Rohit Bose Roy has reprised the role of defence personnel in many a film and series in his 26 years of career. But essaying Captain Nawaz Jahangir in the just-released short film Verses of War has been fulfilling for this actor. In the 40-minute Republic Day short film, Verses of War, Rohit plays a strict Pakistani army officer. “The captain is a harsh and angry officer. While you will find him to be like any defence officer going to any extent to protect the borders of his country, there is also a humane side of him which makes him endearing,” says Rohit.
It was the character, the script and the director that drew him to the project. “When I read the script, I read it as a director. I found the character to be very well-layered. I knew there were a few dark shades and people will want to hate him but then his journey and his experience will make one end up falling in love with him,” he tells us. The 53-year-old adds, “In my previous projects like Paltan and LOC Kargil, I have played good and wholesome army officers but here, I got the opportunity to build the character from the scratch and work on the nuances as well”.
As Captain Nawaz Jahangir, Rohit sports a leaner and chiselled look. He says that he wanted two different looks for the Pakistani officer, and director Prasad Kadam worked out his vision in the limited time frame, quite brilliantly. “I am happy the way my look has come through. I wanted the timelapse to be visually represented through my look,” says Rohit who will be seen next in Forensic starring Vikrant Massey and Radhika Apte. Verses of War also stars Vivek Anand Oberoi who plays Major Sunil Bhatia from the Indian Army. Vivek and Rohit last shared the screen in Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) and talking about their reunion, Rohit says, “It was a big party for 40 days. When Vivek came on board I was the happiest because I knew I had a superb co-actor. Since our last film together, we both have matured a lot as actors and the audience will see a very different Vivek and Rohit for sure.”