Movie Title: Paan Singh Tomar
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Star Cast: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma
Music by: Abhishek Ray
Distributors: UTV Motion Pictures
Release Date: 2nd March, 2012
‘Paan Singh Tomar’ is a real story based on the life of a runner who transformed into a rebel. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the movie has already premiered at the British Film Institute London Film Festival in the year 2010.
The movie stars Irrfan Khan, who is playing the lead role and the character after whom the film has been named. Opposite him is Mahie Gill, who plays the role of Indra and Vipin Sharma, who plays Major Masand.
Paan Singh Tomar belongs to a small town of Madhya Pradesh. He joins Bengal Engineers to put an end to his poverty. Thereafter, he takes up running as a profession, and goes on to win the ‘steeplechase’ running event at the Indian National Games for seven consecutive years! But fate has other plans for him and he gives up running and his prestigious position of a ‘subedaar’ in the Army, only to become a ‘baaghi’ (or rebel) in the Chambal Valley.
The director of the film, Tigmanshu Dhulia, got to know about Tomar when working in Chambal for ‘Bandit Queen’. He realized that this runner was not very well-known in spite of holding numerous records. So he decided to make a film based on the life of Tomar. Hence began the journey of ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ the movie, with Dhulia collecting information by talking to the family members of Tomar and visiting his village in Bhind.
The movie has been shot in Chambal valley and the real barracks in Roorkee, where Tomar used to live. It has also been shot in the uphill area of Roorkee, which is among the oldest army cantonments of India. The Dramatics Team of IIT Roorkee contributed several scenes in the movie, including the racing sequence.
Lead actor Irrfan Khan put in a lot of effort for this movie. He trained himself quite rigorously as he practiced with steeplechase coaches, and even broke his ankle during the shoot. It has by far been the ‘most physically and mentally demanding film’ of his career.