Salute to filmi army men

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Lean body clad in uniform, stern expressions and a fighting spirit is alluring for most women and for that matter, even men. A memorable scene from blockbuster, Rang De Basanti has Sharman Joshi aka Sukhi telling Indian Air Force pilot, R. Madhavan (Ajay Singh Rathod), “Wardi walon pe toh ladkiyan jaan chidakti hain (girls are mad about uniformed men).”
Men in armed forces have managed to capture the imagination of Bollywood filmmakers over the years. And of late many A-listers like Farhan Akhtar, John Abraham, Arjun Rampal and Shah Rukh Khan have been cast in the role of armed forces personnel and intelligence officers in films like Madras Café, D-Day, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
“Most male actors dream of acting as military men. The suaveness, swagger and the focus on masculinity earn them brownie points. A certain element of patriotism adds a further appeal,” says actor Arjun Mathur, who was seen playing an army officer for an Airtel television commercial. For decades, the charm of uniformed men has lured cinegoers. Be it Shashi Kapoor in Sharmilee, Amitabh Bachhan in Major Saab, Hrithik in Lakshya or Shah Rukh in Veer Zara and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the on-screen armymen have been etched in our mind.
“Military men and intelligence officers get to mouth some of the best dialogues on screen that stays etched in public memory. While good physique is an essential for such a role, it can be attained through exercising and diet control by most actors,” says Honey Trehan, a casting director. It is not a mere coincidence then that most present-day actors have portrayed the role of armed forces personnel, some even more than once.
“If I have to think about the perfect portrayal of an army man, I can’t think beyond Kay Kay Menon’s portrayal of Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh in the film Shaurya. It was so powerful and apt. The roles of military men have been a part of not just war-films but even commercial dramas. Audiences always find such characters heroic and their valour strikes a positive chord,” gushes story and scriptwriter Sanjay Chauhan. The etching of Paan Singh Tomar, a character that turns into a dacoit from an army man, is something Chauhan will not forget.
While the lure of playing armed forces personnel is tremendous, actor Vidyut Jamwal feels such roles demand lot of research and physical labour. “Inspite of being trained in martial arts, I had to do a lot of hardwork to fit into the role of a commando in my last film,” he says.