When I was abroad, Sanjay Gupta used to send recommendations to watch things on YouTube. He was a good friend and a very good soul. I never expected him to go so early in life. I enjoyed making Kaabil with him. When he narrated the script to Hrithik [Roshan] and me, I shook hands with him then and there and said we were going ahead with it.

Sanjay was a good technician and a capable director. He never did anything without asking me while filming Kaabil. After the shoot got over, I told him I couldn’t have made this film as well as he had. I never once had to go on the sets.

He discussed everything before we shot. I was going to give him my next film whenever I thought of making one. He had been sitting on two or three subjects for two years, but we could not lock any of them. He had written the script for Kaabil 2. Hrithik and I had heard the script and liked it. We were working on it when, all of a sudden, this happened.

Sanjay was the second director [after Anurag Basu] to work with our banner. He was a commercial director with sound technical knowledge, including shot-taking and lighting. When I saw the first copy of Kaabil, I told him, ‘You have far exceeded my imagination’.

He also sat with me on the third and fourth instalments of Krrish. We were close and practically met every day. He was an all-rounder in filmmaking. We would script together without any arguments, very calmly. If something was not good enough, he would come back with another idea, or I would. There was no ego between us. He would explain to actors what he wanted from them and [find a way] to extract what he envisioned.

Sanjay was attached to his team and was like family to everybody. Besides being a good director and technician, he was a very good human being, a good friend, family member, father and husband — rare qualities, but Sanjay had all of them.

Elnaaz Norouzi recently made a stride in her Hollywood career as she starred alongside Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi in the actioner The Fix. While it was released in India the past week, its US release happened in November, and the actor is ecstatic with the response.

“It feels very special. It isn’t something I expected but it happened and there’s nothing better than recognition for your work,” she says.

Having gotten the opportunity to work with a Hollywood legend like Liam Neeson, Elnaaz Norouzi says she learnt from him “the ease with which he is present on set”. She says, “It reflects in the way he talks, speaks, performs and behaves.”

But how are superstars in the West different from the ones in India? As per Norouzi, not much. “They are all very down to earth. If you meet a Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan, they have the same humility as a Gerard Butler or a Liam Neeson or Zachary Levi. We feel that superstars are untouchable, but they are the most humble people,” she insists.

Norouzi made her Hollywood debut with the 2023 release Kandahar, alongside actor Gerard Butler. Ask her whether navigating Bollywood has been tougher or Hollywood, and she says, “Indian industry has been more challenging. The West is still closer to what I am used to when I grew up in Germany. India was much harder for me to navigate, and it took me a lot of time to understand it.”

The actor, who comes from an Iranian-German descent and has been part of Hindi films like Tehran and Mastii 4 (both 2025), adds that Indian cinema often stereotypes foreign-looking actors in their films and give them superficial characters to play.

“There is not that much diversity in Indian films or series. The stories here are mostly about India, and if they go international, it’s mostly about England or Pakistan. In the West, so many more countries come in to make a movie. So, naturally, there is more diversity in the West than Indian cinema,” she says.

If one measures an actor’s success by the projects in their kitty, Suvinder Vicky comes out shining. The actor, who is currently enjoying a box-office biggie in Awarapan 2, will soon be seen in Hrithik Roshan’s maiden production, Storm. The actor, however, has a different metric to measure success — to him, it’s about earning the trust of his directors.

Vicky told mid-day, “When I get a message from a director saying that they want to work with me, my happiness knows no bounds. Whether I end up doing that project or not is secondary, but that trust shown by them is precious. For instance, Honey Trehan is like my brother. Whether he casts me in his next or not, I will always be present in his films, in spirit.”

The actor collaborated with Trehan on Satluj, which was pulled down from Zee 5. Vicky had almost exited the movie, but a line by Trehan compelled him to remain part of the drama on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.

“There was a clash of dates between Kohrra and Satluj. I told Sudip [Sharma, Kohrra creator] and Honey to sort it out. Honey is great. When I told him that I was leaving his film because I was getting paid better on Kohrra and it was a longer commitment, he said, ‘My film will not be made without two people, Diljit Dosanjh and you.’”

