The upcoming highly-anticipated Netflix Original film Munich: The Edge of War is scheduled to arrive on January 21st, 2022. Ahead of its release, actress Anjli Mohindra has revealed the real-life inspiration behind the song.
Based on Robert Harris’ novel, Munich, Christian Schwochow’s film will be set in the fall of 1938, just a year before the Second World War. It focuses specifically on the months that preceded Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and the increasing pressure of two old friends as they attend an emergency conference in Munich.
Starring Jeremy Irons, Jessica Brown Findlay, George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, August Diehl and Sandra Huller in pivotal roles, the film will see the friendship getting entangled in an epic mess amidst negotiations, high-strung political tension and conflict.
Mohindra, who was last seen in Doctor Who, Bodyguard and Vigil, will be seen as a secretary named Joan, a part of the British contingent at the conference. Although she might seem like a minor character, she has a pivotal role to play in the narrative.
Talking to Digital Spy, Mohindra talked about how her character “popped off the page” during reading. “Her short time on screen really packs a real punch, and even makes a reference to her ethnicity. There were lots of South-Asian civil servants working for the British government at that time.”
Expressing her excitement at being able to play a character “representative of its time”, Mohindra later revealed how she was not really aware of the nuances of the historical era before landing the role of Joan. The film focuses on a lesser discussed event where Neville Chamberlain’s actions during the Munich Agreement is still debatable among historians.
Besides reading the novel, she also sought real-life inspiration from a British South-Asian spy, Noor Inayat Khan.
Since Khan was active during the time, Mohindra thought that it would be apt to derive inspiration from her. Talking about the aspects of Khan’s character that she infused within the character of Joan, she revealed, “But to still be very patriotic to your country, and want to fight and serve, I think that’s something I really enjoyed using for Joan.”
She added, “She wants to be seen for so much more than just her racial identity, and to be respected as a pivotal part, to play her role, and to do it well.”
The filming also took place in certain parts of the original conference venue in the Munich building that fuelled excitement among the cast and crew. Mohindra even revealed how awestruck she was when she met Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons and witnessed him improvising on set.
Munich: The Edge of War will begin streaming on Netflix on January 21st, 2022.
