72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died actor and director Avinash Dhyani: My war films are a tribute to my father

Avinash Dhyani will be next seen in war film VC571 based on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat

Actor, writer and director Avinash Dhyani loves working on war films which he says are a tribute to his father. After 72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died (2018), on rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, he has worked on film VC571 on rifleman Gabar Singh Negi who received the Victoria Cross for his valour in World War 1.

“My father late Diwakar Dhyani was with the 11th Garhwal Rifles and an NSG Commando. I have grown up hearing tales of great war heroes from my father and both were from the same regiment. He wanted me to join the army, but my heart was in films which he fully supported. So, my war films are a tribute to my father,” says Dhyani, 36.

Growing up among army personnel, his interest and knowledge about the war legends helped him.

“We belong to Pauri Garhwal but I have grown up in Delhi and Dehradun as later my father became drill instructor in the Indian Military Academy. So, I have very closely seen that life and have lived it. However, my interest in films grew when I saw Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942: A Love Story as a schoolboy and made up my mind ki hero banna hai!” he says.

He prepared himself by doing theatre and then after shifting to Mumbai, started assisting in films in various departments, doing plays and gaining knowledge about the insight of film making.

“I won’t say it was struggle for me, as I was learning, but the real struggle was for my parents who were helping me sustain in Mumbai. I am happy that my father saw me playing the lead in Fredrick (2016). Sadly, he passed away a year before 72 Hours… was released. I wrote, directed and acted in the film as the protagonist. He (father) only narrated the story of rifleman Negi who fought in foreign lands for the British but for pride of India on which our film VC571 is made.”

Dhyani has also made the feature film Sumeru (2021).

“Besides my war film, I have shot Phooli with kids and locals of Pauri Garhwal which may come on OTT platform soon. Besides, we are also doing post production of our film Saumya Ganesh, a love story with diabetes as subject. I shoot all my films in Uttarakhand and try working with trained fresh talent, along with established actors, as I know well that it’s very tough to get opportunities in the film industry,” he says.

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