Manoj Bajpayee recalls near-death experience on 1971 set due to Manav Kaul’s antics: ‘We were on the edge of the valley, thought we are going to die’

He continued, “Since Manav was driving the jeep, I specifically told him to be cautious because of the tricky terrain. But instead of taking my advice seriously, he decided to mess with me, thinking I was just scared. In an attempt to scare me further, he started teasing me while driving. However, things quickly spiraled out of control when he lost control of the vehicle. He wasn’t a skilled driver, and the jeep veered toward the valley. For a moment, we all thought this was the end. At that time, we all believed that we are going to die.. Manav’s face turned pale with fear. Somehow, a big rock stopped the jeep on the edge of the valley and I asked everyone not to move. Then the team took us out of the jeep carefully one by one. It was deadly.” When asked if he has met Manav Kaul since the incident, Manoj jokingly replied, “Every time I meet him now, I just swear at him!”

1971, directed by Amrit Sagar and co-written by Piyush Mishra and Amrit Sagar, was based on the true story of Indian prisoners of war (POWs) captured by the Pakistan Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The film chronicles the gripping account of six Indian Army personnel and their daring escape attempt after being taken as POWs.