Even as ‘Satluj’ remains unavailable for streaming, Suvinder Vicky is happy that the controversy around it has shed more light on Jaswant Singh Khalra. “My daughters would ask me what the film was about. I told them to Google it. The new generation should at least get to know about this story,” he said.

Kangana Ranaut has hit back at actor Hrithik Roshan after he commented on a viral social media post saying that “the world owes an apology” to him. The post followed backlash against Ranaut over her remarks on recent student protests, including those over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. The actor and BJP MP criticised the protesters’ conduct and language, describing some young women at the demonstrations as “Generation Gutter”.

Her comments drew a response from Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das, whom Kangana later called “useless and unemployed”. Saurav then joked that she may have been targeting him because he resembled a younger Hrithik Roshan.

The remark prompted social media users to revive Kangana and Hrithik’s old public dispute, with “We need to apologise to Hrithik Roshan” gaining traction online. Influencer Freddy Birdy also shared a post that read, “The world owes an apology to Hrithik Roshan.”

Hrithik responded in the comments, questioning the tendency to side with one person merely because another had fallen out of favour. Kangana hit back on Instagram Stories on Saturday, accusing him of fuelling the online harassment against her.

---------------------------------------------------

In 2016, Kangana Ranaut referred to an unnamed former partner as a “silly ex”, prompting Hrithik Roshan to send her a legal notice. She issued a counter-notice, and their conflicting claims over an alleged relationship, emails and photographs subsequently played out in public. The old controversy resurfaced after Saurav Das joked that Ranaut was targeting him because he resembled a younger Hrithik.

Travel cult classic Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) turned 15 yesterday, and Natasha Arora, the fiancée audiences loved to argue about, continues to spark conversations. Kalki Koechlin doesn’t defend the character’s flaws. Instead, she believes those very imperfections made Natasha memorable.

She shares, “I don’t think she is a perfect character. I do think she is a problematic character,” adding, “Natasha absolutely stands up for herself. If she’s not okay with something, she says so and decides not to be with her fiancé. So, absolutely, she takes control of her life. That’s what makes the character lovable. Even though she’s quite insane, you understand where she’s coming from.”

Beyond the character’s personality, Kalki admits Natasha also left an imprint on her personal style. She says, “What I took from Natasha is my sense of style. She was always outfitted so well. I felt good in those clothes. There’s a certain personality... your spine straightens up when you wear certain clothes.”

On the topic of why Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara has endured, Kalki reaches for a broader thesis about friendship on screen. She says, “I think a lot of films about friendship really stand the test of time. There’s something about friendship that really sticks because it’s what carries us through all the ups and downs. You marry, divorce, have a child, lose a parent... and when all these things happen, only a few friends see you through all those stages. Your friends are almost like a mirror to the person you become.”

Asked what a present-day version of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara might explore, she says, “Maybe if it were made today, it would be about three girlfriends going on a trip, and the boys are having trouble with control.”

Apart from Natasha, what has stayed with Kalki are memories of shooting in Spain and the anonymity it offered even actors of the scale of Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.

She recalls, “We had these huge film stars like Hrithik and Katrina in a completely foreign country. When we do promotions here, or when we shoot or go for a screening, there is security, crowds shouting their names and people asking for selfies. But in Spain, it was different. We walked on the cobbled streets and nobody bothered us. Everybody sat around the water fountain in the middle of the city. It was wonderful that we could simply be ourselves and not worry about the personas around us.”

Describing Spain as a leveller for the entire team, she adds, “It made everybody more accessible to each other. We weren’t hiding in our vanity vans, which tends to be the case when we’re shooting in Mumbai or elsewhere in India.”

One of the things Kalki admires most about Zoya Akhtar’s filmmaking is her ability to find humour in life’s awkward moments, even amid emotional turmoil.

She says, “Zoya is particularly good at comic timing and at writing it into the script itself. She has a knack for finding those awkward moments and building them into the story. So, even in a serious scene, there’s always a touch of awkward comedy, and I really love that. The characters may be dealing with serious problems, but sometimes humour wins. Life is also like that. It’s never just one emotion. You’re not only sad; you’re also happy, angry and frustrated.”

