The film, expected to be released in 2020, will highlight the courage of the Indian Air Force, particularly that of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive by Pakistan after his aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight and held for days.
Wing Commander Varthaman was awarded India's third-highest military honour the "Vir Chakra" on 15 August for shooting down a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 aircraft.
The film by Vivek Oberoi, who earlier played the role of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his biopic film, is titled "Balakot: The True Story" and will be a trilingual film in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages.
"As a proud Indian, a patriot, and a member of the film fraternity, it's my duty to highlight what our Armed Forces are truly capable of. In the form of a trilingual, this film is a powerful tool to underline the achievements of brave officers like Wing Commander Abhinandan, who went behind the enemy lines and did what makes every Indian proud of them," said Vivek.
The actor said he took permission for the film from the Indian Air Force just a day before India's Independence Day on 15 August.
"The Balakot airstrike was one of the well-planned attacks by the IAF. I have followed everything in the news right from the attack in Pulwama to the airstrikes in Balakot. There was a lot that was speculated and spoken about back then; this film will put all of that to rest, once and for all. I thank the IAF for trusting us with this story, and we hope to do justice to it," he added.
The actor took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the Indian Armed Forces.
Honoured and humbled 🙏 Jai Hind 🇮🇳#BalakotAirStrike #AbhinandanVarthaman#ProudofIAF @IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/wsXPoqjbfN
— Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivekoberoi) August 23, 2019
Netizens heaped a lot of praise on the actor who has given Bollywood hits like “Sathiya” and “Grand Masti” among others.
Waiting for your Hindi movie Vivek, more and more, with good script
— Norbu Choephel (@choephel_norbu) August 23, 2019
Now not only hollywood but our movies too will end with the tittle "based on true events" and that too for movies that make our country proud!
— AmithRaj🇮🇳 (@amithraj123cv) August 23, 2019
Desh ka "Hero" hai #AbhinandanVarthaman
— शैलेष मिश्रा 🇮🇳 (@ShaileshMishra_) August 23, 2019
Background music ka khas dhyan rakhna bhaiya.#JaiHind 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/0ktA8VFHzG
A dogfight followed the 26 February airstrike by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan's Balakot region on the next day. It was an escalation starting from the 14 February Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir, reportedly carried out by a suicide bomber from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in which 40 Indian security personnel died, prompting a strike by India on the JeM camps in Balakot.
On 27 February, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated with an airstrike, during which the dogfight involving Wing Commander Abhinandan took place. Pakistan forces detained him but returned him to India within 72 hours, following diplomatic manoeuvres.
