Adivi Sesh pays tribute to 26/11 hero Sandeep Unnikrishnan

The first look of Adivi Sesh in the film Major, based on the life of National Security Guard (NSG) commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attack, was released yesterday.

Marking the death anniversary of the major, 27 November, the team of Major also released a video message as a tribute to the hero.

In the video, the actor recalled the first time he had seen Major Sandeep. "It was in 2008 when I saw his photograph splashed across news channels. I didn't know what to make of it. I kept wondering, 'who is this man?'" he said.

Adivi Sesh also revealed an interesting story behind the iconic photo. "I later found out from his parents that he was simply trying not to smile when he took the passport picture. So the lips were hiding his smile, but that madness in spirit was shining through his eyes and I think that's what captivated me and captivated most of India. I think that picture is very iconic. That is why they make so many paintings of that photo," he said.

In the video, the actor talked about their struggle to convince Sandeep's parents about the project. "When I first called Uncle, Mr Unnikrishnan, Major Sandeep's father, he was very cynical. Since they didn't believe me, we all kept meeting Uncle and Aunty. I think after the fourth or fifth time, they started to trust me a little and I imagined this moment after the fourth meeting, Uncle looked me in the eye with a lot of sincerity and said, 'I believe you want to make a movie about my son's life 10%' (sic)".

Directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, the bilingual film starring Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala and Saiee Manjrekar will be released in Hindi and Telugu. Produced by Sony Pictures Films India in association with Mahesh Babu's GMB Entertainment and A+S Movies, Major is slated to be released next year.