Shruti Tomar, Hindustan Times Bhopal, March 23, 2012
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| Pan Singh Tomar with his wife Indira and their children. |
His father's name once spelt terror and respect in Chambal, where death comes as a whistling bullet, or in the form of crocodiles teeming in the local river.
But Souram Singh Tomar — son of Paan Singh Tomar who has inspired the popular movie of the same name — doesn't go back there after his father's death for fear of being killed by his father's old enemies or the police. Instead, Souram Singh, a 53-year-old retired Army subedar, lives with his 75-year-old mother and his family at Babina in Jhansi district.
Paan Singh was an armyman and an international award-winning athlete who became a dacoit (locals prefer the term 'baagi' or rebel) after alleged oppression and violence against his family. The movie on him was made by director Tigmanshu Dhulia with Irrfan in the lead role.