The story of the martyred soldier Havildar Hangpan Dada that's gone viral

The story of the martyred soldier Havildar Hangpan Dada that's gone viral

Rohan Sharma with Hangpan Dada's son Senwang

In August 2016, when Soumil Shetty, Rohan Sharma and Somesh Saha were approached by the Indian Army to create a tribute video for one of their martyred soldiers, little did they know that the next few months would be filled with struggle and anxiety. However, after braving hardships, right from painful leech bites to filming at inhospitable environments, the boys are finally basking in the success of their new film.

Dada - A Warrior Spirit is a 12-minute docu-drama that pays tribute to Havildar Hangpan Dada from the Indian Army who died while combating terrorists in an operation in Kashmir a year ago. The video, which released on January 26, has crossed over a million views online.

The young filmmakers, interestingly, stumbled upon Dada's grave while travelling to his village, Borduria in Arunachal Pradesh. "We were in the car when we spotted a grave with an Ashok Chakra engraved on it. This was followed by a timely encounter with a young boy there who led us straight to Dada's doorstep. Till now, we were following the spirit of Dada, and now, it felt as though he was following us," says Saha, who spent a fortnight in the village interacting with Dada's family, friends and colleagues.

According to Sharma, the toughest part of the film was shooting the action sequences. "We had to shoot at a dizzying height of 8,000-9,000 feet with low oxygen levels while lugging our heavy equipment around," he says. The film also captures the lighter moments in Dada's life; of friends recounting how mischievous he was as a kid and how he had saved one of them from drowning in a river. "Chasen Lowang, his wife, who received the Ashok Chakra this Republic Day, is a strong woman. But at one point, she broke down. We stopped rolling the camera and sound, and just sat there," says Saha.

Sharma feels it's imperative to make such documentaries that tell unheard stories of Indian soldiers. "The idea of telling a story that gives you goosebumps is what we are missing," he says.