Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn on Monday unveiled the trailer of his much-anticipated movie Bhuj: The Pride of India. The movie, which takes a slice out of the Indo-Pak war of 1971, is packed with patriotism and action. The film is directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya and Ajay Devgn plays the role of Squadron Leader Vijay Kumar Karnik, who was in charge of the Bhuj airbase during the war.
Besides Devgn, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt as Army Scout Ranchordas Pagi, Sonakshi Sinha as social worker Sunderben Jetha Madharparya, Ammy Virk as Flight Officer Vikram Singh Baj Jethaaz and Nora Fatehi as Indian spy Heena Rehman. The film is all set to release on OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar on August 13, ahead of India’s 75th Independence Day.
In line with the expectations, the trailer of Bhuj: The Pride of India is high on patriotic sentiments and packs powerful dialogues that are bound to raise goosebumps and stir up a feeling of patriotism. The 3-minute-20-seconds long trailer gives a glimpse into how Squadron Leader Vijay Kumar Karnik and his team fought the Pakistani military when they raided the Bhuj airfield 35 times in 14 days and staved off an impending capture by re-constructing an entire IAF airbase with the help of 300 women from a local village in Madhapar.
While Ajay Devgn plays the role of the Air Force officer in charge of the Bhuj airport, Sanjay Dutt and Sonakshi Sinha play the characters of villagers who join hands with the Indian Armed Forces to ward off the Pakistani threat. Sharad Kelkar and Ammy Virk enact the roles of characters who are a part of the Indian Army.
Sharing the trailer on Twitter, Ajay Devgn called it “the greatest battle ever fought”. “When bravery becomes your armour, every step leads you to victory! Experience the untold story of the greatest battle ever fought, #BhujThePrideOfIndia,” Devgn tweeted.
https://twitter.com/ajaydevgn/status/1414436382844456965?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe history behind ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’
Bhuj: The Pride of India is based on real-life incidents that took place against the backdrop of the Indo-Pak war of 1971, also dubbed as the Bangladesh liberation war. The hostilities between the two countries formally began on December 3, 1971, when the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), launched pre-emptive airstrikes on 11 Indian airfields, with the aim to cause irreparable damage to India’s superior air power and create a deterrence for India to officially help East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in its independence movement.
However, the preemptive airstrikes did little to unnerve India from helping Bangladesh liberate itself from the clutches of the Pakistani Army, which committed grave atrocities against those who sought freedom and independence from West Pakistan. As India threw its weight behind the liberation of Bangladesh, the Pakistani air force continued targeting airbases located in the western states of the country.
On the night of December 8, a squadron of Sabre jets dropped more than 14 Napalm bombs on the Indian Air Force airstrip in Bhuj. As a result, the airstrip was severely damaged and the Indian combat aircraft could not take off. The Indian Air Force asked the Border Security Force to restore the airstrip but time was ticking, and resources were scarce.
At this point in time, 300 villagers, mostly women from Madhapur in Bhuj, decided to help the IAF repair the damaged airstrip. Armed with nothing but the determination to help the country, they took up the seemingly impossible job of restoring the airstrip and fixing it enough so that it can be used by India’s combat aircraft.
Besides the District Collector who encouraged women to step out of their homes and join the noble cause of helping the IAF repair the airstrip, Squadron Leader Vijay Kumar Karnik played an instrumental role in motivating the women to come to the aid of the army.
Karnik was in charge of the erstwhile Bhuj airport during the war. He, along with two senior officers, 50 IAF and 60 Defense Security Corps personnel ensured the airstrip was operational despite the damage the bomb blast had caused.