Janhvi Kapoor’s First Look As Gunjan Saxena Is Out! But Who Is The Kargil Girl?

The first look of Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl is out and we cannot keep calm! Dhadak actress Janhvi Kapoor is portraying the role of Gunjan Saxena, India’s first woman Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot to go to war.

Three posters of the biopic were launched by the filmmakers this morning. Directed by Sharan Sharma, the film also features Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Viineet Kumar, Manav Vij, and Vijay Verma.

The posters show three different phases of Gunjan’s life. The first one shows her as a young and vibrant girl playing with a paper plane and reads, “Ladkiyan Pilot Nahi Banti” while the second one shows her standing tall in the IAF uniform in a sea of of male officers. This poster reads, “India’s First Air Force Woman Officer Who Went To War.” The third poster shows the 22-year-old hugging her on-screen father, Pankaj Tripathi, who played a major role in shaping Gunjan’s aviation career. “Meri Beti Ki Udaan Koi Nahi Rok Sakta,” reads the third poster, hinting that a major part of the film will revolve around the father-daughter relationship.

But, who is Gunjan Saxena?

IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena is India’s first woman combat aviator and was the first one to be commissioned into the war zone during the Kargil War of 1999. Gunjan was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the Indian military award for valour and courage.

Gunjan, who was later posted with other female pilots, was responsible for dropping vital supplies, picking up dead bodies and the wounded near Dras and Batalik region, as per media reports. While most women officers across the army were struggling to make their place in a man’s world, the extent of the Kargil War forced the army to use each and every officer available. It turned out to be an eye-opening experience for the entire world as women in the force stood shoulder to shoulder with men and fought for our nation. 

The young officer carried an AK assault rifle and a small pistol and flew the Cheetah helicopter during the war.

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Gunjan also became one of the first 25 women to enter the IAF’s trainee batch in 1994. During her training, she chose to go for chopper training instead of the usual transport plane training, which she found to be quite fascinating. 

The IAF pilot opened up about the struggles of being a woman on the field. “My first posting was in Udhampur. When a coursemate and I reached the unit, we saw that basic things like a separate washroom for women weren’t there,” she told a media publication in a 2018 interview.

To play this role convincingly, Janhvi chopped off her hair. The actress, who recently shared a picture with her director on her Instagram after a schedule wrap in Georgia, also went for flying lessons to prepare.

The film is all set to release on March 13, 2020, and we can’t wait to watch how Gunjan’s story is portrayed. 

Featured Image: Instagram

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