THE TIMES OF INDIA (August 13, 2020)

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has complained to the Central Board of Film Certification against the “undue negative portrayal” of the work culture in the force in the new film “Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl”.

In its letter to the Censor Board, with copies marked to the Karan Johar-owned Dharma Productions and Netflix, the IAF said, “In the aim to glorify the screen character of ‘Ex-Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena’, M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture especially against women in the IAF.”

The film is a biopic on former IAF officer Flight Lieutenant Saxena, who became the first woman helicopter pilot to fly in combat to evacuate wounded soldiers during the Kargil conflict in 1999. Saxena, whose father is a retired Army officer, was even conferred a gallantry award. IAF said Dharma Productions had earlier agreed to represent the force with authenticity and make efforts to ensure the film inspired youngsters.

But “certain scenes and dialogues” in the movie and its trailer, which were submitted for a preview, portrayed the IAF in an “undue negative light” as if it has institutionalised gender bias, said the letter.

IAF said it has ensured that “the organisation is gender neutral and has always provided equal opportunity to male and women personnel” since women started being inducted as officers in the force in the mid-1990s. After having women transport aircraft and helicopter pilots for over a couple of decades, the IAF has also commissioned eight as fighter pilots since 2016.

Annexing the summary of the objectionable scenes in the film, the IAF letter said Dharma Productions was advised to delete or modify them. “However, the production house has not deleted the scenes,” it said.