Mumbai, May 5 (IANS): National Award-winning filmmaker Sankalp Reddy has said that his upcoming film 'IB 71' is a spiritual prequel to the 2017 film 'The Ghazi Attack'.

The upcoming film headlined and produced by Vidyut Jammwal tells the story of the Ganga hijack of 1971, which helped India gain a strategic advantage over Pakistan.

When Vidyut Jammwal brought the idea of 'IB 71' to director Sankalp Reddy, he saw the potential for more than just a standalone film.

Reddy shared: "When Vidyut told me about the Ganga hijack incident, I thought it was a fantastic story to tell, but as we delved deeper into the research, we realised that it was like a spiritual prequel to 'The Ghazi Attack.'"

"Both films are set in the 1970s and explore India's military history, so the director saw the opportunity to create a cinematic universe. "It was the perfect opportunity to create a world and take the audience through a journey," Reddy added.

The Ghazi Attack was a critically acclaimed film that told the story of the Indian submarine INS Karanj that sank the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The film was appreciated for its authenticity, technical finesse, and gripping storyline.

Talking about his research for 'IB 71,' Reddy said, "When I started researching for this film, I realised that not many people knew about the Ganga hijack of 1971. It was a challenge to collate facts from history and present it in an engaging manner. But as a filmmaker, I wanted to showcase this story to the world, and I am glad that the team has worked hard to bring it to life on screen."

"The territory was similar, but the research for 'IB 71' was even more intense. We wanted to be true to the facts and pay tribute to the people involved in the event. We had to get the planes, costumes, locations, and even the smallest details right to take the audience back to that era."