Bollywood actor Vivan Bhatena is gearing up for the release of his upcoming war film ‘120 Bahadur.’ He recently revealed that he experienced a harrowing incident during the shoot, where two of his teeth imploded in his mouth.
A Tough Shoot
Bhatena described the shoot as the hardest of his life, stating it physically tested him and pushed him to deliver his best. He opened up about the challenges faced during the making of the film, saying, “It has been the hardest shoot of my life. It has been 60 days in unforgiving terrain. In fact, I literally lost two teeth because two of my root canal imploded in my mouth, in my gums. It was very painful. And it cracked inside, and my whole face swelled up like a balloon.”
Enduring Pain
He further shared his experience of pain management: “I had to get them removed—one at the military hospital, one in Mumbai. It was, in fact, an insane amount of pain that I had to endure. I was living on painkillers till I got to the hospital. For almost two weeks, I tried to bear it, but it was not possible. It just had to be removed. And, you know, that’s the kind of physical torture that you go through; it is nowhere close to what our soldiers go through.”
About the Film
‘120 Bahadur’ pays tribute to the brave soldiers of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, who lost their lives in the Battle of Rezang La during the Indo-Sino War of 1962. Shot in the stunning landscapes of Ladakh, the film draws deeply from the true events of the 1962 India-Sino conflict.
This war was sparked by undefined boundaries along Aksai Chin near Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of a road by China through Aksai Chin, which India claimed as its territory, escalated tensions. Diplomatic efforts fell short, and in October 1962, Chinese forces launched a two-pronged offensive.
India suffered major losses in the war largely due to Jawaharlal Nehru’s reluctance to utilize the air force and the lack of military infrastructure in border areas. Additionally, the USSR, one of India’s primary allies, did not come to India’s aid as it was preoccupied with the Cuban missile crisis during the Cold War.