Kartik Aaryan is one star in Bollywood who has been on a continuous signing spree. The man has been signing and revealing movies one after the other and out of those all seem to be blockbusters. Out of all those movies is one movie that has piqued everyone’s interest. “Captain India” is the next from Hansal Mehta, that will star Kartik Aaryan in a never before seen avatar. It is definitely a special movie not only for Kartik but also for the people of India.
The movie is apparently based on one of India’s biggest rescue missions, “Operation Raahat” and before getting into the movie, we have some facts to share about the mission.
What Was It About?
The mission named “Operation Raahat” was carried out by the end of March, 2021 and continued till the 11th of April. It was about rescuing Indian nationals living in Yemen, which at that point was under attack by Saudi Arabia. This war came to be known as the Yemeni Crisis, later on. It was one of the biggest rescue/evacuation missions carried out by Indian Armed Forces along with Operation Gulf and Operation Maitri.
Who Led The Mission?
Interestingly, situations weren’t good since the beginning of 2015 and the Ministry of External Affairs continuously sent warnings and notices to Indian nationals in Yemen to quickly evacuate and return to the country. No one paid any heed to the warnings and hence the mission had to be launched. It was headed by General V.K. Singh, the then general of Indian Army at that point. It is said to be one of the most successful humanitarian missions under him. Indian Army, Indian Airforce were an active part of it along with Indian Navy.
Who Were Involved In The Rescue?
The mission was started with a failed attempt from the Indian Navy for various reasons. Later on the 31st of March, the final mission took off. It required the involvement of Indian Army and massive support from Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The mission required 3 Indian Navy vessels, 2 Ferries. Along with that 2 Indian Air Force Cargoes and 2 Indian Air Airbus. It took 11 days for the rescue to complete.
Who Were Rescued?
A measure said that approximately 5000 people were rescued. Out of which approximately 4,640 were Indian citizens in Yemen. Also, along with that 960 foreign nationals from various countries were also rescued. It was said that somewhere around 200 Indians stayed behind in Yemen for various personal reasons. Since Yemen was a no fly zone, many countries asked India to rescue citizens of their country from India. This included superpower countries like the U.S., U.K., Russia, France. Along with citizens of all our neighbouring countries, India rescued people of Singapore, Thailand, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and many more.
How Was It Carried Out?
The mission was meticulously planned. Since Yemen became a no fly zone, Indian Airforce chose Djibouti as the centre point of rescue. Indian nationals were asked to reach Sana’a and Aden, from where Indian Navy would be able to rescue. Two out of the three INS vessels were sent in as patrol to protect the Airforce and Navy from any kind of attacks. It took 18 special flights to bring out all of those people and 4 seaports were in full action to continue the incoming of Indian nationals. Interestingly 11 Indians were evacuated by Pakistani Navy Vessel, PNS Aslat, who later were flown down to India.
A rescue of this size is no joke and that too bringing people from a war-torn country? One cannot imagine how the armed forces managed to achieve this feat.
It would be interesting to see how Kartik Aaryan essays the role of an air pilot and how the movie manages to tell the story. One might feel it being quite similar to the story of “Airlift”, but rest assured it’s not. All rescue missions have few things in common and like that Operation Raahat and Operation Gulf had its similarities. But it would be interesting to see how the rescue mission looks from the eyes of one that is carrying this mission out.
Like his fans, we for sure cannot wait for the movie to release updates soon.