Farhan Akhtar’s war epic “120 Bahadur” is set to make exhibition history as the first film to be released across India’s Defense Theater Network and is expected to reach over 800 theaters serving India’s military community when it opens on November 21.
The film centers on the 1962 conflict, the Battle of Rezang La. In the conflict, 120 Indian soldiers from Charlie Company, 13th Kumaon Regiment fought against Chinese troops at an altitude of over 16,000 feet in Ladakh, resulting in 114 deaths.
Akhtar co-stars with Raashi Khanna, Sparsh Walia, Vivaan Bhatena, Dhanveer Singh, Digvijay Pratap, Sahib Verma, Ankit Shiwati, Devendra Ahirwal, Ashutosh Shukla, Brijesh Karanwal, Atul Singh, Ajinkya Deo and Eijaz Khan.
Directed by Razneesh “Razy” Ghai, “120 Bahadur” is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment in association with Amit Chandra’s Trigger Happy Studios.
The development, led by PictureTime in partnership with GenSync Brat Media, will be screened exclusively for defense personnel and their families, with organizers bridging the long-standing gap between the entertainment industry and the Indian Armed Forces.
“We have 1.5 million active duty soldiers and over 6 million viewers. But only 30% of India’s 20 million strong military veteran and family audience has access to defense cinemas,” said Sushil Chaudhary, founder and CEO of Picture Time. “We aim to expand our ecosystem to further reach the underserved 70%. We are starting big with 120 Bahadur, a film that we know will resonate deeply with people.”
The initiative leverages PictureTime’s mobile cinema network to bring theatrical experiences to soldiers and families stationed in remote locations across the country.
“‘120 Bahadur’ celebrates the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces,” said Vishal Ramchandani, CEO of Excel Entertainment. “We are truly honored that the soldiers whose spirit this film celebrates will be able to watch this film with their families. We are so grateful to PictureTime for facilitating this screening for the soldiers who serve our nation.”
Excel Entertainment and Trigger Happy Studios will also be releasing some paid previews on November 18th to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the battle. The strategy is aimed at building early word of mouth three days before the film’s Nov. 21 release, honoring the 120 soldiers and allowing early audience reactions to drive pre-release conversation.