Is Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish 4 happening? Well, rumours suggested that creative and financial disagreements between the superstar and producer Aditya Chopra had resulted in the superhero film being stalled. But now, mid-day has got all the details from the horse’s mouth. When we reached out to filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, he asserted that the highly anticipated movie will roll this year. 

“It’s all nonsense that Hrithik has asked for a Rs 500 crore budget for top-tier VFX and world-class action for his directorial debut, while YRF [Yash Raj Films] wants to cap costs at Rs 350 crore. Making a good film catering to a [wide] audience takes time. Even I have taken time for each of my Krrish offerings,” said the senior filmmaker. 

The fourth instalment of the much loved franchise was first announced in 2018. At the time, Karan Malhotra of Agneepath (2012) fame was at the helm, with Siddharth Anand as the co-producer. In the subsequent years, Malhotra and Anand exited the project, and in 2025, Roshan Senior announced that Hrithik would turn director with it.

It’s been over a year since then, and the superhero film still hasn’t gone on floors. Reason? The filmmaker indicated that the delay is because Hrithik is tied up with the production house that he launched this year.

“Krrish [Hrithik] is on another planet and we are all waiting for his dates,” he joked, before adding, “There are no issues; all is smooth. It’s teamwork between Adi, Hrithik, and me.”

The script is almost finalised and the makers are planning to take it on floors by the year-end. Refraining from putting a timeline to it, Roshan teased, “I will update you when everything is ready.”

Suvinder Vicky may have lost out on the second season of Kohrra, but he has gained a highly anticipated series. The actor is currently shooting for Storm, which marks Hrithik Roshan’s production debut in the OTT world. If Vicky was impressed by the Prime Video series’ script, he was bowled over by the first-time producer.

The actor, who recently met Roshan, said, “He is really the Greek God that people call him. He has that aura. He gave me so much respect.”

Vicky was a Punjabi cinema regular before breaking out in Hindi entertainment with Kohrra. He admitted to being overwhelmed with the admiration that the Hindi film industry artistes have shown him since. 

“Whether it’s Amit ji [Amitabh Bachchan], Hrithik, or any actor, the more people become successful, the humbler they get here. They touch your feet and you feel embarrassed.”

Have you ever wondered what the three principal characters of ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ (2011) would be like in their 40s, years after their famous trip across Spain? It’s something filmmaker Zoya Akhtar is wondering about. The buzz in the industry circles is that the filmmaker has completed the first draft of the hit’s sequel, which is likely to be her next directorial venture.

From what we’ve heard, the sequel revisits the core trio — essayed by Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, and Abhay Deol — years later, reflecting on their evolving friendships, mid-life choices, and unresolved dreams.

An insider told mid-day, “Zoya has finally locked a draft she is happy with. She was always clear that a sequel to ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ would only happen if it had something new to say. It’s not a nostalgic rehash; the film acknowledges the time elapsed and the changes that have taken place in the three men’s lives.”

While no announcement has been made, discussions are said to be underway with the male leads. The insider added, “The intent is to reunite the boys, but it all depends on alignment of dates.”

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has reacted to the growing buzz around Kaabil 2, after social media went into a frenzy over his recent post hinting at a sequel to the 2017 Hrithik Roshan-Yami Gautam Dhar-starrer. The excitement began when Gupta responded to a fan query on X, saying that Kaabil 2 was “ready” and “deadlier,” a comment that was later deleted, but not before screenshots went viral.

Reacting to the overwhelming response, Gupta tells us, “My tweet was a reply in jest to a personal friend. The fact is that yes, Kaabil 2 has been written and this time it is indeed far more deadlier. But right now, the Roshan family’s complete focus is on Krrish 4, which I feel will be bigger than the first three put together. Anything on Kaabil 2, if and when, will only be announced by Rakesh ji.”

Kaabil starred Hrithik as Rohan Bhatnagar, a visually impaired man. The story follows Rohan and his wife Supriya, who are both blind, and shows how their peaceful life is shattered after a brutal crime. The film traces Rohan’s determined quest for justice, highlighting his intelligence, resilience, and emotional strength despite his disability.

