Each episode of the Army-based anthology series Bravehearts, streaming on Dice Media’s YouTube channel, has garnered more than two million views. “The stories resonated with the audience,” explains Sankalp Raj Tripathi, creative director of the series which released in June.
Bravehearts breaks the mould of conventional Army-based cinema or series which is inevitably war-based. “We want to show what people [in the services] go through, the stories we don’t usually see on screen. We wanted to show the internal process – the anxiety and conflict people feel. There are enough stories about war, the battlefield has been romanticised enough. These are human stories,” adds Sankalp. The themes span love, loss, disappointment, victory, joy and finding oneself.
The five standalone episodes – Masterji, Shooter Jawan, Jaldi Lautna Captain, Sarhad ke Baad, Veera – touch upon different aspects of people in, and aspiring to be part of, the Army. In Masterji, the protagonist (played by Shakti Kapoor) is a tailor who quits the Army unable to handle that life and now stitches uniforms for servicemen. Redemption for having disappointed his soldier father comes in the form of helping an orphaned young man join the Army. Jaldi Lautna, Captain is about a martyr’s wife who joins the Army and Shooter ...tells the story of a ragpicker who gets commissioned.
What sets the series apart, Sankalp points out, is their resonance. These are not ‘heroes’ who have made the ultimate sacrifice. For instance, Sarhad Ke Baad and Veera speak of the children of Army personnel. Veera is about a teenager, Veera (essayed by Aadhya Anand) whose father who died in action before she was born. What she ‘knows’ of her father is through the narrative built around his sacrifice. In a telling scene when she is asked about her memories of her father by a journalist, she says: I have no memories. Similarly in Sarhad ke Baad, the teenage son (played by Naman Jain) of a retired Army officer Gireesh Sahdev, rebuffs his father’s efforts to reconnect with him with: “Where were you all these years when I needed you?”
The stories and their appeal is universal, “The stories are personal, and people relate because of the interpersonal dynamics. These are not about society but individuals. For instance, Veera has not even seen her father but her identity has been chalked out for her based on who he is. How do you define your life path based on a man you have not seen in your life?” asks Bharat Mishra, who has directed these two episodes. The remaining three have been directed by Happie Mongia. Both directors have created content for Dice Media before.
Happie says a lot of research went into the series. “We wanted to tell the story honestly, which meant going into the background and the nitty-gritty. We asked our consultant, Lieutenant General IS Singha questions related to the Army, it was important to us as we wanted to keep it as faithful as possible. The process took time but we enjoyed it,” he says.
Every story had its challenges. Shooter Jawan, for instance, was “a little more difficult”. The story is located in a village; showing life there as authentically as possible without stereotypes was the challenge. The telling had to have dramatic intensity, honesty and be real. “It was the first story we shot, and the first one is always difficult,” he reasons.
The cast boasts veterans such as KK Raina, Shakti Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy and Anup Soni among others. KK Raina came with years of experience as an actor in theatre and film/television. “Raina sir is a stalwart of theatre, who has strong opinions about films. He was vocal about his opinions and many of them made sense. Suchitra Krishnamoorthy always came prepared. The youngsters - Aadhya Anand and Naman Jain - too did a great job. Naman also came prepared, he was attached to the line while Aadhya was able to bring the same emotion every day. It was a diverse, fulfilling experience,” Bharat says.
