Vicky to play India’s first Field Marshal

Mumbai, June 27 (IANS) "Uri: The Surgical Strike" actor Vicky Kaushal has been roped in to play Sam Manekshaw -- the first Field Marshal of India -- in Meghna Gulzar's upcoming movie.

Sam Manekshaw, or Sam Bahadur as he was popularly known, was born on April 3, 1914 in Amritsar.

Manekshaw cheated death on a few occasions, both on the battlefield and away from it. He, however, lived on to be a nonagenarian dying in Wellington, Tamil Nadu on June 27, 2008.

Manekshaw led the country to victory against Pakistan in 1971.

He was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.

On the death anniversary of the iconic man on Thursday, Producer Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP unveiled Vicky's look in the film that goes on floors late next year.

The script is written by Bhavani Iyer and Shantanu Shrivastava along with Meghna.

"Sam Manekshaw's name will be etched in history as one of the greatest soldiers and minds India has ever seen. Young India desperately needs role models to look up to, needs to be educated on the contribution made by this icon to India --- as we know it today," Screwvala said in a statement.

"I could not have asked for a better storyteller than Meghna to collaborate with on this one and will be a treat to do this with Vicky again," he added.

Meghna, who will be directing Vicky for the second time after their hit film "Raazi", said: "This film has been brewing between RSVP and me, for some time now. With Vicky now coming on board to play Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, it has begun to simmer. Looking forward to things to come to fruition one step at a time."

For Vicky, it's an absolute honour to be getting the opportunity to portray the life of Sam Manekshaw. "We are thrilled to bring forward the story of this fearless patriot and the first Field Marshal of India," added the actor.