Vivek Dahiya on State of Siege 26/11: It's Not Correct to Judge A Religion on The Basis of An Incident!

ZEE5 is all set to launch its upcoming web series titled State of Siege 26/11 starring Arjan Bajwa, Arjun Bijlani and Vivek Dahiya in the main lead. The series which is based on the book Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 by Sandeep Unnithan will showcase the many unknown facts of the 26/11 attack from the NSG point of view.

In the series, Vivek Dahiya will be seen essaying the role of Captain Rohit Bagga, in an exclusive conversation with us, he got candid about his character in the show, working with Col. Sandeep Sen and much more…

Firstly, tell us something about your character 

My character is called Captain Rohit Bagga, he's the youngest of the three NSG Commandos that are there. He is a beast, he's ready for an operation, he's basically telling his senior to give him the opportunity to lead the operation.

You're playing a real-life character in the series, so how much pressure you have to undergo to play a real-life character than a fictional one?

You have to stay true to the facts, you can't really dwindle, you can't take cinematic liberty and mould it the way you want it to look. It is what it is, so you have to play it very responsibly and stay true to the events. 

You have also worked with Col. Sandeep Sen. So how was the experience of working with him?

It was really good, he shared so many anecdotes, it really helped my character eventually. It kind of gave me a footprint as to how I should take my character forward.

So how was the training process like, did you have to go through any physical or mental special training?

No physical training because I have always been working out. But mental, yes, my grandfather was in the army but he has passed away and he has not really shared too many stories from his days, so I didn't have anyone to turn to besides the writer of the show and Col. Sandeep Sen. 

So whatever they shared, I kind of understood how the soldier thinks and what is going on in their mind and how they maintain their focus irrespective of the situation. The mission is bigger than you or anyone, so you have to complete the mission no matter what, that's what I have learned from him. 

That's something that I have incorporated in my personal life also. Go for the kill, don't think too much. 

When you were shooting for the series did you recall any memories from the actual incident?

Yes of course. I was in London at that time, I was in Cardiff. I used to study full time and work part-time in a call center. My best friends at that time were Pakistanis and they were amazing. 

But when this incident happened, we all became really sensitive towards it and so did they, and they started giving me explanations and justifications and I didn't really ask any. You know I am smart enough to not generalize a religion based on certain people's acts. 

They became really sensitive and they said this is not the religion they have been taught at home and they got worried that the people will start judging them because of what happened. 

I became a little defensive towards my friends because I totally understood what they were trying to say and it can happen to anyone, it's not correct for anyone to judge the whole religion based on this incident. So I became a little protective and sensitive towards them.

How was it working with your co-stars?

I didn't really have any scenes with Arjan. With Arjun, I had one scene only. We've worked together in Kawach before and he is a good guy and we both are dedicated towards our work.