Sanjay Dutt to play a soldier in film on child suicide bombers in Afghanistan

Six months after he came out of the Yerwada jail, Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has finally signed a film. Directed by Girish Malik, the film will go on the floors next year. Girish’s first film Jal (2013) received the National Award for Best Special Effects.

Sanjay Dutt faces camera for the first time since he became a free man
Is Sanjay Dutt out of work?
Vir Das is lying on his show: Can you call his bluff?
Worst thing about jail was the food: Sanjay Dutt

Earlier this month, we reported that Sanjay Dutt has not begun shooting for any film yet. There were reports that Dutt will be working with Rajkumar Hirani on Munnabhai 3, but Hirani is busy with Sanjay Dutt’s biopic. Now, it is learnt that he has signed a film with the Jal director.

Tentatively titled Torbaaz, the film is about Afghan kids who are trained to be suicide bombers. Sanjay is playing the role of a retired soldier in the movie.

Talking about his next project, Girish told Hindustan Times, “We keep hearing about all these killings and suicide bombers across the world. There are kids being trained to be suicide bombers in Afghanistan. Recently, when a young man blew himself up in Turkey, we got thinking. I wanted to explore what really goes behind the making of these?”

“Rameez Raja (Pakistani cricketer) called me and said we should give some hope to these children who are taught that killing is a virtue. We must show them there are other positive options. And that’s how the idea for this film was born,” ,Malik added.

The filmmaker further said, “Torbaaz is the story of a man who had lost everything but returns to Kabul with a new purpose in life. He teaches cricket to the kids and children who had been wielding guns till then, experience the joy of playing a sport. The film is about suicide bombers but it not a depressing one about killings and deaths; it is a ray of hope.”

Asked to share details about the cast of his next project, Girish said he can’t reveal names but added that some good actors and really big names from Hollywood are likely to join the team.

Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, served a 42-month sentence at Pune’s Yerwada jail. He was released on February 25, 103 days ahead of his prison term.