooting experience a pleasant one, and thanks to them we could overcome all challenges. However, the weather conditions were extreme. We had to shoot under harsh conditions wherein the temperature dropped to -20 degrees Celsius in our first schedule.
The second schedule was equally tough. The erratic weather condition where the temperature would drop from plus 24 degrees to zero degrees in a matter of two hours, wind speed of 200 miles/hour, sudden dirt storms, etc made it enormously difficult for the shoot. However, the beautiful landscape, completely covered with snow and ice, unexplored locations, demography similar to many regions of Afghanistan inspired us to shoot there.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
Clapstem Entertainment, as a production company, focuses on producing new age and quality content that has a universal appeal, in form of Feature Films, Web series, and other mediums. Our upcoming project, Band of Maharajas, is a musical extravaganza with an ensemble of various musicians. It is not only their journey but also a celebration of the cultures of different nations.
The film marks the complete blend of Sufi, Pashto, traditional Punjabi, and World music as its background. Propagating the message of Love and harmony, the Band of Maharajas conveys how music brings people and nations together, irrespective of the land it is originating from. The film depicts a deep philosophy of life through this passion for music.
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