 Front Cover of the book | |
| Author | Harinder S. Sikka |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Spy thriller |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Publication date | 14 May 2018 |
| Publication place | India |
| Pages | 256 pages |
| ISBN | 9780143442301 |
| OCLC | 1028623329 |
Calling Sehmat is the 2008 spy thriller novel written by Harinder S. Sikka based on real events. It was Sikka's debut novel, first published by Konark Publishers in April 2008. [1] [2] A revised edition was subsequently published by Penguin Random House India in May 2018. [3]
The story is set in India and Pakistan in 1971 and revolves around Sehmat Khan who is born to a Kashmiri Muslim father and a Punjabi Hindu mother. [4] Sehmat is a young college-going girl when she learns of her freedom-fighter father's impending death from cancer. As a part of his final wishes, her patriotic father convinces Sehmat to marry a Pakistani army officer, the son of his friend who is a high-ranking Pakistani army general himself. His intention is to place Sehmat as an undercover operative within the Pakistani army household.
Before the actual ceremony, she is hastily provided spy training by members of the Indian intelligence organization RAW. After marriage, Sehmat not only manages to gain the confidence of her new family and their friends but also starts to gather vital information that she passes on to her handlers. Eventually, she comes across plans, what appear to be, to sink a key Indian naval target using a submarine. At great risk to herself, she promptly manages to relay this information to her handlers who realize that the target in question is INS Vikrant which at that point is anchored in the Bay of Bengal as a part of India's naval strategy for the looming war. [5]
They are able to provide an early warning to the Indian Navy which proves vital towards India's war effort. [6] Towards the end, Sehmat is discovered but manages to escape with the help of her handlers. She ultimately returns to India, pregnant with her Pakistani husband's child. Her child goes on to grow up and join the Indian Army as an officer himself. [7]
According to Sikka, he stumbled upon the story during the Kargil conflict. He acquired the story from an Indian army officer who told him of how his mother, a Kashmiri Muslim, had married a Pakistani Army officer to provide India with classified information during the 1971 war. Sikka eventually managed to meet the officer's mother in Malerkotla, Punjab where she eventually unfolded further elements of her story. As a part of her duties in Pakistan, she used to tutor General Yahya Khan's grandchildren.
It took Sikka approximately 8 years to fictionalize the story and arrange it into a cohesive narrative. He fictionalized the name of the main character in order to keep her anonymous. During a recent interview, he said the real woman behind the character has since died. As a tribute to her, Sikka formally launched the book aboard Vikrant, which was docked at Naval dockyard in Mumbai. [8] [9]
The book was re-published by Penguin India in a new format in March 2018. [10]
A Hindi version of the book was published on 23 August 2019. [11]
In 2018, the novel was adapted into a Hindi-language spy thriller with a change in the ending contrary to the book titled Raazi. It starred Alia Bhatt in the role of Sehmat and Vicky Kaushal in that of her husband. The film was directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Vineet Jain, Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta under the banner of Dharma Productions.
Karan Kumar Johar, often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful actors and filmmakers under his company Dharma Productions. The recipient of several accolades, including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards, he has been honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2020.
Soni Mahesh Bhatt(née Razdan) born and known professionally as Soni Razdan, is a British actress and director who works in Indian Hindi-language films. Part of the Bhatt family of Indian cinema, she is married to film director Mahesh Bhatt and is the mother of actress Alia Bhatt.
PNS/M Ghazi (S–130), SJ, was a Tench-class diesel-electric submarine, the first fast-attack submarine in the Pakistan Navy. She was leased from the United States Navy in 1963.
Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Johar. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
Meghna Gulzar is an Indian writer, director and producer. She is best known for directing critically acclaimed films; Talvar (2015) and Raazi (2018). Born to Gulzar and actress Raakhee, Gulzar joined her father as an assistant to his films and became a screenwriter for her father's 1999 directorial Hu Tu. Meghna later became an independent director and directed her first film, the drama Filhaal... (2002), though she did not achieve directorial success that decade.
Alia Bhatt is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. Known for her portrayals of women in challenging circumstances, she has received several accolades, including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards. She is one of India's highest-paid actresses. Time awarded her with the Time100 Impact Award in 2022 and named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.
Alia Advani, known professionally as Kiara Advani, is an Indian actress who works in Hindi and Telugu language films. After making her acting debut in the comedy film Fugly (2014), she played MS Dhoni's wife in the sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). She gained appreciation for playing a sexually unsatisfied wife in the Netflix anthology film Lust Stories (2018) and played the leading lady in the political thriller Bharat Ane Nenu (2018).
Vicky Kaushal is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards, and has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.
Dear Zindagi is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by Gauri Shinde. It was produced by Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, and Shinde under the banners of Red Chillies Entertainment, Dharma Productions, and Hope Productions, respectively. The film stars Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles with Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Ali Zafar, Yashaswini Dayama and debutant Rohit Suresh Saraf in supporting roles. The plot centres on a budding cinematographer who is discontented with her life and meets a free-spirited psychologist who helps her to gain a new perspective on her life.
Raazi (transl. Agreement/Secretive) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language spy thriller film directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Vineet Jain, Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta under the banners of Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions. It stars Alia Bhatt in the lead role and features Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma, and Jaideep Ahlawat in supporting roles. The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka's 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, a true account of an Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who, upon her father's request, is married into a family of military officers in Pakistan to relay information to India, prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Principal photography of Raazi began in July 2017 in Mumbai and was completed on 27 October 2017. It was shot across several locations including Patiala, Nabha, Malerkotla and Doodhpathri.
Kalank is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film. It was directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar, and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions, and Sajid Nadiadwala under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, in association with Fox Star Studios as presenter and distributor. Set in the pre-independence British era, the film stars an ensemble cast of Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Sanjay Dutt.
Junglee Pictures is a film production and distribution company that was established by Vineet Jain of The Times Group in 2014. As of 2022, the company has produced nine Hindi films.
Janhvi Kapoor is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Born to film actress Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, she made her acting debut in 2018 with the romantic drama Dhadak, which was a commercial success. Her subsequent theatrical releases were commercially unsuccessful, but she received nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for playing the titular aviator in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020) and a woman trapped in a freezer in Mili (2022).
AA Films is an Indian motion picture distribution company, owned by Anil Thadani. It mainly distributes Hindi films and Hindi-dubbed films.
Ae Watan is an Indian patriotic Hindi song from the soundtrack of the 2018 Bollywood film Raazi. The song is sung by Arijit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan. Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the music, and Gulzar and Allama Iqbal wrote the lyrics. The music video for the song stars Sehmat Khan.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy family drama directed by Karan Johar and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy. The film stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as a couple with contrasting personalities who decide to live with each other's families for three months before getting married. Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog play their family members.
Alia Bhatt is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. As a child, she played a minor role in her father Mahesh Bhatt's production Sangharsh (1999), as the younger version of star Preity Zinta's character. In 2012, Bhatt had her first lead role in Karan Johar's teen film Student of the Year, but her performance in it was not well-received. Two years later, she gained praise for playing a kidnapping victim in the drama Highway (2014), winning the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. In the same year, her starring roles in the commercially successful romances 2 States and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, both produced under Johar's studio Dharma Productions, established her as a leading actress. She also sang the single "Samjhawan Unplugged" for the latter film's soundtrack.
Ashwath Bhatt is an Indian film actor. He is known for his roles in IB71, Mission Majnu, Sita Ramam,Raaz Reboot, Rakkhosh, RaaziPhantom, Kesari, and Haider.
