Every year 26 July is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas in India to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999. On this day, the Indian Army ousted Pakistani intruders and regained Tiger Hill and other posts as part of Operation Vijay.
The Bollywood industry has never missed a chance to depict this 60-day-long war through its unique stories. Bollywood has always lauded the bravery and grit of the Indian Armed forces.
The industry has often made pictures based on the true struggles for freedom and other important events that have taken place in India. There are several actors who paid their tribute to the slain soldiers with Kargil War-based films.
Let’s have a look:
LOC: Kargil
The film LOC: Kargil is based on the Kargil War. It is produced and directed by JP Dutta, under the huge banners of JP Films. The film has an amazing casting of Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, and Akshaye Khanna as the lead characters.
Mausam
The romantic drama directed by veteran actor Pankaj Kapur stars Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the lead. Although the film is not solely based on the Kargil War, it references the war in key turns of events. The film was critically acclaimed, however, it failed to leave a mark on the box office or the audience. Apart from Kargil War, the film also has references to the 1993 Bombay blasts, 9/11 attacks, and Bombay riots.
Shershaah
This 2021 film is the biopic of Captain Vikram Batra who laid down his life during the 1999 Kargil War. The movie stars Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra in lead roles and their performances have won many hearts. The movie is directed by Vishnuvardhan and produced by Karan Johar.
Lakshya
The film starring Hrithik Roshan is directed by Farhan Akhtar. While not directly related to Kargil War, the coming-of-age drama is events from the Kargil War embedded in its narrative. Rosan plays Karan Shergill, a purposeless youth who joins the Indian Army and helps in India’s victory against Pakistan in the Kargil War.
Dhoop
The film directed by Ashwini Choudhary deals with the aftermath of the death of Captain Anuj Nayyar, an Indian Army officer who died defending Tiger Hill from Pakistani troops. The film chronicles the Nayyar family’s experiences with corruption and Indian bureaucracy in their efforts to build a monument to commemorate Captain Anuj’s sacrifice.