The release of Ajay Devgn starrer upcoming film ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ is around the corner. Set against the backdrop of the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the film is based on IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik’s courageous efforts to reconstruct the IAF airbase located at Bhuj that he was in charge of, with the help of 300 women from a local village.
Previously, many Indian filmmakers have attempted films based on, or inspired by, the Indo-Pak war of 1971 or are somehow related to the conflict. We have compiled a list of five such post-2k films that you can watch on various Indian OTT platforms before watching ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’.
The Ghazi Attack (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
The film was inspired by true events of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The basic premise revolves around how the courageous crew of the Indian submarine INS Karanj destroyed the Pakistani navy submarine PNS Ghazi off the coast of Visakhapatnam in the year 1971. The film featured Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Taapsee Pannu, and Om Puri.
Raazi (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
It’s a spy drama-thriller set before the events of the Indo-Pak war of 1971. The film is based on the true story of an undercover RAW agent (Alia Bhatt), who is sent beyond the border to transmit critical information to India. It was deftly directed by Meghna Gulzar and also featured Vicky Kaushal in an important role.
Romeo Akbar Walter (Streaming on Netflix)
Like Raazi, this film too precedes the events of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The story follows an Indian banker (John Abraham) who is recruited by RAW as an undercover agent. He is given a crash course in espionage and is sent to Pakistan for a covert operation.
1971 (Streaming on YouTube)
Essentially a prison escape movie that is set in the 1970s, the story follows six brave prisoners of the Indo-Pak War of 1971 and their attempt to make a daredevil escape from a POW camp to reach the nearby Indian border. The film featured an ensemble cast including Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, and Manav Kaul.
16 December (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
This is the only film on this list that is not a period movie. Helmed by Mani Shankar, the film is set thirty years after the Indo-Pak war of 1971 ended, and hence the title. The film’s story follows an IRS officer (Milind Soman) who is hired by his former boss (Danny Denzongpa) to investigate a high-profile money laundering case. The investigation leads them to a terrorist plot whose mastermind is a former disgruntled Pakistani military officer (Gulshan Grover).
Besides the above-mentioned films inspired by or based on the Indo-Pak war of 1971, other films on the subject include Border, Aakraman, Vijeta, and Deewaar: Let’s Bring Our Heroes Home.
‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ will start streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform from August 13, 2021, onwards.
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