GUWAHATI: A 32-minute long short film, Victor One, with a strong anti-war message, made in the backdrop of the rising threat from biological weapons will be released on OTT platform Disney Plus Hotstar within the next two months, its producer said on Sunday.
Produced by Shaktee Singh, Lalit Vashista and Saurabh Arora, the film revolves around an Indian Air Force Group Captain, who is stationed at Tezpur base in Assam, and a distraught microbiologist trying to develop the antidote to bioweapons.
"World history shows how superpowers used biological warfare to destroy smaller and weaker countries. Hitler tried to develop bioweapons during WW-II, while Japan applied them on China," Singh said.
Singh, who played the role of the protagonist Group Captain Ashok Verma, also gave an example of the US-Vietnam war during which the Western superpower created artificial chemical rain, and used this on people of the Asian nation.
"These examples have been mentioned in the film and we tried to send a message that war will lead us to nowhere and the human race will one day become extinct. War driven by power and greed is just of no use to the common man. Peace will never come through this route," Singh said.
The film also stressed China's reported initiatives to develop bioweapons laden with different deadly viruses.
The microbiologist, who was developing the antidote, was admitted to a sanatorium in Assam's Jorhat but was killed by people who were against his research.
Dinpaal Ganguly played the microbiologist's character.
Asked why he chose a soldier to deliver the anti-war message, Singh, the famous voice-over artiste of Bollywood, said that army personnel are never interested in waging a war, but they are driven to wars by the rulers.
"They don't know anyone at the border, but still kill each other. The ones who know the political enemies sit at a safe distance and use the war for their gains," he added.
'Victor One' is now travelling to various festivals and will be released on the OTT platform Disney Plus Hotstar during February-March, Singh said.
The original story of the film is by retired IAF Group Captain Ashok K Chordia, who was once associated with the Tezpur Air Force School. Directed by debutant Shivani Singh, 'Victor One' was screened at official selections of the 13th Indian Film Festival of Ireland 2022, 11th Aarogya Film Festival 2022 and First-Time Sessions Filmmaker 2022.
Shivani Singh and Shaktee Singh also won awards for Best Director and Best Actor respectively at the Global Creative Arts and Film Festival 2022.