Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl,
a
biopic
on
the
first
woman
IAF
pilot
to
fly
into
combat
zone,
has
received
criticism
from
some
segments
for
an
apparently
'negative
portrayal'
of
the
Indian
Air
Force
and
'fact
twisting'.
Gunjan
Saxena
has
written
a
lengthy
note
responding
to
these
criticisms
of
the
film,
and
has
said
that
she
is
trying
to
clear
the
air
after
"some
people
have
tried
to
distort
the
basic
founding
values
of
my
existence
and
identity".
In
her
response,
Gunjan
wrote
to
NDTV,
"Let
me
inform
readers
with
utmost
conviction
and
honesty
that
even
though
cinematic
liberties
were
exercised
in
my
biopic
by
the
filmmakers,
what
they
did
not
miss
or
exaggerate
was
me,
the
real
Gunjan
Saxena.
I
admit
without
hesitation
that
I
have
even
more
of
an
iron
will
and
resoluteness
than
was
portrayed
in
the
movie."
Retired
Wing
Commander
Namrita
Chandi
had
accused
the
makers
of
Gunjan
Saxena
of
'peddling
lies'
and
has
claimed
that
Srividya
Rajan
was
the
first
woman
pilot
to
fly
to
Kargil.
Regarding
this,
Gunjan
wrote
she
"was
absolutely
disheartening
to
see
a
small
group
of
people
trying
to
dent
this
hard-earned
reputation
with
nonsensical
rants," and
mentioned
the
firsts
to
her
name.
She
continued,
"Now,
for
all
of
you
reading
this
absurd
propaganda
and
ranting
over
the
"peddling
of
lies",
there
is
a
humble
submission.
The
author,
claiming
to
protect
the
image
of
the
IAF
for
whatever
vested
interests
or
hidden
agenda,
is
questioning
the
very
authenticity
of
the
Air
Force's
stand
in
1999
after
the
Kargil
war."
Gunjan
also
responded
to
a
journalist's
critique
of
the
film.
She
wrote,
"It
is
creative
license,
which
is
certainly
not
with
me
but
with
the
makers
of
the
movie.
But
the
intention
of
the
movie
was
to
inspire
people
to
chase
their
dreams
with
hope
and
positivity,
the
way
I
chased
mine.
The
entire
storyline
was
based
on
the
theme
of
my
journey,
how
my
dreams
became
reality.
As
I
understand,
the
film
was
never
intended
to
be
a
documentary
on
the
Kargil
war."
Gunjan
Saxena
is
directed
by
Sharan
Sharma,
and
it
stars
Janhvi
Kapoor,
Pankaj
Tripathi
and
Angad
Bedi.
The
biopic
released
on
Netflix
on
August
12,
2020.