Resurrecting Bose

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, the epic saga of one of the most charismatic and controversial icons of the freedom struggle releases in theatres across India today </span><br /><br />After a string of premieres in Jaipur, Kolkata and Delhi, Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero is finally ready for its ultimate test: the box office.Not that the film''s director Shyam Benegal agrees. Benegal believes it was a story waiting to be told: "Netaji''s life was nothing short of a thriller. Frankly, I''m amazed no one else thought of making a film on him till now." Opportunity presented itself when Sahara''s Subroto Roy approached Benegal to do a teleserial on Bose. But they agreed that only the big screen could do justice to the story. And thus the project took off. But why did Benegal christen it The Forgotten Hero? "Well, the truth is that 90 per cent of the people know Subhash Chandra Bose''s name, but not his story." Finding the right person to play Bose was half the battle: "Choosing the lead actor was a big challenge. The person had to have a close resemblance to Bose, be a good actor and most importantly, be willing to give a full year''s undivided attention to the project." <br /><br />The role finally went to the talented Sachin Khedekar. Subroto Roy''s dream project, the 25-crore magnum opus produced by Sahara India Pariwar, took three years in the making. Set in the backdrop of the Second World War, the film has been shot extensively at foreign locales and traces Bose''s life from 1941 to 1945 - his remarkable journey through Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Soviet Union, to his arrival in Berlin. Despite the months of research put in by Benegal''s team, many facets of Bose ''s life remain shrouded in mystery – controversy if you like. For instance, did he actually marry Emilie Schenkl? And most significantly, the unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance on August 18, 1945. Even 60 years after that fateful plane crash in Taipei, there is no conclusive evidence that Bose was actually on that plane. Recently,Taiwanese authorities denied that any plane had crashed in Taipei that day. Declassified CIA files and intermittent individual reports over the years indicate that Bose escaped to Russia. The truth remains an enigma, much like Netaji himself. "The jury is still out, why should I involve myself in conjectures," says Benegal. But does the film attempt an explanation? He breaks into a smile. "Why don''t you see the movie and decide for yourself ?" <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">hyderabadtimes@indiatimes.com</span></div> </div>