Sankalp Reddy Interview: IB 71 is tale of unsung heroes

For filmmaker Sankalp Reddy, who is gearing up for the release of the Vidyut Jammwal-starrer IB 71 on Friday, intriguing true incidents and historically significant events seem to serve as the primary inspiration for his films. 

While Sankalp's debut film Ghazi (2017), billed as India's first submarine film, was based on the Indian Navy destroying a Pakistani submarine that ventured into Indian waters, his sophomore film, Antariksham 9000 KMPH, was inspired by an Indian satellite getting lost in the moon's orbit. "I like to tell stories and true incidents that not many know of. IB 71 is also one such incident that is worth knowing. It is based on a landmark operation by the spies of the Intelligence Bureau who managed to lock the Indian air space, outsmart Pakistani establishments, and restrict their airplanes from flying over India. It lead to the Nation's victory in the 1971 war."

He also shares that it was Vidyut who reached out to him with the idea of IB 71 after watching Ghazi. "When I heard the storyline, I was intrigued. While IB 71 happened sometime in January-February in 1971, the Ghazi attack took place in December same year. So I thought it could be an unofficial prequel to Ghazi. " he adds.

While Vidyut is known for doing action films like the Commando franchise and Khuda Haafiz, Sankalp notes that the upcoming film will show the actor in a new light. "I learnt that during this operation, not even a single bullet was fired. And hence, the idea was to make his character as believable and real as possible. So his behaviour is composed and he does not go around hitting 30-40 people. It is more of a mind game," he adds.

While Sankalp asserts that he took creative liberties in weaving a story around the satellite incident for Antharishkham, he had to predominately stick to the facts for IB 71. "As part of the research, we took references from news articles of that time and interacted with people related to the incident. I did take some cinematic liberties for IB 71, but most of the scenes are based on the facts that were mentioned in reference materials. This way, I believe the film could be both entertaining and informative," he shares.

Stating that they shot through erratic climatic conditions--extreme cold weather in Kashmir during winters and peak summer in Maharashtra's Lathur, Sankalp recalls that it was one of the most challenging aspects of the filming process. 

Sankalp asserts that IB 71 will be an ode to unsung heroes, and their untold stories. "The greatest victory for an undercover agent is anonymity. It also means they don't get the public recognition they deserve. I feel it is essential for us to remember them for their contribution to the nation, and through films like this, I hope I could tell the stories of these real heroes," he signs off.