Over a decade after his last Bollywood outing, the Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starter Umrao Jaan (2006), JP Dutta is back on the scene with Paltan. The veteran filmmaker is synonymous with war sagas, which include LOC Kargil (2003), Refugee (2000) and Border (1997). At his office at Four Bungalows, Andheri, there are tomes about the world's biggest battles fought over the ages. He studied history, so he considers himself a historian, who considers cinema as a medium to tell the real story. "It's frustrating that most of us are not proud of our country. That national pride is lacking. We should be aware that we have been plundered for generations. We were never the aggressor. We have become a passive nation."

Dutta's obsession with war-based films is because "these stories touch me the most. People need to know about what goes on at the country's borders and the valour and sacrifices of the army folk." Paltan is based on the Indo-China skirmish in 1967, in which India emerged triumphant. The clashes at Nathu La and Chog La along the Sikkim border was for the control of Sikkim. He says, "This was a proper war as the two countries knew what they were fighting for, unlike the 1962 war, which was an act of terror. Those were the days of Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, but they took us unawares. The Chinese army burnt bonfires to distract us and slipped into our land to wreak havoc."
Dutta has been in constant touch with the army and concerned authorities for the research and permissions required. He says, "It took me two and a half years to get the nod. I wanted it to he factually correct."