Bollywood war epic “Pippa” is to be released direct to streaming on Prime Video.
“Pippa” is based on the book “The Burning Chaffees” written by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta and the screenplay was written by Ravinder Randhawa, Tanmay Mohan and Menon. Ishaan plays Captain Mehta of the 45th Cavalry Tank Squadron, who fought on India’s eastern front during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. The film’s title is a reference to the PT-76 amphibious tank, popularly known as “Pippa”, which features prominently in the film.
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP and Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films, the film is directed by Raja Krishna Menon (“Airlift”) and written by Menon, Tanmay Mohan and Ravinder Randhawa. It stars Ishaan (“A Suitable Boy”), Mrunal Thakur (“Sita Ramam”), Priyanshu Painyuli (“Mirzapur”) and Soni Razdan (“Yours Truly”). Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) scores the music.
“Today’s audiences want to see films that are not only engaging and relatable, but also stories that are rooted in India. Pippa is a great retelling of real-life events that changed history,” said Manish Menghani, Director, Content Licensing, Prime Video India.
Roy Kapur added: “Ishaan, Mrunal, Priyanshu and Soni have nailed their characters and we believe audiences will be deeply moved by this remarkable story of an entire family at the forefront of a war. We are thrilled that the reach of Prime Video will allow us to bring this beautiful story to audiences not only across the country, but around the world.”
Screwvala said: “‘Pippa’ is more than a war film for me; it is a salute to the brave hearts of India, whose courage, fearlessness and patriotism are the reason why India remains a strong and powerful nation today. Telling a true story on screen is never easy and when it is a story about war and war heroes, the stakes are even higher”.
Menon said: “When I read Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta’s book ‘The Burning Chaffees’, I was absolutely certain that this inspiring and lesser known story of triumph had to be shared with the world. I believe we have been able to create a fitting tribute to our armed forces by bringing to life this story hidden in the annals of our rich history”.
