EXCLUSIVE: Manish Chaudhari talks about response to Sky Force; JUSTIFIES Akshay Kumar smoking scenes: "It added to the officer's rutba; in those days, if you would walk into a war room, all you could see was smoke"

Manish Chaudhari has always been doing a great job. His portrayal of Group Captain David Lawrence in Sky Force is no exception. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to this ever smiling and jolly actor about this film and a lot more.How has been the feedback for Sky Force?The feedback has been fantastic. The critics have appreciated my work big time, which is always very heartwarming. The audience also had appreciative things to say about the work. That’s what we live for. Aur kya chahiye? (laughs)Were you aware of A B Devayya, whose heroic tale inspired Sky Force?I wasn’t aware of it before the story was told to me. As I interacted more with the directors (Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani), they told me more and more about their interactions with the widow and the family of the gentleman. This is when I realized that we have to tell this story in the most efficient and realistic way possible.We see Air Force officials in the film smoking in almost every scene. Was it so prevalent at that time?Yes, totally. It’s all taken from a factual perspective. Smoking cigarettes was a big part of being an Air Force officer. We are talking about the 60s when tobacco had a different meaning than what it has now. Smoking was a part of the officer’s rutba. Our advisor on the set, Mr Abhijit Gokhale, a retired Air Force officer, told us that in those days, if you would walk into a map room or war room, all you could see was smoke (laughs).I also spoke to my cousin sister who married an Air Force officer. She also confirmed that the depiction was very authentic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manish Prakash Chaudhari (@chaudhari_manish)It was difficult to see Akshay Kumar smoking since we are so used to seeing him in anti-smoking ads for years...If a story requires him to (smoke) for the realism to come across, then it had to be done. No matter how much we dislike it, the fact is that it was a part of that world.How was it working with Akshay after Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)? He’s known to be extremely punctual...It was an absolute pleasure. And yes, he was punctual. I am a stickler for time myself. In Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, I didn’t have many scenes with him. But in Sky Force, 80% of my work was with him.How was it working with the newcomer, Veer Pahariya?It’s been great. He was quite enthusiastic and willing to learn the nuances and get on with the job. I was very impressed with him. After seeing the film, I am sure everyone has realized how much potential he has.Veer has been visiting theatres to interact with the audience. Have you gone to cinemas as well?I end up doing that at least for one show. I did the same with Sky Force and had a wonderful conversation with a lady moviegoer. There was pin-drop silence throughout the show, and nobody was moving. People were not interested in ordering food. They preferred to watch the film with full interest and that’s always a good sign (smiles).There have been reports that when the dialogue ‘Tabby ko Maha Vir Chakra diya jaayega’ is uttered, moviegoers couldn’t stop clapping...I was lucky that it was the line given to me (laughs)!Viewers have also appreciated the absence of jingoism has been appreciated...Yes, it has been appreciated a lot. I was myself very happy to see that along with a deshbhakti line like ‘Tera baap, Hindustan’, there’s also the fact that the Pakistani officer’s character has been treated with a great amount of dignity.Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Abhishek Anil Kapur BREAKS silence on Fighter – Sky Force comparisons: “Leads of both films are Air Force pilots. That doesn’t mean the films are the same. Aap Dabangg aur Singham ko toh compare nahin karte ho na?”

Manish Chaudhari has always been doing a great job. His portrayal of Group Captain David Lawrence in Sky Force is no exception. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to this ever smiling and jolly actor about this film and a lot more.

How has been the feedback for Sky Force ? The feedback has been fantastic. The critics have appreciated my work big time, which is always very heartwarming. The audience also had appreciative things to say about the work.

That’s what we live for. Aur kya chahiye ? (laughs) Were you aware of A B Devayya, whose heroic tale inspired Sky Force ? I wasn’t aware of it before the story was told to me. As I interacted more with the directors (Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani), they told me more and more about their interactions with the widow and the family of the gentleman.

This is when I realized that we have to tell this story in the most efficient and realistic way possible. We see Air Force officials in the film smoking in almost every scene. Was it so prevalent at that time? Yes, totally.

It’s all taken from a factual perspective. Smoking cigarettes was a big part of being an Air Force officer. We are talking about the 60s when tobacco had a different meaning than what it has now.

Smoking was a part of the officer’s rutba . Our advisor on the set, Mr Abhijit Gokhale, a retired Air Force officer, told us that in those days, if you would walk into a map room or war room, all you could see was smoke (laughs). I also spoke to my cousin sister who married an Air Force officer.

She also confirmed that the depiction was very authentic. A post shared by Manish Prakash Chaudhari (@chaudhari_manish) It was difficult to see Akshay Kumar smoking since we are so used to seeing him in anti-smoking ads for years..

. If a story requires him to (smoke) for the realism to come across, then it had to be done. No matter how much we dislike it, the fact is that it was a part of that world.

How was it working with Akshay after Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)? He’s known to be extremely punctual...

It was an absolute pleasure. And yes, he was punctual. I am a stickler for time myself.

In Bade Miyan Chote Miyan , I didn’t have many scenes with him. But in Sky Force , 80% of my work was with him. How was it working with the newcomer, Veer Pahariya? It’s been great.

He was quite enthusiastic and willing to learn the nuances and get on with the job. I was very impressed with him. After seeing the film, I am sure everyone has realized how much potential he has.

Veer has been visiting theatres to interact with the audience. Have you gone to cinemas as well? I end up doing that at least for one show. I did the same with Sky Force and had a wonderful conversation with a lady moviegoer.

There was pin-drop silence throughout the show, and nobody was moving. People were not interested in ordering food. They preferred to watch the film with full interest and that’s always a good sign (smiles).

There have been reports that when the dialogue ‘Tabby ko Maha Vir Chakra diya jaayega’ is uttered, moviegoers couldn’t stop clapping...

I was lucky that it was the line given to me (laughs)! Viewers have also appreciated the absence of jingoism has been appreciated...

Yes, it has been appreciated a lot. I was myself very happy to see that along with a deshbhakti line like ‘ Tera baap , Hindustan’, there’s also the fact that the Pakistani officer’s character has been treated with a great amount of dignity. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Abhishek Anil Kapur BREAKS silence on Fighter – Sky Force comparisons: “Leads of both films are Air Force pilots.

That doesn’t mean the films are the same. Aap Dabangg aur Singham ko toh compare nahin karte ho na?” More Pages: Sky Force Box Office Collection , Sky Force Movie Review BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES Catch us for latest Bollywood News , New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection , New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi , Entertainment News , Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama..