Bravehearts, a five-episode military-based anthology series by Dice Media, touches on the emotional experience of life in the services.
Bravehearts, a five-episode military-based anthology series by Dice Media, touches on the emotional experience of life in the services.
Army based compilation series each episode brave heartsThe streaming on Dice Media’s YouTube channel has garnered over two million views. “The stories were loved by the audience,” says Sankalp Raj Tripathi, creative director of the series, which released in June.
brave hearts Breaks the mold of traditional army-based cinema or series which is essentially war-based. “We want to show people what” [in the services] Consider the stories we don’t usually see on screen. We wanted to show the internal process – the anxiety and struggle of the people. There are plenty of stories about the war, the battlefield has been quite romanticized. These are human stories,” says Sankalp. The themes are about love, loss, despair, victory, joy, and finding oneself.
Naman Jain and Girish Sahdev after the border | photo credit: special arrangement
Five standalone episodes – teacher, shooter jawan, Quick return Captain, after the border, heroic – Touch different aspects of people in the army, and are willing to be part of the army. In teacherUnable to handle that life, the protagonist (played by Shakti Kapoor) is a tailor who leaves the army and now sews uniforms for soldiers. To the dismay of his soldier father, Mochan comes in the form of helping an orphaned youth join the army. Quick Lutna, Captain is about the wife of a martyr who joins the army and Shooter…Tells the story of a rag picker who gets commission.
The resolutions show that what sets the series apart is their resonance. These are not ‘heroes’ who have made the ultimate sacrifice. For example, after the border And Veera Talk about the children of army soldiers. Veera It is about a teenager, Veera (essay by Aadhya Anand) whose father died before she was even born. What she ‘knows’ about her father is through the narrative built around his sacrifice. In a story scene when a journalist asks her about her father’s memories, she says: I don’t have any memories. likewise after the borderThe teenage son of Girish Sahdev (played by Naman Jain), a retired army officer, rejects his father’s attempts to reconnect with him: “Where were you all these years when I needed you?”
Shakti Kapoor | photo credit: special arrangement
Shakti Kapoor as ‘Masterji’
The surprise package of the series is Shakti Kapoor. When the team was discussing actors for different roles, Kapoor’s name cropped up. Director Happy Mongia admitted that casting her was an ambitious move. However, when he narrated the story to the veteran, he got on board with enthusiasm. When one asked him to cut his hair, he immediately agreed, contrary to the fears of the team. “We weren’t sure about the reaction. To our surprise, he said ‘whatever my director says.’ resolution and we were sure he’d go away teacherThis episode has got the most views – 3.1 million views.
The stories and their appeal is universal, “Stories are personal, and people are related because of interpersonal dynamics. These are not about society but about individuals. For example, Veera has not even seen her father, but his Identity is chalked out for who he is. How do you define your life path based on a person you haven’t seen in your life?” Bharat asks Mishra, who has directed these two episodes. The rest three are directed by Happy Mongia. Both the directors have previously created content for Dice Media.
Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Aaradhya Anand in Veera. photo credit: special arrangement
Happy says a lot of research went into the series. “We wanted to tell the story honestly, which meant going into the background and being fine-tuned. We asked our advisor Lt Gen IS Singha questions related to the army, it was important for us as we wanted to keep it as loyal as possible. The process took time but we enjoyed it,” he says.
Every story had its challenges. shooter jawan, for example, was “a little more difficult”. The story is set in a village; It was a challenge to show the life there as authentically as possible without stereotypes. The saying had to be dramatic intensity, honest and genuine. “It was the first story we shot, and the first one is always the hardest,” he explains.
The cast includes stalwarts like KK Raina, Shakti Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Anup Soni. KK Raina came with years of experience as an actor in theater and film/television. “Raina sir is a veteran of theatre, who has a strong opinion about films. He was vocal about his opinions and many of them were understandable. Suchitra Krishnamurthy always came ready. The youngsters – Aadhya Anand and Naman Jain – also did a great job. Naman also came prepared, he was attached to the line while Aadhya was able to bring the same feeling every day. It was a diverse, fulfilling experience,” says Bharat.