At the box office, Kaabil faced a major clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees upon release, which affected its overall collections. Despite the tough competition, the film performed reasonably well, recovered its budget, and was considered a moderate commercial success. Hrithik Roshan’s performance received strong praise and played a key role in drawing audiences to the film.

It may be a while before fans see Hrithik Roshan back on screen, but the superstar has ensured that work behind the scenes is well underway. Roshan, who announced his entry into the streaming space as a producer on October 10, 2025, has taken his first production, Storm, on floors. Sources tell mid-day that the thriller series began shooting in Mumbai in November 2025.

“The shooting for Storm is in full swing. Ajitpal Singh serves as the show’s director, writer, and creator. It’s largely a start-to-end schedule. Ajit is looking at wrapping it by February,” says a source of the series, which stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Alaya F, Saba Azad, Srishti Shrivastava, Rrama Sharma, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Rajit Kapur.

The show marks the first of many collaborations between Prime Video and Roshan’s HRX Films, a division of his FilmKraft Productions. The makers worked on the script for over three years before taking the series on floors.

“Hrithik and Ajitpal have spent considerable time exchanging ideas through the scripting and pre-production stage. Hrithik is kicked about the show’s script. He loved Ajit’s directorial venture Tabbar (2021). So, he knows the filmmaker will bring his unique flavour to the genre, where style, substance, and sensitivity will unite,” shares another insider.

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar filed a suit before the Bombay High Court for protection of his personality rights from unknown persons and others infringing them via artificial intelligence. The HC will hear the matter on Wednesday. A similar suit was also filed actor Hrithik Roshan, but before the Delhi High Court. Roshan's plea will also be heard on Wednesday in New Delhi.

Akshay Kumar, who has over 150 films to his credit, prefers his screen name over his given name, Akshay Bhatia. This includes his name, screen name "Akshay Kumar," image, likeness, voice, distinctive performance style, mannerisms, and other identifiable attributes.

The suit by Hrithik, filed through Parinam Law, cites "large-scale misuse" of his persona through "AI-generated and deepfake images and videos, counterfeit merchandise, deceptive advertisements, false brand endorsements, and impersonating social media profiles on platforms…and various e-commerce sites." He made various social media platforms and e-commerce sites also a party to the suit.

Recently, Justice Arif Doctor granted interim protection of such rights to legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle and actor Suniel Shetty. The HC, in Shetty's order, said "unauthorized creation/uploading of deepfake images of the Plaintiff (Shetty) on social media platforms constitutes a grave infringement not only of his personality rights but also of his right to live with dignity.

After months of silence on the underwhelming box office showing of War 2, Hrithik Roshan has finally spoken up. The actor, who reprised his role as Kabir in the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster War, shared a series of pictures from the shoot on Instagram, along with a candid note.

“Playing Kabir was so much fun. So relaxed, knew him so well. It was going to be easy. Finally a movie I could do like so many others do, keep it simple, play the actor, do your job and come home. And it was exactly that. I was taken care of so well by my director Ayaan. It was such a pleasure to have his energy on set. Everything seemed so perfect. Like it’s meant to be. A sure shot. No worries, just needed to do my job right. Which of course I did,” the 51-year-old wrote in the caption.

Though he did not comment on the film’s reception, Hrithik turned reflective in the latter half of the note. He added, “But something was lurking behind that presumptuous certainty. A voice that I kept shutting out. This is too easy... I know this too well. And another that said I deserve it, every film doesn’t have to be a torture and trauma and an incessant search for the truth of the moment. Relax.”

War 2, an installment in the YRF SpyVerse, was directed by Ayan Mukerji and also starred Kiara Advani, NTR Jr, and Anil Kapoor. On the professional front, Hrithik has Krrish 4 lined up next, which will see him donning the director’s hat.

Fiza, released in 2000, celebrates its 25th anniversary today. On this milestone, the film’s writer-director, Khalid Mohamed, shares, “These 25 years seem like yesterday. Looking back, there’s a sense of self-fulfilment and pride.” He calls actors Karisma Kapoor a “dream to work with” and Hrithik Roshan the “most immersive” actor.

