I remember telling myself before recording this episode that come what may, there was no chance in hell the conversation could get longer than a JP Dutta war film. I now stand corrected.
On the occasion of Army Day, I am in conversation with fellow film buff and fellow former Armed Forces aspirant Sanjeet Singh, and we're talking about ten Hindi films that depict war, our views on each, and some interesting thoughts about why these films are often made the way they are.
Without any further ado, I invite you to dive into this nearly five-hour long conversation.
[VOB]
The Guest:
Sanjeet Singh is a cinematographer and a film geek who is yet to publicly acknowledge the former aspect of his life, modest as he tends to be. When he isn't shooting films, he's watching them. Oh, and he once wanted to don the uniform. You can follow him on Letterboxd and Instagram.
The Host:
Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“Cinephile Stock”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“Dispatches from a Dark Room”), and now this podcast. He long held ambitions of joining the Armed Forces, but they were quite happy without him. You can follow his interactions with cinema on Letterboxd and on Instagram as well.
Chapters:
Introductions – 00:00:10
Haqeeqat – 00:02:39
Hindustan Ki Kasam – 00:35:53
Border – 00:51:08
LOC: Kargil – 01:31:14
Paltan – 02:00:03
Uri: The Surgical Strike – 02:20:06
Kya Dilli Kya Lahore – 02:42:40
1971 – 03:01:55
Pippa – 03:18:47
Lakshya – 03:48:34
Concluding Thoughts – 04:25:40
Works Cited: