‘Was taken aback by his research’

As Akshay Kumar steps into the warrior king’s shoes for Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Prithviraj, actor-director duo on how they converted YRF floor into a research wing to accommodate literature and artefacts

Akshay Kumar’s next is arguably one of his most ambitious ventures in recent times. With Prithviraj, the superstar intends to reacquaint the audience with the legendary warrior king, Prithviraj Chauhan, who valiantly fought the Muhammad of Ghor in the second battle of Tarain in 1192. Research is crucial in a historical drama, and director Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi — who has dedicated 18 years to the subject — wanted to bring an authentic retelling to the big screen. “The first step to attempt such an extravagant historical movie is always research, and we wanted to be absolutely accurate. I had personally worked on the script from 2004 to 2019, updating it every year. 

Naturally, I had a lot of material that could be used as reference points to write the film’s final draft. There were several books, a variety of costumes that were being used as references, armour and weapons that were brought into the studio before the filming started,” recounts the filmmaker. 

Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi

When producer Aditya Chopra noticed that the team had built an expansive archive by way of literature as well as artefacts, he converted an entire floor of the Yash Raj Films Studios in Andheri into a research wing. Dwivedi adds, “We kept the research bay fully operational till the last day of shoot. Now, we are exploring a plan to showcase the research work to people.” 

Of late, Kumar has fronted a few period dramas, be it Kesari (2019) or Gold (2018), thus bringing India’s unheard stories to celluloid.  Applauding the director for his extensive research, the actor says, “When I was narrated the film by Dr saab, I was taken aback by the amount of research that he did while writing this film. Writing and directing a historical film is not easy. He waited for 18 years, nurturing and making Prithviraj the most glorious retelling of the Samrat’s life. I hope it becomes the most authentic reference point for the king’s life.” The period drama also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood and former Miss World Manushi Chhillar.  

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