Actors Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Manoj Bajpai, Ashutosh Rana, Sudesh Berry and Puru Raaj Kumar and leading ladies Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol, Preeti Jhangiani and Divya Dutta attended the event.
Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna, Nagarjuna, Raveena Tandon, and Mahima Chaudhary did not show up.
Decorated with bunkers, nets, and fake guns, the Marriott’s auditorium was transformed into a battleground to give a feel of LoC’s theme. The actors too were dressed in military fatigues. Noteworthy was the display of collages and stills from the making of the movie.
The event attracted celebrities like Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, actor-MP Sunil Dutt and Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray.
"I always wanted to make films on war heroes, but could never manage to get so many actors together," Sunil Dutt remarked. "I don’t understand how Dutta manages to convince so many actors to work for him!"
The promos on the big screens featured Sanjay Dutt launching a verbal attack on the infiltrators.
"Yeh **** ko baahar nikal kar phenkna hai, [We must throw these **** out]," yells Dutt to his fellow soldiers. "Aagewalon ko peechewale sambhalenge, aur hum sab ko uparwala sambhalega. [The soldiers ahead can count on us for support. God is with us]."
This high-voltage outburst is followed by emotionally charged cries of 'Durga Maata ki Jai [Hail, Mother Durga]."
The next sequence shows army trucks moving to the Ladakh region. Next, the Bofors howitzers move in. There is firing from the hills by the infiltrators. A bullet hits a jawan's eye. Akshaye Khanna rushes to get a stretcher for the injured jawan.
"There were nearly 99 jawans who were shot in the eye by the enemies," explained Dutta.
"When we shot the film," said Manoj Bajpai, "only 60 per cent oxygen was available, as we were 14,000 feet above sea level. It was an extremely difficult condition [to shoot]. I told my co-stars we are perspiring only to shoot the film, while our jawans fought without caring for their lives."
Anu Malik, music composer for Dutta’s last two films [Border, Refugee] and now LoC, remarked, "While I was dining at restaurants and meeting my friends in 1999, our soldiers were giving their lives for the country. They were doing that so I could lead my life peacefully over here. I salute their courage and bravery."
Photo: Jewella C Miranda
Design: Uday Kuckian
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