New war films to hit cinemas

After grand success of 'Ghazi Attack' and 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', a new set of Bollywood war movies is set to enthrall film lovers

After the grand success of Ghazi Attack and Uri: The Surgical Strike, a new set of Bollywood war movies is set to enthrall the film-lovers.

Ajay Devgn is playing the role of IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who during the 1971 war built the airbase in Bhuj with the help of 300 local women. Bhuj: The Pride of India is slated to be released ahead of Independence Day 2020.

But, 2021 first-half is expected to buzz with SherShaah, Tejas and other biopics.

Karan Johar is making SherShaah, a film based on Kargil conflict hero Captain Vikram Batra. It features Siddharth Malhotra.

Three-time National award winning actress Kangana Ranaut has donned the IAF uniform and is playing the role of a fighter pilot.

The current one of the most-popular stars among youngsters, Varun Dhawan is gearing up for the biopic on Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who laid down his life during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. So far, at 21, he is the youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee.

After success in spy thriller Raazi and Uri, Vicky Kaushal is playing the most important character of his life. He essays the role or Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
In Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Janhvi Kapoor plays the role of IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena.

War movies have always done well in Box Office - Dev Anand-starrer romantic and war subject combined Hum Dono, JP Dutta’s Border where Sunny Deol plays the main role in the film that is based on the Battle of Longewala, or for that matter Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat in which Balraj Sahani and Dharmendra play the lead characters in the movie based on Sino-Indian war of 1962.

Nana Patekar in Prahaar for the first time portrayed the real training of commandos and the brief aspect of a marine commando was brought out by Sunny Deol in Shah Rukh Khan-Juhi Chawla starrer Daar.

The movies released in the last couple of decades, J P Dutta's LOC - Kargil, Farhan Aktar's Lakshya, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Main Hoon Na and Anil Sharma's earlier The Hero - Love Story of a Spy concentrated on the achievements of the brave men who battled Pak intruders on the mountain heights in Kargil and neighbouring areas.

Agnipankh was perhaps the only exception in recent times which focused on the youngest service of the defence forces -- the IAF and its pilots. The film had Jimmy Shergill, Sameer Dharmadhikari and Rahul Dev playing the lead roles.

Raj Kapoor's Sangam was quite professional in its portrayal of the Men in Blue, including the battle scenes. The Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila starrer Aradhana was another movie in which the Air Force formed the backdrop to the trials and travails of the female protagonist.

A notable film Vijeta in 1985, which told the story of the defenders of the skies. Produced by Shashi Kapoor, it portrayed the life of a fighter pilot, Angad Singh, played by Kunal Kapoor and also starred Shashi Kapoor himself with Rekha. He said the film, primarily shot in AFA Dundigal, had fantastic footage of HJT-16 Kiran trainers and MiG-21s.

Chetan Anand's 1973 hit movie Hindustan Ki Kasam was shot immediately after the 1971 and this too stands out.

Another film with an IAF angle was Silsila. Produced and directed by Yash Chopra, the film was shot in 1981 and featured IAF aircraft like Gnats and Mig-21s. The setting is the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Prem Pujari, filmed in Spain, Britain, and France, was Dev Anand's formal directorial debut in 1970. Ram (Dev Anand) plays the role of a soldier morally opposed to war and escapes from the Army after being jailed for insubordination. On the run, he encounters Rita (Waheeda Rehman) whose single-seater plane has crashed and who embroils him in a spy ring he is determined to expose.

Other films include Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit starrer Pukar, 1975 Sanjeev Kumar starrer Akraman, Kohram starring Amitabh and Nana Patekar and Sunny Deol's Ma Tujhe Salaam.
Tango Charlie featuring Sanjay Dutt and Abhay Deol also makes an interesting movie.

Similarly, Amitabh Bachchan, Bobby Deol and Akshay Kumar makes an interesting story in Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon. 1971 is a film based on a true story of prisoners of war after the Indo-Pak war of 1971. The film is an account of the escape of six soldiers of the Indian Army taken as prisoners of war by Pakistan Army, during the war.

The 1961 film Upkar, Manoj Kumar played a village man 'Bharat' – and it transformed the actor into an authority for onscreen patriotism. Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri praised his earlier film Shaheed and enthused Manoj Kumar to make a film on the Jai Jawaan Jai Kissan slogan. The slogan shaped into Manoj Kumar's official debut as a director for Upkar, where he believably played both a jawan and a kisan.