Ishaan Khatter recalls soldiers’ remarks about ’45-year-olds’ playing captains in Bollywood: ‘It means they’re very bad army officers’

Ishaan Khatter recalled the sarcastic remark that army officers made to him about older actors portraying captains and Majors in Bollywood movies.

Ishaan Khatter essays the character of real-life war hero Captain Balram Singh Mehta in Pippa. (Pic: PrimeVideo/X)

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Actor Ishaan Khatter said that contrary to the popular perception that he’s too young to play an army officer in the film Pippa, when he shot the film, he was actually the same age as the real-life soldier he’s playing in it. Ishaan also said that Captain Balram Singh Mehta, the war hero he plays, told him that Bollywood has a history of casting actors who are much older than their real-life counterparts.

In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Ishaan was asked about the concerns around his age, and he said, “I wouldn’t want to make any promises, I know it’s a big responsibility to take on a part like this. We’ve put in a lot of work. Also, it’s probably the first time that age-appropriate casting in a big-scale (war movie)… Balram sir was 26 (during the war), which was exactly the age I was when I shot it.”

Also read | Pippa team says they ‘resurrected’ real PT-76 tank for film; Ishaan Khatter reveals it blew up while he was in 100-ft deep lake

He continued, “We have an image, which is the ‘screenage’, which is totally a thing, it’s a concept. Our leading actors work very hard over many years to build an equity and build a persona on screen. But for the army guys, it’s very interesting. The first meeting I had with him, they said, ‘It’s all good, the script and everything, but you know you guys cast 40-year-olds and 45-year-olds as captains and majors, that just means they’re very bad army officers’.”

Director Raja Krishna Menon chipped in, “If at 40 you’re a captain, you’re a really bad captain.” Set during the India-Pakistan war of 1971, Pippa focuses on the pivotal Battle of Garibpur through the eyes of a tank squadron led by Ishaan’s character. Also starring Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli, the film will be released on Prime Video on November 10.

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