International director Rotem Shamir to helm film on Indians rescued from Afghanistan

Last September, producers Ajay Kapoor and Subhash Kale announced a film on the Afghan crisis titled Garud.

The film is based on the evacuation of Indians from war-torn Afghanistan after the Taliban recaptured the country following the withdrawal of United States troops from the West Asian region.

The makers have now announced that the film will be directed by the international filmmaker Rotem Shamir. Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh broke the news on Twitter on 27 May.

Shamir is known for directing shows like Faruda and Live In The Sand.

Kapoor has produced quite a few films with nationalistic sentiments such as Baby (2015), Sarbjit (2016), Airlift (2016), Parmanu (2018), Romeo Akbar Walter (2019) and Attack: Part 1 (2022).

Shamir told the magazine Variety that while Garud is focused on the Indian aspect of the story, it has universal appeal that promises to connect with people all across. "I have been fascinated with the content from the Indian entertainment industry for a long time; hence when Ajay Kapoor brought this film to me, I knew I had to take it. Especially looking forward to working with Ajay Kapoor, who has been associated with so many varied films, I am really excited for the long term association with him," he said.

The report said that Garud will be a fictionalized depiction of a real rescue mission in Afghanistan by a police officer and his team. The film will have music by Ravi Basrur, who made a name for himself recently with his songs in KGF: Chapter 2 (2022).

Kapoor told the publication that he and Shamir would be teaming up for more projects. "Garud is a huge project for me, I’m emotionally driven to the film and want to give it the best treatment possible. Rotem Shamir is a renowned filmmaker and has a great experience in the sensibilities that we are looking at for Garud. Rotem and I are planning various projects together as a team. Being from Israel and having made a show about the conditions of hostages, the understanding and vision he possesses will definitely help us. We wanted someone to grasp the emotional quotient as well as cater to the international sensibilities as the subject has universal appeal.

Interestingly, Kapoor's Airlift has a similar subject as it is about Indians getting rescued from war-torn Iraq in the early 1990s.