Exclusive - Fighter actor Rishabh Sawhney on choosing Echoes Of Valour: 'I didn't want to play only terrorists or negative characters''

Rishabh with Echoes of Valour team at Venice Film Festival. (Photo: Instagram/Rishabh Sawhney)

“It's an unparalleled feeling. When I started acting, I wanted to do something like this, which would go international and be appreciated by the global audience. I'm getting to be part of such a film; it's like a blessing in itself," he said.

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In Echoes of Valour, Rishabh Sawhney plays a teacher, a role that he says came to him at the right time in his career and that he didn't want to end up only playing negative roles onscreen.

“My character in Echoes Of Valour is that of a teacher. And I cannot disclose much about the character but the thing that drew me to this role was that I wanted to do something different. I did not want to play only terrorists or negative guys. In Echoes of Valour, I got to show a different side of me, a different character, a different skin I had to get into to play that character. "Very special feeling," he said.

He is happy that it is in complete contrast to the role of a terrorist he had played in Fighter and he acknowledges it openly. "It is quite a stark contrast between Fighter and Echoes of Valour because in Fighter I was playing a terrorist and in Echoes of Valour, I am playing a teacher who acts as a catalyst and helps the mother of an army officer with something," he adds.

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Siddharth Anand’s Fighter was one of the most anticipated action films of 2024. It had Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor in the lead. The film crossed over Rs 350 crore worldwide, cementing its place as a box-office success despite mixed reviews.

For Rishabh, playing a key antagonist opposite Hrithik gave him visibility, but he says he does not want to be typecast.

Rishab said he believes Indian cinema is steadily making its presence felt worldwide.

“I do feel Indian cinema is getting a lot of global visibility because when I've come here, a lot of people are talking about Indian films; they know about Indian films. And Indian films have been in global recognition at a very, very good rate," he says.

Talking about his preparation for Echoes of Valour, the actor credited director Indira Dhar for shaping his performance. “For the prep of this character I was really helped by my director Indira Dhar. She approached me for this film and she guided me on how to go about it, what personality traits to pick up, and what gestures to do. She really helped me in preparing my character.”

Rishabh said the project was also special because of the senior actors—Divya Dutta and Neeraj Kabi—being a part of it.

“Well, I have always admired Divya Ma'am and Neeraj Sir’s acting and getting a chance to play a character in a film where he is also involved was phenomenal. It was a phenomenal feeling. It was the feeling of a full circle getting completed. And of course, Divya ma'am, I have seen her in so many films and she's phenomenal. Actually, both of them are phenomenal actors. So getting to work with them, getting to learn from them. It's been a brilliant experience for me," he said.

Rishabh says the role in Echoes of Valour gave him the opportunity to step away from stereotypes and embrace a more layered, meaningful performance and one that is now making its mark at the Venice Film Festival.