IB 71 is a spiritual prequel to The Ghazi Attack, says Sankalp Reddy

The Vidyut Jammwal-starrer IB 71 will mark Sankalp Reddy’s fourth directorial venture after The Ghazi Attack, Antarikshan and Pitta Kathalu. Ahead of the release on May 12, the director said that his upcoming film will be a spiritual prequel to the 2017 film The Ghazi Attack.

The Ghazi Attack, the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi was sunk by the Indian submarine INS Karanj during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. The upcoming film marks Vidyut Jammwal’s debut as a producer. He plays the role of Dev Jammwal, a spy from the Intelligence Bureau.

According to IANS, the director stated that IB 71 talks about the Ganga hijack. "When Vidyut told me about the Ganga hijack incident, I thought it was a fantastic story to tell, but as we delved deeper into the research, we realised that it was like a spiritual prequel to The Ghazi Attack."

He also stated that since both films are set in the 1970s and explore India's military history, he saw the opportunity to create a cinematic universe. "When I started researching for this film, I realised that not many people knew about the Ganga hijack of 1971. It was a challenge to collate facts from history and present it engagingly. But as a filmmaker, I wanted to showcase this story to the world, and I am glad that the team has worked hard to bring it to life on screen," he added.