Actress to fly with a Ronnie Screwvala production in July; is delighted to be getting into uniform
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 24, 2020)

Kangana Ranaut, who has never shied away from backing feminist causes and is always open to heroine-centric subjects, has now signed up to play an Air Force Pilot in Tejas. It is being produced by Ronnie Screwvala with Sarvesh Mewara as the director.

Kangana confirmed the news, saying, “I’ve always wanted to play a soldier and have been fascinated with the Armed Forces since childhood. I’ve never held back my emotions for our jawans and spoken openly about how strongly I feel about their heroism. They keep our country secure and our people safe. So, I’m very happy to be doing this film.”

Before she begins filming in July, the actress will require extensive prep. “I will undergo intense training before the shoot starts. My director has decided to get professional trainers on board,” says Kangana, who signed the film just two weeks ago. “Right now, I’m too deep into Thalaivi (the biopic of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa). After that, we’ll get to Tejas, which we will start this year itself,” she added.

Having been a part of a period battle in her last Republic Day release, Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi, the actress is keen to get on to a battlefield in contemporary times. Describing herself as a “born fighter at heart”, Kangana, when prodded on her inspiration for the part, replied, “Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. I followed his story closely—from the time we got the news of his capture to his release and return home. He’s a true hero in the way he handled the situation.”

For someone who has always stood for women’s empowerment, as reflected in her screen avatars, Kangana asserted that it is high time people acknowledge the significant contribution of women in the armed forces. “I’m thankful to Ronnie sir and Sarvesh who have come to me with this extraordinary script that celebrates the heroism of our soldiers,” said the actress, admitting that she “was dying to get in a uniform”. “Being in uniform will be one of the biggest highlights of my life,” Kangana says.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 23, 2019)

Vivek Anand Oberoi is all set to back a movie that salutes the valour of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The movie will be based on the Balakot airstrike, the capture and the subsequent release of Indian Air Force’s Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman — an aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack that took place in February this year. The movie will be shot in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Agra, and will go on floors later this year.

Vivek has received the required permission to make the film. Plans are afoot to make it a trilingual — in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu — with established actors from these industries playing pivotal roles, including that of Abhinandan and Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal, who guided the IAF’s interception mission to stop Pakistan’s fighter jets. While Abhinandan has been awarded the Vir Chakra, Minty has become the first woman to receive the Yudh Seva Medal.

Talking about the project, Vivek told us, “As a proud Indian, a patriot and a member of the film fraternity, it’s my duty to highlight what our armed forces are truly capable of. This film is a powerful tool to underline the achievements of brave officers like Abhinandan, who went behind enemy lines and did what makes every Indian proud of them. The Balakot airstrike was one of the most well-planned attacks by the IAF. I followed everything in the news, right from the attack in Pulwama to the airstrike. There was a lot that was speculated and spoken about back then; this film will put all of that to rest, once and for all. I thank the IAF for trusting us with this story and we hope to do justice to it.”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, T-Series’s Bhushan Kumar, filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, and producer Mahaveer Jain come together to ‘salute’ Air Force
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 4, 2019)

Producer-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, T-Series boss Bhushan Kumar, producer Mahaveer Jain, and filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor have come together to recreate the February 26 air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad facilities in Pakistan’s Balakot on the big screen. Mumbai Mirror can reveal that the project is already at the research and development stage, and the film is likely to roll by the middle of the year.

A source associated with the movie said that the project was an effort by the makers to “salute and pay tribute” to the Indian Air Force, and that a major share of the profits will be handed over to the armed forces welfare fund. “This project is our small way of saluting our armed forces and their families,” the source said, adding that the casting is being finalised even as “several A-list actors have shown interest in the film”.

Scores of film and TV serial makers have reportedly approached the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) to register titles such as Balakot, Pulwama: The Deadly Attack, Surgical Strike 2.0, War Room, Hindustan Hamara Hai, and How’s The Josh?

Earlier this year, Uri: The Surgical Strike, featuring Vicky Kaushal, which is based on the Indian Army’s surgical strike inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the terror attack on the army camp in Uri in 2016, has emerged as a massive hit.

The Indian Air Force operation on February 26, this time in retaliation to the Pulwama attack by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives, was carried out deep inside Pakistan, in Khyber Pakhtunwa’s Balakot where the Jaish terror camp was located.

In response to Pakistan’s attack the next day, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 with his MIG21 Bison, before being forced to eject and land in the enemy territory. Following intense international pressure, Pakistan had to release Wing Commander Varthaman after keeping him in custody for nearly 60 hours.

The source associated with the project said that Abhishek Kapoor will direct the movie that will also show how entire India came together to support the armed forces in the face of aggression and adversity. “It will be our tribute to the nation. After the gutless terror attack in Pulwama, the IAF surgical strike at Balakot was a well planned, 100 per cent successful operation which hit the enemy targets with precision. It is an honour to bring this story on the big screen so that we, as Indians, can revel in our national pride,” the source said.