Ashutosh Gowariker tipped to make period film on Polish refugees

There was some controversy in India when Christopher Nolan’s film Dunkirk (2017) was released recently. Some criticized the director for ignoring the contribution of Indian soldiers during the evacuation of British forces from the French beach resort during World War II.

Indian fans could, however, soon have their own tale of heroics during the war in Europe. According to a report in the DNA newspaper, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker's banner is said to have acquired from a royal family the rights to tell the tale of a rescue during World War II.

The film is said to be based on the heroics of a maharaja who set up a home away from home for Polish orphans at his palace in Jamnagar, Gujarat, helping to save 640 children during the war. Gowariker is also said to have got permission from five of the survivors who are now based in Poland.

Gowariker's last release was Mohenjo Daro, a fictional film set in 2016 BCE. The film was a colossal flop with Disney India suffering huge losses. Disney had reportedly bought the film for around Rs150 crore, but its total box-office collection in India was a paltry Rs53.66 crore nett, as per BoxOfficeIndia.com. Its worldwide gross was Rs104 crore.