The film is based on the Nathu La military clashes of September 1967, in which the Indian armed forces gave the Chinese army a bloody nose to ward off their infiltration bid on Sikkim border.
“Ek baat ka vada hai sir, hamari paltan itihas rachegi,” thunders Major Bishan Singh of the 2 Grenadiers, played by Sonu Sood, at the end of the official trailer of Paltan. The movie is the third instalment of JP Dutta’s war trilogy.
The film is based on the Nathu La military clashes of September 1967, in which the Indian armed forces gave the Chinese army a bloody nose to ward off their infiltration bid on Sikkim border.
Sitting in his aesthetically decorated drawing room at his Ambabari house, the real hero of that famous battle, Col (Rtd) Bishan Singh wonders why this bravery of the Indian soldiers took so long to be highlighted. “After the debacle of 1962, it was the first time that India gave a befitting reply to the Chinese, which boosted the morale of our soldiers,” he says.
Now, devoting much of his time to writing, after retirement, Singh got a call from JP Dutta. The call was received by his wife, Jatan Kanwar, whose role is being essayed by Sonal Chouhan in Paltan. Kanwar could not place him and Dutta had to explain that he was the filmmaker who has made films like Border and LOC: Kargil and he wanted to talk to Singh about Nath La clashes.
As ‘Tiger of Nath La’ (the company commander), Singh not only played a major part in the assault on the Chinese but was also witness to the bravery of the Indian soldiers in most unfavourable conditions.
So Dutta found the most authentic person to narrate the story. Singh says, “One Col Bhatt was writing about the Nath La, he must have given my name to Dutta.”
Then the film maker paid several visits to Jaipur and discussed the entire episode in detail.
Singh, who has authored a book, prepared a complete military-like brief of the battle. What started as a small skirmish turned into a full-fledged battle that shattered the myth of the Chinese invincibility especially after the 1962 war, says Singh. In the inclement weather conditions and disadvantageous position, the Indian soldiers launched a counter offensive, which has become a historic military epic, Singh said.
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