Khalid says he wasn’t meant to helm the film originally but was “pushed into directing” after filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, the first choice, didn’t work out. It was cinematographer Santosh Sivan who stepped in with a suggestion: “Why don’t you direct it yourself?” Later, Karisma also joined Santosh in encouraging Khalid.

Though Khalid had written screenplays for films like Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996), and Zubeidaa (2001), directing had its own challenges: “Of course, there were some tough days, like when we didn’t have enough resources to show a large room.”

Funding was also major concern until a new producer came on board. “The film had been started with loans derived from friends by co-producer Pradeep Guha and myself,” Khalid explains.

Sharing how the music became a huge asset to the film, he muses, “I lucked out.” Anu Malik “was in his element”, and A R Rahman composed Piya Haji Ali for free. Gulzar’s lyrics for Aaja Mahiya also “worked wonders for the song,” Khalid adds.

Shabana Raza Bajpayee recalls playing Shehnaz Sulaiman, Hrithik Roshan’s love interest in Fiza: “I remember when I got the narration of the story. I liked it so much, not just its canvas but the bunch of talented people who were involved .”

The 50-year-old actor reveals that her main goal during production was to get director Khalid Mohamed to broaden her role. “My only aim was to somehow persuade Khalid to increase my scenes, as I loved the story so much and, like any other aspiring actor, I wanted to be there in more frames,” Shabana explains, adding, “No one could deter him even a bit from the original plot.”

She also reflects on working with her husband, actor Manoj Bajpayee, who played Murad Khan. “Manoj had a small but memorable role,” she says, adding, “Every character was an anchor to the story in their own way; that’s what makes the film more special.”

(From left) Actors Suhail Nayyar, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, Sunny Hinduja, and Pratik Gandhi at the special chat moderated by mid-day’s Priyanka Sharma, at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade

To celebrate India’s 79th Independence Day on Friday, mid-day and Netflix India brought a slice of the country’s past to St Xavier’s College in Mumbai. The auditorium was packed with eager students, their eyes glued to the stage, where the cast of Saare Jahan Se Accha — a spy thriller inspired by real-life events of the 1970s — sat down for a chat with mid-day.

The show — starring Pratik Gandhi, Sunny Hinduja, Kritika Kamra, Anup Soni, and Suhail Nayyar — dropped online only a day before Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s ambitious spy offering War 2 opened in cinemas.

Pointing out that the series and the YRF spy films hail from dramatically different worlds, we posed a hypothetical scenario to Gandhi: What would Vishnu Shankar, his intelligence officer character in the show, chat about with Roshan’s Kabir Dhaliwal, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, and Salman Khan’s Tiger if they crossed paths?

“I don’t think I’ll recruit them ever. I’ll ask them to join the entertainment industry,” he quipped, eliciting uproarious laughter from the audience.

Gandhi had his reason for the choice. When we mentioned that the treatment of spies and their lives in Saare Jahan Se Accha is gritty and real, a marked difference from that in films, the actor elaborated, “War 2 and all those films talk about wars. The heroes are fighting the wars, whereas real-life spies’ job is to avoid wars.”

The actor pointed out another difference — the agents on the big screen look too dashing for their own good. “These agents are not supposed to look like heroes, because then they will [draw] attention. They should be able to blend in. If they can do any kind of stunts, I guess the world will know that this guy is up to something,” he said.

Given the occasion, we asked the actors what freedom means to them. Kamra said, “Freedom is the ability to dissent. You are truly free with someone, or as a citizen, if you can speak your mind fearlessly.”

Soni added, “If we can hug each other, say what we want, eat whatever we want, that’s freedom.”

Gone are the days when moviegoers could sit through three-hour films in theatres. So, the makers of War 2 — featuring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR — internally decided to re-edit the film. Despite receiving official clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on August 6, the film will be resubmitted for clearance with a runtime 170 minutes, down from the original 183 minutes.

“There has been a significant 13-minute reduction. A longer, raw cut was submitted to ensure that the film reaches international territories in a timely fashion, while the VFX work was still being finalised. The shorter theatrical cut is now much more aligned with the makers’ original vision,” shares a source, adding that the team didn’t want to compromise on the pace of the Ayan Mukerji-directed film, especially in the second half.

