A far-flung military post along the border, a life ruffled by the elements and an unlikely bonhomie. Major Ravi takes a respite from high-octane military encounters to explore something as simple and sweet as friendship in his latest. ‘Picket 43’, starring Prithviraj and Javed Jaffrey in the lead, is about two soldiers separated by barbed wire but bound by destiny. “Two soldiers from India and Pakistan are posted to guard an isolated picket. The film portrays their 8-month-long camaraderie,” says the director.
The colours of their flags may be different, but the only human presence Hareendran and Mushraf can find for miles is each other. Completely cutoff from the rest of the world, they have to brave the hostile weather and threats of infiltration. “‘Picket 43’ is a story straight out of my experience while serving in Kargil. There is a picket called Post 43 where Indian and Pak soldiers are stationed at a distance of 20 metres from each other. There is no network that connects them with the world and most of the times the army phone remains out of service,” says the director.
‘Picket 43’ is no hardcore war drama and it’s different from Ravi’s previous outings in terms of theme and treatment. “The film is not about militancy and war, but friendship. It’s about two lonely soldiers and an extraordinary relation that blooms between them. Left with just a dog for his company Hareendran gradually finds a friend in Mushraf and starts sharing his sorrows and happiness with him,” he says. Both are true-blue patriots and are more than willing to die for their respective countries. “They reach an agreement that they will not allow any infiltrator from their countries to cross the picket. But soon there is a militant attack and their story is told against the backdrop of it,” he adds.
Major Ravi says as someone served in the army and seen many attacks and counter attacks, he doesn’t believe in wars. “It’s not the individual who creates the war, the system is responsible. In any war the suffers are soldiers and the public. It’s the country that suffers because of the sudden financial crunch. It takes decades to recover from a war and it’s high time we came out of this vote bank politics,” he says. He adds that fanaticism and secularism are two terms that change meaning based on where you place them. “If two soldiers with guns in her hands can stop being hostile to each other why can’t ordinary people? If two soldiers from India and Pakistan can be friends why can’t the two countries? Enmity doesn’t stem from caste, creed or nationality,” he says.
The film also promises to be a visual fiesta showcasing some stunning scenes of the snow-capped mountains and valleys. Majority of the film has been shot in Shopian, an area with high militant presence. “I decided to shoot it there to get the mood right,” says the director. Along with Prithviraj and Javed two newbies will be making their debut as the lead ladies of ‘Picket 43’. Renji Panicker, Sudheer Karamana, Shobha Mohan, Anu Mohan, Hareesh Peradi, Angana Roy and Anusha complete the key cast. ‘Picket 43’ is expected to hit the screens shortly.