Janhvi Kapoor’s Gunjan Saxena The Kargil Girl to release on Independence Day on Netflix, trailer in July: report

Bollywood actor Janhvi Kapoor’s biopic of air force pilot Gunjan Saxena, titled Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is expected to release on Independence Day, August 15 on Netflix. The film, which was made for the big screen, chose the digital route as theatres remained closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A Bollywood Hungama report said, “It’s as patriotic a story as it gets and everyone associated with the film feels that August 15 is the best date for the film release. The idea is to pay tribute to the Indian Air Force Pilot, Gunjan Saxena, the first female to go on combat. A theatrical trailer of the film is being prepared right now and will be unveiled within the next 10 days.”

The report said the plan was to release the film on Kargil Diwas but post-production work took longer than expected. However, if all goes according to plan, the film’s first trailer may release on July 26 as a tribute to Kargil martyrs.

Directed by Sharan Sharma, the film stars Janhvi as Gunjan Saxena and Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi as her family. The film also stars Viineet Kumar, Manav Vij and Ayesha Raza in pivotal roles.

The Kargil Girl is based on the life of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena. She, along with Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan, was the first Indian women in combat during the Kargil war. The two pilots flew the Cheetah helicopters for casualty evacuation and reconnaissance for which they often flew close to Pakistani positions. It was much before the Indian Air Force commissioned women fighter pilots.

Earlier, the makers shared a video showcasing the journey of Gunjan Saxena. “An inspiring true story of dreams!Gunjan Saxena - #TheKargilGirl, coming soon on Netflix. #GunjanSaxenaOnNetflix @DharmaMovies @ZeeStudios_ @karanjohar #Janhvi @TripathiiPankaj @Imangadbedi @ItsViineetKumar #ManavVij @sharansharma @NetflixIndia @ZeeMusicCompany,” Apoorva Mehta shared the video and tweeted.