19 March,2019 01:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajay Devgn and Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik
Ajay Devgn's next project, Bhuj: The Pride of India, is going to leave the audience spellbound. The movie is based on a true incident and is one of India's most fascinating war-related stories. Devgn will be essaying the role of Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who was in charge of the Bhuj airport during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. It was Karnik and his team, with the help of the local women, who reconstructed the destroyed Indian Air Force airstrip at Bhuj in Gujarat, in what could be termed as India's 'Pearl Harbour' moment.
The airstrip had been wrecked in air strikes that saw Pakistan drop napalm bombs on it. Karnik took a bold step to convince 300 fearless women from a nearby village to rebuild the airstrip so that a flight carrying Indian Army officers could land safely. Karnik, along with two other officers, 50 Air Force soldiers and 60 Defence Security Corps personnel, did a great job of keeping the airbase operational despite heavy Pakistani bombing.
Says producer Bhushan Kumar, "This courageous tale needs to be told because we want this and the coming generation to know about this brave soldier, Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who played a significant role in India's victory in the 1971 war." Producer Ginny Khanuja also feels that the story was waiting to be told.
Remembering the incident, Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik says, "We were fighting a war and if there had been any casualties of any of these women, it would have been a great loss to the war effort. But I took the decision and it worked out. I had briefed them where they could take shelter if attacked and they followed it bravely. Also, I could only and only see Ajay Devgn essaying my character and I'm glad he's on board."
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Written-directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya, the film will be produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ginny Khanuja, Vajir Singh and Abhishek Dudhaiya.
Also read: Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt signed for SS Rajamouli's RRR
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