Tejas director Sarvesh Mewara says Kangana Ranaut-starrer has this thing that other Air Force films don't | Exclusive
Sarvesh Mewara, director of Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film Tejas, talks about the challenges of making the film.
Tejas, the aerial warfare drama starring Kangana Ranaut, marks the directorial debut of Sarvesh Mewara. The filmmaker has been in the entertainment industry for close to two decades now and Tejas marks the culmination of his struggle to make his own feature film. The film also is the first of a string of Hindi films on Air Force or aerial battles, a genre that will continue into the next year. In an exclusive chat with DNA, the director opens up about making the film and what makes it stand out.
Ask Sarvesh about the challenges he faced while making a film on a female fighter pilot in a limited budget and he replies, “My biggest challenge was Covid.” The filmmaker elaborates, “This was my first film and I had to interact with actors ad technicians on Zoom calls. I cast actors on Zoom and then when I saw them in person, I didn’t feel they had the body language of an Air Force officer. Then, we couldn’t get the kind of support from the Air Force due to Covid in terms of access to bases and actual aircrafts.”
Sarvesh, however, says that the restrictions ended up becoming a blessing in disguise as it helps his film stand out from other upcoming aerial warfare dramas like Fighter and Sky Force. “I am happy that everyone happened so because the team took it as a challenge. Everybody came together saying that we have not done anything like this in the past but we can do it. That is how this became a Make in India film. There is no technician that has come from Hollywood. Usually in these kinds of films, there are. I won’t name but any such film coming in future, they have technicans from Top Gun 2 and Mission Impossible. In my film, everybody is from India. Not even one technician has come from abroad,” he says.
The film’s trailer was largely appreciated by fans and Sarvesh says it is a big validation. “To have all homegrown talent and technicians and then to get this anticipation and appreciation means a lot. It is motivating,” he tells us.
Tejas also stars Anshul Chauhan, Varun Mitra, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Vishak Nair in pivotal roles. The film, produced by Ronnie Screwvala, will release in theatres on October 27.