Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s parents are like my parents: Actor Adivi Sesh pays tribute

Actor Adivi Sesh plays Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in the Telugu movie Major. Sandeep, an Indian army commando with the elite National Security Guard, was killed while combating terrorists during the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Major is Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu’s debut film as producer and is directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka.

Adivi Sesh shared an emotional note to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan on the eleventh anniversary of the terrorist attack yesterday. In his post on Twitter titled ‘What does it mean to be a patriot?’, the actor remarked how he found the soldier to be a normal human being quite unlike the stereotypes civilians harbour about soldiers. “Where one expects seriousness, he was full of life and laughter. Where one expects patriotic speeches, he used to simply get things done with a smile,” said Adivi Sesh.

Speaking of how he could play Sandeep, Adivi Sesh said he considers the late soldier’s parents his own. “As I embark on this journey of playing the man himself in our film, Major, I can safely say this: his parents are now like my parents. I try, not without failure, to make his heart my own. To smile like him. To walk like him. I know I can never be him. If only I could capture the essence,” he wrote. 

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, in 2009. Major is set for release next year.