'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' expected to release on August 15

Bollywood actor Janhvi Kapoor's biopic of air force pilot Gunjan Saxena, titled 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' is expected to release on Independence Day, August 15 on 'Netflix'. The film, which was made for the big screen, chose the digital route as theatres remained closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A report said, "It is as patriotic a story, as it gets and everyone will get associated with the film. August 15 is the best date for the film release. The idea is to pay tribute to the 'Indian Air Force' pilot, Gunjan Saxena, the first female to go on combat. A theatrical trailer of the film is being prepared right now and will be unveiled within the next few days."

The report said the plan was to release the film on Kargil Diwas, but post-production work took longer than expected. However, if all goes according to plan, the film's first trailer may release on July 26 as a tribute to Kargil martyrs.

Directed by Sharan Sharma, the film stars Janhvi as lead character Gunjan Saxena, with Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi as her family. The film also stars Viineet Kumar, Manav Vij and Ayesha Raza in pivotal roles.

The 'Kargil Girl' is based on the life of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena. She, along with Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan, was the first Indian women in combat during the Kargil war. The two pilots flew the Cheetah helicopters for casualty evacuation and reconnaissance for which they often flew close to Pakistani positions.