The action thriller, also starring Manushi Chhillar, traces the Balakot air strike conducted by the IAF in 2019. He isn’t worried about the subject being over-exploited, the latest example being Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter. “Our script was submitted to the Ministry of Defence [MoD] for approval. We were told that nine to 12 scripts, based on the same events, were awaiting clearance. We did not know about Fighter or Tejas [2023] until their [promos] came out, and by then, we were making our film. The MoD made changes to the script because they technically don’t function the way we had written the story. Initially, it was planned as a Telugu film. But I wanted it to resonate with everyone, so [we made it in Hindi as well]. [Making such films] is about inspiring a generation of men and women to be heroic. There is so much happening at the border; it’s important to bring that to the big screen.”

A jawan’s duty is to protect his country, not to hate his adversary. Are today’s movies truly reflecting the spirit of the armed forces, without adopting a jingoistic tone? Tej explains, “We are mindful of the jingoism, but there is always a threat from another country. China, Bangladesh and Pakistan are threats that we must keep in check. That’s the only extent to which we take this film, keeping it close to the incident it is based on. Our idea was to show how a pilot sitting in the cockpit makes the decision to go 2,000 kilometres into a neighbouring country.” That Fighter didn’t fare well at the box office could be a worrisome precursor. The actor says, “There are people who have passionately spent on this project, and I want them to make a buck. [It can] pave the way for more passionate projects.”