“To deliver a tighter, more gripping film, it was internally decided that they would edit the film further and resubmit.”

Sources also inform that the makers will submit the post-credit scene separately for certification this week. Rumours are rife that the post-credit scene will star Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Sharvari, among others.

Before giving us glimpses of chase sequences, aerial stunts, and action set-pieces, the trailer of War 2 opens with something unexpected. In the first 80 seconds of the two-minute-plus trailer, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s characters are heard pledging to serve the country above all else. It turns out producer Aditya Chopra and director Ayan Mukerji decided to incorporate this oath, a feature that will now be extended to all the films in the YRF Spy Universe.

In the August 14 release that also stars Kiara Advani, Roshan reprises his role of R&AW agent-gone-rogue Kabir Dhaliwal from War (2019), and Jr NTR is seen as part of the same intelligence agency. A source reveals that the two characters take this oath, as trainee agents, at a swearing-in ceremony.

“Adi and Ayan wanted a motto that would not only form the foundation for Hrithik and Jr NTR’s characters, but would also tie the other characters of the spy universe together. So, Adi and writer Shridhar Raghavan penned this shapath. Henceforth, all undercover agents — from Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan to Salman Khan’s Tiger — will be seen taking the same oath,” says the source.

Raghavan, the head writer of the franchise and screenplay writer of Pathaan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023), confirms the development. To him, the pledge, India first, sums up the ethos of each spy in the banner’s fictional world. “India first was always their driving force. From now, it will be the war cry of every agent in this spy universe,” he shares.

The oath had another purpose in War 2, he reveals. “Adi was clear that he did not want a single plot point to be given out in the trailer. So, we created a fictional oath that the agents take during their induction into the deadly covert task forces. It mirrors the film’s dramatic story. Hrithik and Jr NTR are mirror images of each other, both bound by the call of duty to protect India — then why are they battling each other? The idea was to play on the intrigue.”

​For 26 years, July 26 has been observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas, commemorating India’s victory in the Kargil War. In 1999, TV brought the war into the living room with 24 hour news cycles. At the time, realtime footage left little room for films to fill in the blanks. With time, filmmakers began exploring the Kargil narrative. The early 2000s saw a number of films – LOC Kargil (2003), Dhoop (2003) and Lakshya (2004). In recent years, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020) and Shershaah (2021) attempted to show the war on screen. If TV captured Kargil as it happened, cinema stepped in to memorialize it, say cinema experts.

“That emotional connection created by films is very real,” says Major Sandeep Sangwan (Retd). “They help citizens understand and appreciate what the Army does, especially those who may never see it firsthand.”

A film distributor recalls that when LOC Kargil and Lakshya had released, these films inspired many young people to join the forces. He says, “It’s not important to have 200 films (on the subject). What’s important is to have authentic films that tell the story of the Kargil war and inspire youngsters.”

Retired Major Sandeep Sangwan believes realism alone doesn’t move people. “If a film only talks about an operation without showing what the soldiers are feeling, it won’t stay with the audience. Emotional storytelling is key. That’s why you’ll always notice a personal angle in good war films – the family waiting back home, the camaraderie among soldiers.”

Major (Retd) Sandeep Sangwan, who now consults on military operations for films, names three films when it comes to cinematic depictions of the Kargil War – LOC Kargil (2003), Lakshya (2004), and Shershaah (2021). “Most of the war heroes were part of LOC Kargil, whether it’s Lt Balwan Singh (now Colonel), Capt Sachin Nimbalkar (now Colonel), or Capt Vikram Batra, who of course became known as Shershaah – the Tiger of Kargil. Since 8-10 operations were packed into one film, it became hard for audiences to register everything, but it is one of the most remarkable films on Kargil war,” he says.

Written by Javed Akhtar, Lakshya zeroed in on one officer’s journey. “It followed one operation, and one officer – right from his Academy days to getting selected, and eventually leading the operation. That’s why Lakshya stayed in people’s memory. It was focused and emotionally engaging,” says the Army veteran.

