Exclusive: R Madhavan to play freedom fighter Dr Chempakaraman Pillai in Jai Hind

After playing Nambi Narayan recently in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022), R Madhavan is now all set to play another Indian notable individual. The actor will essay the role of freedom fighter and activist Dr Chempakaraman Pillai in the upcoming movie Jai Hind. For those not in the know, Pillai was the one who coined the slogan, 'Jai Hind'. 

The feature film, Jai Hind, will be directed by Rajesh Touchriver and produced by Riju Bajaj, Anjum Rizvi and Raghavendra N. Bajaj is known for curating the LIFFT [Literature Illusion Film Frame TV & Theatre] India festival in Lonavala that celebrates various forms of arts. 

In an exclusive conversation, Bajaj told us that Touchriver brought the idea to them after working on it for four years. “I thought the topic goes very well with LIFFT India,” he said. “This project is Jai Hind. In a way, it literally translates to LIFFT India.” 

Bajaj admitted that, like many, he also didn’t know about Chempakaraman’s contribution in coining the slogan. “As an Indian, I also never bothered to know how who gave this title Jai Hind,” he said. “It’s such a routine thing that we use in our daily lives and on special occasions. We also greet soldiers and policemen with ‘Jai Hind.’ But it never occurred [to us] how it came into existence.” 

He said that since Chempakaraman didn’t have any children, his legacy hasn’t been pursued further. “Unfortunately, he didn’t have anybody who could have taken it ahead. It’s such a sad story that we didn’t know this,” he said. 

Bajaj felt that while we have had plenty of films on revolutionaries fighting against the British in India, we should also know about those who were putting in their efforts for the cause from outside India as well. 

“All these Indians who were in the Western world were actually impacting the Indian movement,” he said. “This is a new angle. We are all brought up by what Gandhi ji, Nehru ji, Bhagat Singh, etc, did. But we never knew about heroes who were not within India and were fighting the battle from outside India and yet impacting the freedom struggle here.” 

Bajaj always felt that Madhavan fits the character of Chempakaraman, who was a Tamilian. “Madhavan himself is a Tamilian,” he said. “I just called him up and he was so excited and he sounded as if he was waiting for this role to come to him. We then met him and he said yes. The final nitty-gritty [details] are now working out. The finances have worked out. It’s just now the final script is being worked out.” 

The film will be shot by cinematographer Aseem Bajaj while Pia Benegal will be working on the costumes. 

Jai Hindi will mostly be shot in English. “The story [takes place] in Berlin, Germany, and Zurich, Switzerland,” said Bajaj. “It would be very weird to see a German officer and other people talk in Hindi, especially during the World War I. But we would be dubbing those characters in Hindi and other languages.” 

Bajaj is also planning a web-series on the same subject, which will be made in Hindi.