Director Kabir Sadanand had to go alone for the special screening of his film "Fugly" for army 'jawans' (soldiers) in Leh.

The film's core cast of Mohit Marwah, Kiara Advani, Arfi Lamba and Vijender Singh had to skip the screening Sunday. It was especially arranged for the soldiers at the border.

Explaining the cast's absence, Sadanand said: "At that altitude in Leh, breathing normally is a problem. One needs to acclimatize oneself to the change in temperature gradually as the oxygen is low at that height."

"And there was no time for that for my actors. They were completely tied up with promoting the film on ground level."

The show in Leh for the army men was a grand success.


"Showing my film to the jawaans was one of the most memorable experiences of my film. They said 'Fugly' was a film that made them proud. Their affection and reactions after the film were overwhelming. And to see first hand - the work that the jawaans do at the border, was another experience entirely," he added.

Incidentally, the cast shot in Leh for "Fugly" and would like to return there for a holiday as soon as they are done with promoting and releasing the film. The movie hits the screens Friday.