'Major' is not just a film for actor Adivi Sesh who played 26/11 martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. It's an emotion for him. Major Sandeep sacrificed his life, fighting terrorists at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hote during the 2008, 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Some films are not just films for actors. 'Major' is one such movie. It was released in 2022, still, it's etched in our memories. The film is based on the life and times of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who sacrificed his life, fighting terrorists at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the 2008, 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Actor Adivi Desh played the titular character. Prakash Raj and Revathy played his on-screen parents. For Sesh, 'Major' is not just a film for him, it's an emotion.
Recently, Adivi spoke to Outlook India where he opened up about 'Major', writing and acting in it, his bond with Sandeep's parents and a lot more.
Adivi said, ''It's the kind of film that you start measuring your filmography before this and after this. The reason it became so important is because I don't think I have ever done a film that is so honest. It's not about the film, it's about the approach. The way uncle and amma (Major Sandeep's parents) accepted us and let us into their lives and for is not corporatise was very important. So, I think it essentially made me a better person.''
When asked if it was difficult to write and act at the same time, Advi said, ''If Revathy garu had a question, I had to go and answer in my uniform. Fortunately, when I write, I don't think about myself as an actor. I was able to segregate it emotionally in my mind but it definitely was double duty.''
He added, ''But what was interesting was all the other actors, technicians and directors asked me certain questions about the script. That made me understand Sandeep sir's psyche a bit more because they were asking me questions that I wouldn't have thought of. Consequently, because of that, I was able to give a better performance than I would have before.''
Adivi also said that they wanted 'Major' to be patriotic and not jingoistic. ''We were not making it a documentary, we wanted it to be entertaining. It was important for us that the basic cinematic nature should be there. We kept it very measured. We wanted the film to be patriotic but not jingoistic. The movie is entirely based on Sandeep sir's personality. He was not the kind of person who would think that India is better than some other country. He will think 'How do I make India better'? That featured in marketing as well and if you see there are no big dialogues against other countries in our film,'' he said.
The 'Hit' actor also revealed that he often turns emotional. He said, ''In 2018, I met uncle and amma. There have been so many moments where I got emotional. In 2018, I went to the Taj Hotel with them for the first time. I have five years of memories where I am going to different memorials and events, it felt like a life.''
Sesh further said, ''Today I can tell you that I turned emotional not only just during the making of the film, I turn emotional often. I made a promise to myself that this film will stay with me forever. It's not that we have made a film and we won't be talking to Sandeep sir's parents. I want to buy a second home in Bangalore so that I can visit them more often.''
Adivi called 2022, one of the best years of his career. ''There were two big successes- Hit and Major. After that, I sat at home for one year because I didn't know what I should do or how to approach it. I always wanted that my next project should be better than my previous work and it should do justice. I said no to so many films because of the precise reason for what I said. When you do something good, you always feel how to improve and find a new facet of yourself to give to the audience,'' he concluded.