VISAKHAPATNAM: “He was trapped in the Taj hotel for two days during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack in 2008. And when Sandeep Unnikrishnan entered the hotel room to save him, he felt Lord Maha Vishnu came to save him from terrorists,” recalled Adivi Sesh the words of a Telugu hostage who escaped from the attack. He was in San Francisco at that time. Like the rest of the world, he learned about Major Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guard (NSG) commando, who was martyred in action, through news reports.
Sesh felt it as a personal loss to him. Driven by curiosity, he has started reading about Sandeep. The more he read about the person who saved hundreds of lives, the more he got connected to him. He has started saving newspaper cuttings of Sandeep because for him the NSG commando is a hero. He thought he knew a lot about Sandeep until he met his parents. After knowing more about Sandeep, Sesh decided to do a movie on his life.
Though a lot of people from Bollywood and Mollywood approached Sandeep’s parents to make a film on his life, only Sesh was able to receive their nod. It was only because of the passion and resemblance to Sandeep that his parents saw in Sesh. Major is jointly produced by Mahesh Babu, Sony Pictures India and A+S Movies. Producer Anurag has introduced Sesh to Namrata and Mahesh Babu and got an instant nod from the star couple to produce the film.
“There’s another life to every soldier other than his national duties. So did Sandeep. He was just like any of us. He loved parents’ company, liked skipping school and enjoyed eating ice cream. The 26/11 attack is just a part of his life. There are a lot of things that define Sandeep’s life and Major is an attempt to depict all of them,” Sesh said.
As Major is scheduled for worldwide release on June 3, the makers have decided to conduct previews of the movie in 10 cities across the country. As part of it, the film cast and crew held a press meeting in Vizag on Sunday, followed by a premiere show for 800 people at Sangam Sarat Theatre.
A former commando and his wife, who were present at the premiere of Major in Pune, became emotional and felt very happy after seeing the true story of Sandeep. “All the films I acted are to entertain the public and make industry hits. But, through Major, I want the whole nation to know the story of a brave soul,” said Sesh.
Major is a dream project for Sesh, who was born in Hyderabad and raised in Berkeley, California. He made his film debut as a lead actor and director with Karma in 2010. Besides playing the lead role, he has written the script. Major is directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka.