War Heroes: Vicky Kaushal as Sam Manekshaw to Varun Dhawan as Arun Khetarpal – FIVE biopics being made on Army brave hearts

Biopics are the flavor of the season with almost every Bollywood actor stepping into a real life character. From Vidya Balan playing math whiz Shakuntala Devi to Parineeti Chopra essaying the role of Badminton champ Saina Nehwal, Bollywood is dishing out a whole lot of real-life drama on the silver screen. However, the most intriguing genre in biopics is that of war heroes. Filmmakers are eager to showcase the glorious battles that Army personnel and IAF officers have faced in real life and here are five upcoming defense dramas which will soon hit the big screen.

Varun Dhawan is all set to play Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and the announcement was made on the occasion of the war hero’s birth anniversary. The biopic will explore Arun Khetarpal's heroic efforts in the Battle of Basantar, during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He bravely fought the Pakistan Army and managed to destroy all enemy tanks before succumbing to injuries he faced when his tank was attacked. Second Lieutenant Arun was posthumously honoured with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration for acts of valour in wartime. This biopic will be directed by ‘Badlapur’ filmmaker Sriram Raghavan.

Vicky Kaushal set a trend with his act in ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ and it was obvious that he would be offered more such heroic characters. The actor is all set to essay celebrated Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who was also known as Sam Bahadur. He initially fought in the World War II as part of the British Indian Army and went on to become the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. Sam Manekshaw was decorated with Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, the second and third highest civilian awards of India . This biopic will be helmed by ‘Raazi’ fame filmmaker Meghna Gulzar.

Ajay Devgn has played a cop previously, but with ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ the actor is all set to essay the brave Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik. The movie will feature a real life incident which took place at the Bhuj airport during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The destroyed Indian Air Force airstrip at Bhuj in Gujarat was reconstructed by the Squadron Leader, his team and 300 fearless local women. The airstrip had to be rebuild so that a flight carrying Indian Army officers could land safely. ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ is directed and written by Abhishek Dudhaiya. It is scheduled to hit the screens in March 2020.

Sidharth Malhotra will essay the role of Kargil hero Captain Vikram Batra in his biopic titled ‘Shershaah’, since he was referred to as ‘Shershaah’. The war hero had led several tough mountain warfare operations and lost his life in the battlefield. He began as a lieutenant and rose to the rank of Captain. He was posthumously awarded with the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery during the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan. Sidharth has already begun shooting for the film, which is directed by Vishnu Varadhan.

The uniformed brigade of Bollywood also includes a brave female. Janhvi Kapoor will bring to life the story of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena in her biopic titled ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’. She is celebrated as India's first Air Force female officer who went to war and her missions included reporting activity and evacuating injured Indian Army soldiers from the combat zone. She was awarded the Shaurya Vir came to be known as the Kargil Girl. Her story of gallantry will hit the screens in March 2020.