Mumbai: Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani starrer ‘Shershaah’, which premiered directly on Amazon Prime Video on August 12, has emerged as the big hit in the OTT space. The biographical war film received rave reviews from the critics and fans upon its release on the streaming giant. The movie showcased the life of Captain Vikram Batra, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery during the Kargil war. 


Movie buffs have showered Sidharth with praises for playing the role of Vikram Batra with perfection. Malhotra’s power-packed performance in Vishnuvardhan’s film managed to strike a chord with the OTT audience. ‘Shershaah’ chronicled the story of Batra, from his first posting in the Indian Army to sacrificing his life in the 1999 Kargil War.  


Interestingly, many filmmakers have produced films that were based against the backdrop of Kargil war. Here’s a look at the Bollywood films which featured Indo-Pak's 1999 Kargil war in their storyline. 


LOC: Kargil 


J.P. Dutta, known for making patriotic action war movies, produced and directed ‘LOC: Kargil’ under his home banner in 2003. The multi-starrer, based on Indian Army’s Operation Vijay during the Kargil war, is one of the longest Indian films with a running time of 255 minutes. Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty were seen in lead roles in the movie, which received a mixed response from the audience. While Sidharth was seen as Captain Vikram Batra in ‘Shershaah’, Abhishek played the same role in ‘LOC: Kargil’. 


Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl 


Janhvi Kapoor starrer ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ premiered on Netflix on August 12, 2020. The biographical drama film focused on the story of Gunjan Saxena, one of the first Indian female air force pilots in combat. 


Gunjan Saxena evacuated the wounded officers from Kargil and provided assistance in surveillance during the war. Sharan Sharma’s film is inspired by her life. The movie also starred Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in key roles. 


Dhoop 


Ashwini Chaudhary’s ‘Dhoop’ earned critical acclaim after its release in 2003. The war drama film, which starred Om Puri, Revathi, Sanjay Suri and Gul Panag, was based on Battle of Tiger Hill. It showcased the after effects of war on the families of the soldiers.  


The movie was based on Captain Anuj Nayyar, an Indian Army officer, who was martyred during the Kargil war. Unlike other war dramas, ‘Dhoop’ also focused on corruption at various levels of bureaucracy. The latter half of the film highlighted how a soldier’s family had to fight against government’s corruption and red tape to obtain permission to run a petrol pump. 


Lakshya 


Farhan Akhtar’s hit war drama showcased a fictionalised account of the Indo-Pak conflict in the Kargil war. The film focused on the story of Captain Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan), an aimless young man who later becomes an army officer. The critically acclaimed movie was set against the fictionalised backdrop of Kargil war. Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Om Puri were seen in pivotal roles.