Uri Director Aditya Dhar: Casting Vicky Kaushal As A Solo Hero Was A Risk

In a recent interview, filmmaker Aditya Dhar talked about casting actor Vicky Kaushal in the film. “Casting Vicky Kaushal as one solo hero was a risk in itself. We made the movie with the kind of budget that would be reasonable for one movie with Vicky Kaushal in the lead”, he said

For Aditya Dhar, Uri: The Surgical Strike was one Godsent,

He explained that Dhairya who had starred as a Sikh soldier hadn’t been a Sikh, however, he had practiced and made effort to portray this character well and he even had spent 2 weeks in one Gurudwara. Besides, Aditya Dhar also showed his appreciation to Ronnie Screwvala for providing freedom as well as the facilities for them.

Aditya Dhar admitted that he is exhausted after spending 2 years directing the movie but he has also learned a lot of things from making it.

Ironically, Aditya Dhar got the opportunity to make one war movie in Kashmir in a roundabout way. He said that he had been invited by Vishal Bhardwaj to do a movie based upon the Ruskin Bond’s short story but it hadn’t come true. He continued that he then had been busy preparing for his debut film that starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and actress Katrina Kaif and produced by Karan Johar when an unofficial prohibition against working with Pakistani actors happened.

Sharing about how himself and his team made attempt to control the budgets, Aditya Dhar said that they had shot all outdoor scenes in Serbia but determined to do just a take for each shot and they had stuck to their plan to the end. He further added,

When asked about why they chose Serbia to shoot the film, the director explained,

He added that Serbia was meant to be made the film because the pictures of those places in Kashmir had been very similar to Serbia’s and his team could get all the battle-related artillery in Serbia.

Aditya Dhar ensured that he never wanted to fall into the trap of propagating blatant jingoism. According to Dhar, he was eager to show the reason why the strike was vital. He added that he had desired to channelize the soldiers’ inner anger and resentment when their buddy soldiers, who became an important part of their life, died in the battle. The director showed his satisfaction when people told him they connected with the sentiment of the movie.

Uri: The Surgical Strike is based on the surgical strike carried out by the Indian army on Pakistan in 2016 after Uri Base Camp in Kashmir and Jammu was attacked. It also stars Paresh Rawal and Yami Gautam. The movie is a defining moment in the military history of India, which paved the way for a new and stronger India. It is screening in the theatres now.