The Indian Air Force has written formally to the Central Board of Film Certification on the supposedly negative portrayal of the Air Force in the Netflix film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.
The film dropped on the OTT platform yesterday and has opened with good reviews. The film had prior attracted negative attention for casting Janhvi Kapoor. The film has also been produced by Dharma Productions whose owner is Karan Johar who also has received flak recently. In the letter, the Air Force said,
“Dharma Productions had agreed to represent the Indian Air Force (IAF) with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure that the film helps to inspire the next generation of IAF officers.”
The letter further said,
“Certain scenes and dialogues in the movie and its trailer, which was forwarded to this office for viewing, have been found to portray the Indian Air Force in an undue negative light. In the aim to glorify the screen character of ‘Ex-Fit Lt. Gunjan Saxena’, M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture especially against women in the Indian Air Force.”
Karan Johar Was Informed, IAF Says
Gunjan Saxena is one of the first female pilots to go into the war. She played an active role in rescuing injured soldiers during the Kargil war that happened in 1999. She was later awarded the gallantry Shaurya Vir Award. The Air Force reiterated that the force is gender neutral and provides equal opportunity to everyone. The letter also stated that Karan Johar was earlier informed about the objectionable portion in the movie and was asked to modify the same. The Air Force summarized,
“In view of the above, the issue of grant of NOC for the release of the movie will be considered after deleting or suitably modifying the scenes in order to cater to the observations mentioned.”
Source: Free Press Journal
