Nikhil Dwivedi’s 1971 to focus on Indira Gandhi and Sam Manekshaw’s role in war

Actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi has announced the upcoming production 1971, which is based on the major conflict between India and Pakistan that occurred during that fateful year.

As per a statement, the film will revolve around the Liberation of Dacca (Dhaka).

The makers have also said that Dwivedi’s film will have a fresh take on the subject and that the film will unfold on a gigantic scale. 

“India has never seen a real war film. We plan to show the event as is, right from a historian's textbook to celluloid. My attempt would be to make it as real and authentic as possible, without any jingoism. We want to design it as per international standards,” said Dwivedi in a statement. 

Dwivedi added that the film will specifically focus on India’s then prime minister Indira Gandhi and the then-chief of army staff Sam Manekshaw’s role in the war. “The film will show [that] both of them worked in complete sync to lead India to one of the most emphatic victories in a post-modern world. It was as much as a political and diplomatic war as much as it was fought by the armed forces,” he added. 

The casting of the film is currently underway and an announcement on the same will be made shortly. The war drama is expected to go on floors soon. 

In 2007, Amrit Sagar had made a film titled 1971, which starred Manoj Bajpayee, Piyush Mishra, Ravi Kishan and Manav Kaul. It was a story of Indian prisoners of war after the war. 

Apart from 1971, Dwivedi is also producing a trilogy titled Nagin that will see Shraddha Kapoor play the titular role.