Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: Looking back at films inspired by the war

One of Independent Indias biggest and most monumental milestones the hardfought victory in the Kargil War is celebrated each year on July 26 as the Kargil Vijay DiwasIt is an occasion for us to look back at the films inspired by the war the most recent one being the hit 2021 movie Shershaah starring Sidharth Malhotra playing the martyred war hero Captain Vikram Batra and Kiara AdvaniEach of these movies adopted a different approach some took a more realistic and grounded approach others stuck to the traditional cinematic route but each mixed together a bunch of elements from emotions to dance drama romance war action and above all patriotism and national prideShershaah a pandemicera multiple awardwinning biographical film on Amazon Prime Video tells the story of Captain Vikram Batra from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles who was given the codename Shershaah by his superiors for his great courage on the battlefield capturing critical strategic peaks such as Point 4875 and 5140 Captain Batra died in action against enemy units in that battle He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery and is considered one of the best soldiers of the Indian ArmyLakshya 2004 Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta is considered to be one of Bollywoods greatest Kargil Warinspired films and a cult classic but at the time of its release it did not fare very well at the box office The movies narrative revolves around the tale of a fictional character played by Hrithik who comes from a rich family with no purpose in life He halfheartedly joins the Army and later finds his purpose or lakshya when he decides to recapture one of the most crucial peaks of this war which had fallen into Pakistani hands leading to a blockade of Indian Army convoys delays in the supply of ammunition weaponry food and even logistical informationTango Charlie while not exclusively based on the war is focused on it in a significant part of it It tells cinematically the lesserknown part that the Border Security Force BSF played in the war guarding the borders against terrorists and infiltration by Pakistani soldiers into Kashmir The 2005 film despite being led by an allstar cast of Ajay Devgan Bobby Deol Suniel Shetty and Sanjay Dutt tanked at the box office perhaps because it mixed up too many events from the Kargil War to the Bodo militancy in AssamLOC Kargil on the other hand was laserfocused on the war touching upon several points in the war ranging from the fight to recapture Tiger Hill and other strategic peaks while also guarding strategically important Points 4835 and 5714 in the Dras sector of Ladakh The 2003 movie featuring Ajay Devgn Sanjay Dutt Saif Ali Khan Suniel Shetty and Rani Mukerji and based on real incidents also tells us about the roles of the various units of the Indian Army played in the role such as the Rajputana Rifles Gorkha Rifles Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Jat Regiment and Sikh Regiment Again it barely recovered its cost at the box officeKurukshetra helmed by a retired Indian Army officer Major Ravi is a 2008 Malayalam movie where Mohanlal reprises his role as Colonel Mahadevan previously seen in Keerthi Chakra in 2006 The film is all about the Battle of Tololing the peak that overlooks the SrinagarLeh Highway where Indian troops from the 2nd Rajputana Rifles fought a numerically far superior force of the Pakistan Armys Northern Light Infantry unit as well as mercenaries and terrorists and earned a massive victory killing more than 125 Pakistani troops in combatKaatru Veliyidai 2017 is a Tamil romancewar drama directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari that tells the story of the fighter pilot Varun as he recalls his romance with Leela while being held prisoner in Pakistan during the Kargil War The movie was a big success in the South though it was more about love than warGunjan Saxena the 2020 Netflix film starring Jahnvi Kapoor Angad Bedi and Pankaj Tripathi tells the story of an ambitious Indian Air Force pilot and the difficulties she faced due to her age and because she was a woman in a mans world Gunjan Saxenas role in the IAF was pivotal as she became a helicopter pilot and provided transport and logistical support in the war for which she was highly respected but the film hardly got the kind of traction that Shershaah didSainika is a 2002 Kannada romance drama set against the backdrop of the Kargil War minus the action and it tells the story of an Indian Army Subedar who after bravely fighting terrorists in Kashmir has to choose between going to the war front or retire and take up farming in his village as suggested by the father of the woman he lovesMaratha Battalion is a Marathi film that tells the story of a young man who enlists in the Indian Army and goes off to the Kargil War to avenge his fathers death at the hands of terrorists and protect his motherland The story is about the bravery of the Maratha Light Infantry which fought the Battle of Tololing alongside the Rajputana Rifles Jat Regiment and the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles combining to capture the vital Points 5140 and 4700But no movie not matter how wellmade it is can ever truly do justice to the collective legacy of the heroes of the war The Kargil War is regarded as one of the greatest victories in the history of the Indian Army which also established its ability to successfully execute a war in the mountainsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever