The New Indian Express ·
Operation Ganga director Vishnu Mohan: Started scripting only after Mohanlal sir liked the idea
Mohanlal's upcoming film with director Vishnu Mohan of Meppadiyan fame has been titled Operation Ganga. The makers unveiled the title with a poster featuring Mother Ukraine, a monumental Soviet-era statue in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. It's a crucial detail given the film is based on an evacuation mission carried out in 2022 by the Indian government to rescue its citizens stranded in Ukraine and neighbouring countries during the Russian invasion.
Speaking exclusively to CE about the film from Georgia, where shooting commenced recently, director Vishnu Mohan says the ambitious project took extensive planning. "It's a huge film that needed a lot of prep and research. In fact, this is among the first few films internationally to be made on the Russia-Ukraine war. A project of this scale also demanded a superstar like Mohanlal. I started developing the script only after he liked the initial idea. Even the production house came in later," he says.
Gokulam Gopalan of Sree Gokulam Movies is producing Operation Ganga, which is being mounted as a pan-India project. Acknowledging the challenges involved in executing such a subject, Vishnu says the team is yet to finalise the budget. "The only thing Gopalan sir told me was to make a film that will make Mohanlal sir and him proud. Since they both are also extremely patriotic, they want this film to be made in the best possible way."
