"This is a landmark venture. Never before has a film been done on what war widows go through," Gen. J.J. Singh's wife Anupama Singh said Monday of "Shaurya", being produced and directed by Sharayu Phalke, whose husband Lt. Gen Deepak Summanwar is the director general of military intelligence (DGMI) at the Army Headquarters here.

"This is not only a film about a war widow but about a woman who also loses her son in battle. The film is a sensitive portrayal of how the widow and her daughter-in-law deal with the tragedy," Singh, president of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), told reporters.

"As army wives, we have to deal with death on a day-to-day basis. Thus, it is only appropriate that one of us should make this film. We want to tell all war widows that they are not alone and that we are with you all the way," she said.

"This is a topic that must go to a much larger audience (outside the armed forces). We need our countrymen to be made aware of this issue."

Part of the shooting for the film was done during the passing out parade at Dehradun's Indian Military Academy (IMA) last week and this prompted a media report that alleged the army had bent over backwards to facilitate the filming.

"I guess everyone has a job to do," was Singh's wry comment when asked about this. She then added: "Let me tell you that in the army, everything goes by the rules. No rules were broken in the making of this film. The fact that I and the wife of the DGMI were involved meant that it was made doubly sure that the rules were followed."

About her own role in the film, Singh said: "I do not act but the producer felt that my presence in the film would send out a strong message to war widows. So, I agreed (to deliver the message)."

Explained Lt. Gen. A.S. Jamwal, the Indian Army's adjutant general: "The family concept is very strong in the army. The CO's (commanding officer's) wife becomes the mother to all the other wives (in the unit). By natural progression, the president of AWWA is the mother figure to the entire force."

Phalke's daughter Aarti plays the lead in the film opposite Kunal Mehta, who is the son of a major general. Phalke's son Aditya has scored the background music.