Ajay Devgn to play war hero Vijay Karnik in Bhuj: The Pride of India

Ajay Devgn will be essaying the role of squadron leader Vijay Karnik in his upcoming film Bhuj: The Pride of India. Written and directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya, the film is based on a true war story during the Indo-Pak War in 1971.

Karnik and his team were in charge of the Bhuj airport during the war. With the help of 300 local women, they reconstructed the destroyed Indian Air Force airstrip at Bhuj and helped a flight carrying Indian soldiers land to safety. A statement from the makers described the feat as India’s ‘Pearl Harbour’ moment.”

Producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series says, “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. No one but him was heroic enough to take this bold step to involve civilians in a war.”

Producer Ginny Khanuja of Select Media Holdings LLP adds, “This has never had happened before, and by doing this, Karnik has made history to be remembered forever. I feel blessed today to announce that we are going to bring this tale of this real hero to celluloid.”

Remembering his heroic war exploit, 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 see Ajay Devgn essaying my character and I’m glad he’s on board.”