Capturing on celluloid the character of a larger-than-life freedom fighter like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a daunting task that left filmmaker Shyam Benegal weary but creatively satisfied.

"It has been a long haul making the film for three years, and now I would not take up another such subject. But at the end I am very satisfied. The canvas of the film is huge since the person on whom I made the film was someone larger than life," says Benegal about "Bose The Forgotten Hero".

His other historical films include one on Mahatma Gandhi and a documentary on former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"It is such a marvellous story to tell. The film is an extraordinary journey of a man who travelled all the way to Afghanistan, Central Asia, Germany and then Southeast Asia. We travelled the length and breadth of the places where Netaji had travelled," tells Benegal, who auditioned 49 actors before selecting Sachin Khedekar for the lead role.

In the film, Rajeshwari Sachdev portrays Laxmi Sehgal of the women's wing of the Indian National Army (INA), founded by Bose to free India from British rule. The film has several German and British actors as well.

"Bose The Forgotten Hero" was made on a budget of Rs.220 million. The film captures the remarkable journey of Netaji from 1941 to 1945 in the backdrop of the Second World War and the exploits of the INA.

"It was a thrilling experience making this film on a man's extraordinary journey. A man who was alone when he started, and then the entire nation was behind him. If viewers can identify with the achievements of Netaji, it would be a reward enough," Benegal said here, speaking to a group of reporters.

"I know that in Bengal he has not been forgotten. But in the rest of India people should know who he was and what he achieved. So the film has been titled 'Bose The Forgotten Hero', though Bose The Last Hero was a working title.

"The research itself took more than a year. Since it's a period film, the details of costume, sets and other aspects had to be worked out minutely."

Benegal found the post-production and special effects no less challenging. "We couldn't find a single aircraft used during the Second World War for shooting. So we had to generate them on computer."

Khedekar adds that the film changed him as a person. "I studied and lived with the character for two years. Netaji has changed me as a person.

"I heard his speeches, watched his footage and read extensively to prepare (for the role)."

For Rajeshwari, doing Sehgal's role meant lots of reading. "I read the autobiography of Laxmi Sehgal and met her personally to imbibe the character," she says.

Atul Tiwari, who wrote the script and dialogue with Shama Zaidi, started researching for the film thinking he was much familiar with Netaji, as Bose was popularly known.

"But as I delved deeper, I realised that I know very little about him. It was an eye-opening experience researching for the film," Tiwari says.

According to former Trinamool Congress MP Krishna Bose, widow of Netaji's nephew Sisir Bose, the film brings out Subhas Bose very well.

"When Shyam Benegal approached us we knew the subject was in safe hands. The director has done a good job. We opened our family archives to the team for research, and the representation is dramatic but authentic."

Sisir Bose had helped Bose in his great escape from Kolkata Jan 17, 1941 when the man was under house arrest.

He drove Netaji to Gomoh in Bihar in a German-model "Wanderer" at night from their Elgin Road house here - now Netaji Bhavan. Bose managed to go to Kabul and then reached Germany, from where he was moved to Japanese-invaded territory in Southeast Asia in a German submarine.