Sam Manekshaw, often called Sam The Brave, was India's first army officer to be appointed as the Field Marshal. He was promoted to this seniormost military rank for serving as the Chief of Army Staff during the Indo-Pak War in 1971.
Born in Amritsar to a Parsi family, Sam joined the Indian Army as an act of rebellion after his father refused to send him to London to study medicine. He applied to the Indian Military College and was amongst the 15 cadets to get selected based on the exam conducted by the Public Service Commission and played an integral role in World War II, the Sino-Indian War, the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 and the Bangladesh Liberation War.
He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Military Cross for his historic military achievements. Other than this, he is also known for his service in the Gorkha Rifles after the partition of India in 1947. He was therefore welcomed as an honorary general of the Nepal army in 1972.
Bringing all of Sam Manekshaw’s military laurels to theatres near you, Vicky Kaushal is set to play the real-life steely-eyed and resilient officer in Meghna Gulzar’s biographical war drama.
Titled Sam Bahadur, the film stars Vicky Kaushal in the lead role with Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra and RRR actor Edward Sonnenblick. The trailer of the film was unveiled last night and during a press conference, Vicky spoke about stepping into Sam Manekshaw’s shoes to do justice to his role in the Indian Army.
“We have given it our all. With every minute detail, whether it’s a ribbon or a medal, I don’t think there’s any mistake at all. I used to meet the Indian Army and they were very encouraging and used to say that we are so happy that you’re doing this film,” he said.
Sam Bahadur is set to release in cinemas near you on December 1.