Jha said teenagers were sustainable to outside influences and need to be protected.

"Sikander is not a film based on terrorism. Since the story is set in Kashmir, the backdrop used in about militancy. It is a soul stirring film about teenagers," he told reporters today at the music launch of the film which hits the theatres on April 24.

The writer-director said the story of Kashmiri boy Mehrajuddin Wadoo who wanted to be a football player inspired him to write the film.

It dwells on the issue of channelising the energies of youngsters positively, Jha said.

It is about the aspirations and challenges of a young boy and how his like unfolds when one day he finds a gun on his way to school, he said.

"When we see some one killing people, we need to understand why the person has reached to this situation. Is there a lost childhood in this mayhem? We need to look at the roots of terrorism and save the innocence of child hood," lyricist Prasoon Joshi said.

'Sikander' triggered a thought in me -- to see the human side of a terrorist, to look into his childhood, his dreams," Joshi, who has penned 'Dhoop ke sikke' in the film said.

The film's music album has seven songs.

'Sikander' stars Parzan Dastur, the child star of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Parzania' and Ayesha Kapoor, the child star of 'Black'. The film also stars R Madhavan and Sanjay Suri.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said 'Sikander' was a co-production between him and Big Pictures.