Ishaan Khatter: Why hate another country to be proud of your own?

Ishaan Khatter

Since the announcement of Pippa, it was known that the war drama borrows its name from the Russian tank that the Indian Army used in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. But the trailer tells you its significance. "It's among the few tanks that can float in water. It actually helped India win the war," says Ishaan Khatter, when we get on a call with him.

The actor steps into the shoes of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta, whose book The Burning Chaffees is the foundation for the film. It's evident that he joined Raja Krishna Menon's directorial venture, armed with a lot of academic learning. To him, studying for a role is the most exciting part of the process. "With this film, there was a lot of studying required. It is a gargantuan responsibility to represent the Defence Forces. [As prep], we lived for seven days each at two army cantonments, one in Rajasthan and another in Maharashtra. We were taught how to drive tanks. We shot in West Bengal for 45 days and filmed important events like the Battle of Garibpur.

Interestingly, we shot the battle sequence 50 years to the day it actually happened [November 20 and 21, 1971]." It's easy to see that Pippa, also starring Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli, holds a special place in Khatter's heart. Does it bother him then that the movie - a war drama whose grand scale should have been enjoyed on the big screen - is having a direct-to-OTT release? "We wanted to give it a wide and solo release. The theatrical ecosystem is very crowded for at least the next six months, and this film has been waiting in the wings for long. Amazon Prime Video offered a solo release window on Diwali. What's more important is for it to reach as many people as possible. Here, it reaches 240 countries."

What strikes you in Pippa is the absence of jingoistic overtones - something that Khatter is proud of. "This film is patriotic and rousing. We highlight that as a nation, we should feel proud about liberating a country. But it cannot come at the cost of hating another country. You don't have to generate feelings of hate towards another country to be proud of your own. With Pippa, that's what I am most proud of."