Actor Abhishek Bachchan feels his latest release Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, based on the Chittagong uprising of 1930, has made him more aware about India's unsung heroes.

"He (Asutosh Gowariker) has a clarity and vision in making the film which came out of two years of research and I have seldom witnessed it before. He made me read the book by Manini Chatterjee Do and Die about 'Masterda' Surya Sen and his group of young Chittagong revolutionaries and how they never flinched for the country," Bachchan said here during a special screening of the film.

Asked if he hoped to reach the highest number of audiences by essaying the role of a figure like Surya Sen, who enjoyed a mass following in Bengal, Bachchan said, "Every film I choose I think it gives me the reach. "Be it in a character in Mani Ratnam films or an Ashutosh film or in any other director's work. But when you get a challenging role it gives you the opportunity to improve upon your last performance."

He said he felt proud to be part of a work on Surya Sen who was not very well-known outside this region despite the Chittagong uprising being one of the bloodiest saga of our freedom movement involving so many teenagers. Expressing hope that the film will help rediscover forgotten heroes and an obscure sentiment, Gowariker recollected how he was "struck after reading Chatterjee's book on the uprising of which very little is known and that mostly remained as a line of reference in history books."

"Executing a book into a movie is onerous, but I had long sessions as part of my research and I stuck to facts. Even history books can have different takes on an event," Gowariker, who has films like 'Lagaan' and 'Jodha Akbar' to his credit, said.

Other members of the film, including Vishakha Singh Samrat Mukherjee, Maninder Singh, Sikander Kher (Son of Anupam Kher), and Shreyas Pandit, among others, talked about their experiences about working in the period flick.

- Ndtv.com