On Kargil Vijay Diwas, here’s a look at movies that celebrate the bravery of Indian soldiers

Sheetal

July 26 is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas to commemorate the success of Operation Vijay in 1999, an action launched by India to extract Pakistani intruders from along the Line of Control (LOC). Fought for three months (May 5 to July 26), India lost more than 500 soldiers in the conflict and several among them were awarded for their gallantry. Here is a look at some movies that celebrate their supreme sacrifices.

Ensemble cast
LOC: Kargil

One of the longest films ever made, with 255 minutes of running time, this movie stood out for its ensemble cast, including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Raj Babbar, Akshaye Khanna, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana and Avtar Gill. Directed by JP Dutta, who had previously given a war film, Border, this historical war movie has stood the test of time and is the first choice for remembering our soldiers. Javed Akhtar had penned the lyrics for the film and Anu Malik composed the music.

Clear target
Lakshya

This coming-of-age film, directed by Farhan Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, is a war-drama, where Hrithik Roshan plays the lead character — Lieutenant Karan Shergill. Partly fictional, with Hrithik playing an aimless young boy who turns into an Army officer, the film gets real in depicting the heroic deeds of Param Vir Chakra awardee Yogender Singh Yadav and his platoon, which went on an arduous mission to capture the strategically placed bunkers on the Tiger Hill. Yogender happens to be the youngest person to be awarded the medal at the age of 19 and he lives to tell his story of sacrifice.

Brave acts
Tango Charlie

Kargil was one of the many backdrops in the film, where the life of soldiers in India is depicted through fictional characters. Ajay Devgn and Bobby Deol have code names, Mike Alpha and Tango Charlie, respectively. The plot is about Bodo insurgency in the North-East, Maoists in Telangana, Gujarat riots and Kargil War, where the lead actors are placed in different times.

Air attack
Mausam

Directed by Pankaj Kapur, his son Shahid Kapoor plays Squadron Leader Harinder ‘Harry’ Singh in this movie. The film, mainly being a love story, also highlights the Kargil War. In order to dislodge the enemy from Tiger Hill, Indian Air Force resorts to heavy aerial bombardment. Harry is selected to lead a special bombing mission over Tiger Hill. The mission is successful but Harry’s aircraft malfunctions, causing him to crash-land.

Upcoming saga
Shershah

An upcoming biographical-war film, based on the late Captain Vikram Batra, Shershah is a big-budget movie to be released on OTT platform on August 12. It stars Sidharth Malhotra in a double role as Parm Vir Chakra awardee, late Captain Vikram Batra, and his twin brother. Written by Sandeep Srivastava, the film has been co-produced by Karan Johar. The title of the film draws inspiration from the fact that he was often referred to as ‘Shershah’ (Lion King) in the intercepted messages of the Pakistani Army. Kiara Advani will be playing Dimple Cheema, his best friend and fiancée. It is said when Dimple told him to be careful during the war, his parting words were, ‘I’ll either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it. But I’ll come back for sure.’