The Kargil War was fought between India and Pakistan from May 3, 1999 to July 26, 1999, after the area was illegally occupied by the latter. Around 30,000 Indian soldiers fought the war bravely and 527 of them were martyred. Thus, every year on July 26, India pays homage to all the soldiers who were a part of the war. Over the years, the war has inspired filmmakers to depict the story on the silver screen. Here are a few of them:

LOC Kargil

Released in 2003, this movie is the world’s longest-running film with a screen time of 4 hours and 15 minutes. Based on ‘Operation Vijay’ which was the codename given to the war at that time, this movie shows how the Indian soldiers fought against the enemies. Directed by JP Dutta, the movie had a star cast which included names like Sanjay Dutt, Ayyub Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Suneil Shetty, among others.

Dhoop

Released in 2003, this movie is about what happened after the war ended. A family drama with the late Om Puri and Revathi in lead roles, the story revolves around the family of Captain Anuj Nayyar played by Sanjay Suri who was martyred in the war. The couple struggle with slow government procedures and a corrupt system when they try to get the license of a petrol pump that was promised to them after their son passed away in the war. Eventually, the Prime Minister takes matters into his own hands and helps the family.

Mausam

The 2011 movie Mausam, is set in the backdrop of the Kargil war. With Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the lead, this movie is about an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who falls in love and is supposed to get engaged just before the war begins. Directed by Pankaj Kapur, Punjab’s Harry falls in love with a Kashmiri woman Aayat but they have to go through a war together to be with each other.

Gunjan Saxena

Featuring Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role, the 2020 movie Gunjan Saxena is inspired from the story of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena. Directed by Sharan Sharma, this movie captures the historic moment when Saxena became the first Indian female Air Force official to enter a war zone. It also showed the bias that the women faced in the forces in those times.

Shershaah

Captain Vikram Batra’s name is synonymous with the Kargil war. In 2019, a biographical war film was announced on the life of Batra. Directed by Vishnuvarshan, Sidharth Malhotra played the role of Batra while Kiara Advani played the role of his girlfriend Dimple Cheema. The movie was released in 2021, and surely did evoke emotions throughout the country. 

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