As director Farhan Akhtar, recalled on the film’s 20th anniversary, “Javed Akhtar had mentioned that he was working on a story about a young boy who joins the Army – not just in terms of calling, but also finding a true calling in life and truly understanding who he is through that process. That was the core of the film.”

Brigadier Gautam Ganguly, SM, VSM (Retd) says that stories from Operation Safed Sagar – the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) codename for its air operations during the Kargil War – should also be turned into cinematic projects.

“The Indian Air Force didn’t get as much recognition for its operations, which it conducted during the Kargil War. The stories of the officers who made immense sacrifices and displayed acts of bravery need to be told. Our younger generation must know these stories. After Operation Sindoor, people became more aware of the IAF’s operations – but back then, when the Indian Air Force didn’t even have precision-guided ammunition, the way they carried out their missions is an untold story of courage.”

Film historian Gautam Chintamani feels sometimes when you’re too close to history, you don’t know how to chronicle it. He says, “That’s been the challenge with depicting the Kargil War. It was India’s first war in the age of 24/7 media – broadcast live into our homes. But strangely, despite its gravity, the seriousness of the Kargil war was often diluted in how it was reported and remembered. I still remember how bizarre it felt – India was playing a cricket series against Pakistan, while the same news channels were reporting sensitive details about troop movements during the war. In some ways, people didn’t fully register what we were fighting for.”

He continues, “Now, 25 years have passed. And a huge percentage of India’s population is under 25 – which means for them, Kargil is history. For those of us who lived through it, it was current affairs. So now is the right time to re-examine and retell these stories. The first big film on Kargil was J P Dutta’s LOC Kargil. Initially, J P saab wasn’t keen on making a film so soon after Border (1997), especially since the war was so fresh. But he met many families, widows and parents who’d lost sons – and that moved him deeply. That’s when he decided to make the film. But I’ve always felt that LOC... would’ve worked better as a series. A two-hour or-four-part miniseries would have allowed the individual stories of courage to breathe. In the film, because of its length and scale, many heroes ended up being unintentionally sidelined. I think OTT platforms are ideal for Kargil war stories. Now, with the benefit of time and long-form storytelling, we have a chance to do justice to Kargil in a more layered, meaningful way.”

On the 20th anniversary of Lakshya, Farhan had said, “There is a simple thing that anybody who is not from the Indian Army doesn’t know – soldiers do not kneel. Getting down on your knees is not considered right – they either lie down or stand. These kinds of things were learning for us.”

The production team even collaborated with the Army to include real soldiers in the film. “As far as weapons were concerned, the Indian Army did provide us weapons, which were then modified to fire blanks. This was handled by production and leads from the Army,” Farhan said.

Mohommed Ali Shah, a former Army Major, who has acted in films like Haider (2014) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), believes there could be more films on Kargil war. He says. “There’s already been a surge of interest in the last few years with films like Gunjan Saxena and Shershaah. Lakshya stood out for its realism. To a huge extent, it was an accurate depiction of Army life – even Hrithik Roshan’s haircut was exactly how it is in the forces... Whether we fully agree with it or not, films leave an impact. And indeed, for a number of people, these films are how they remember Kargil War.”

The shoot of Hrithik Roshan’s much awaited directorial debut Krrish 4 is slated to begin early next year. The actor will take over the reins as the director from his father Rakesh Roshan, the original creator of the popular franchise.

While Hrithik will resurrect his role as the superhero while also directing the film, there has been much speculation over the female lead. Some reports suggested that the film will reunite Rekha, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra, who appeared in the prequels.

A source close to the film told Bombay Times exclusively, “Priyanka Chopra will return to Krrish 4, but there will be another actress as well, whose name cannot be divulged as of now. There is a possibility of Rekha being seen in a cameo, but Preity Zinta’s presence is sheer speculation and not true.” Priyanka starred in Krrish (2006) and this marks her return to the franchise after 19 long years!

The story of Krrish 4 will jump decades since it comes 15 years after Krrish 3, which released in 2013. In his last interaction with us, Rakesh Roshan had told us, “Now is the right time for Hrithik to move ahead and take Krrish forward. Krrish is ingrained in Hrithik, and his vision is of today’s generation. I could not entrust the franchise to a more able creative mind, other than him.”