Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has effectively managed to rekindle the long-standing debate on nepotism in Bollywood. During the past two months, star kids like Sonam Kapoor and various directors and producers including Karan Johar have been criticised on social media.
Amidst all this, Netflix has released the trailer of ‘Gunjan Saxena, The Kargil Girl’. The trailer was lauded for bringing out the story of the unsung Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena of the Indian Air Force but was equally mocked for having Jahnvi Kapoor in the teaser of ‘Gunjan Saxena’ as the lead.
WHO IS GUNJAN SAXENA?
Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena is an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and former helicopter pilot. She joined the IAF in 1994 and is a 1999 Kargil War veteran. Above all, she is the only woman who was a part of the Kargil War. She is the first woman Shaurya Chakra awardee. She is the first of two women along with Srividya Rajan from the IAF to enter a war zone flying Cheetah helicopters.
While the biopic was in the making, she remarked with surprise, “I wasn’t really convinced as to why someone would want to do a movie on my life. You have lived your life so you don’t find it exciting. It’s exciting only when someone else looks at it.”
JAHNVI KAPOOR AS GUNJAN SAXENA | REVIEW: TEASER OF GUNJAN SAXENA
Looking at the trailer for the first time might give you goosebumps. The blue of the Indian Airforce, the baritone of the IAF officers and the airstrikes during the Kargil war, is indeed captivating. Ace actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in supporting roles give something to the audience to look forward to. However, seeing Jahnvi Kapoor as Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena doesn’t come across so well in the teaser. Undoubtedly, Jahnvi did undergo intensive physical training. But, her overall performance in terms of dialogue delivery, facial expressions and the emotional appeal doesn’t really excite the audience as much. Her constantly perplexed looks make the character appear less convincing.
The teaser gives the audience an insight into the gender biases prevailing in the society as well as the Armed Forces environment. During her training at the Air Force Academy, she witnesses gender discrimination anywhere and everywhere. The biopic depicts how surpassing all the odds, Gunjan Saxena becomes first woman Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena.
Earlier, the biopic was scheduled to be released in theatres on 24th of March’20 but due to the pandemic, the movie couldn’t make it to theatres. The movie will stream on Netflix on August 12, 2020.
