“BUNKER, India’s First Anti War film all set to hit the silver screens on 17th Jan”
Ambar Bhattacharya, abptakmaa, 15th Jan 2020 : Every soldier has a story to tell but he has to restrain his feelings and emotions. The soon to be released and India’s first Anti-War movie Bunker, is aimed to bring the stories of million soldiers to the masses. Director Jugal Raja’s Bunkertells one such story of Lieutenant Vikram Singh (Played by actor Abhijeet Singh) as lone survivor with a fatal injury in a secret Bunker at the LOC in Poonch, Jammu, which has been hit by a mortar shell during a ceasefire violation. The film has been showcased in numerous film festivals and was widely applauded for creating awareness on mental health issues amongst armed forces and their families. In a philanthropic move, the makers of the film have announced 100% of the profits being donated toBharat Ke Veer and Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) as homage to our armed forces. Movie is all set to release on 17th Jan 2020.
Writer – Director Jugal Raja shared, “Rajnikant and Mani Ratnam have been my biggest influences in choosing a career in Bollywood. Bunker is my tribute to the iconic movie Roza. With Bunker, I have tried to make an “Anti-War” movie which is relevant in today’s age of unrest all over the world”. He further added, “The movie brings out the emotional quotient of an Army Soldiers life. It draws instances from lives of several army officers and depicts a biography of millions of souls serving our country.”
Bunker was selected for popular International film festivals like Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival (Italy) and First Time Filmmaker Sessions (London). It was also selected from several prominent Indian film festivals like Jagran Film Festival (Mumbai), Crown Wood International Film Festival (Kolkata), Diorama International Film Festival (Delhi), Jaipur International Film Festival and many more. The film was well received and got critical acclaim for the actors and the director. Director Jugal Raja won Best Emerging Director at the recently concluded Ayodhya Film Festival (Uttar Pradesh).
95% of the movie was shot in a 12 by 8 feet Bunker in a record 5 days! The Bunker, here is used as a metaphor for a soldiers mind which is always at conflict with the thought of having to stay away from family and duty towards the country, and it will definitely give you a feel of patriotism. 96% of the soldiers feel discussing mental health or accepting any mental health problems holds a big stigma. There are approximately 1.4 million soldiers in India and 100 soldiers have committed suicide every year since 2003. The film brings up important issues like Mental Health, Inter-Personal Relationships between Army families and how a soldier and his family pays the ultimate price for cross border tensions.
Lead Actor Abhijeet Singh shared, “I underwent a strict regime while prepping for the movie where I had prosthetics on my face for nearly 18-20 hours a day. The entire movie experience has been a difficult & a transitional journey for me. The character of Vikram Singh is like every other soldier whom one can relate, making it human and organic”. He also had his déjà vu moment when the news came out of the incident that took place with WgCdr Abhinandan whose aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight and held captive in Pakistan for 60 hours. Speaking about his déjà vu experience, Abhijeet Singh shares, “Bunker was shot in 2018, nearly 3 months before the fateful incident of WgCdr Abhinandan. When I first saw WgCdr Abhinandan’s images surface the internet, it was like looking in a mirror. I could relate to the situation of captivity, my entire look and the feel of the movie”
National Award Winning singer Rekha Bhardwaj has also lent her voice for a heartfelt rendition, a peace anthem “Lautke Ghar Jaana Hai”, which is an integral part of the narrative.
Presented by Wagging Tail Entertainment, Produced by Falcon Pictures Production, and a Vkaao Nationwide release, Bunker – Written and Directed by Jugal Raja, starring Abhijeet Singh and Arindita Kalita in the lead roles, will be releasing on 17th Jan 2020.
Link of the movie trailer below. Publicity : Ashwini Publicty
