Pankaj
Tripathi,
who
plays
the
role
of
Gunjan
Saxena's
father
Anup
Saxena,
in
the
recently
released
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl,
says
that
our
society
needs
more
fathers
like
Anup.
In
the
film,
Anup
is
seen
to
be
a
very
empowering
figure
for
Gunjan,
a
lone
voice
who
encourages
his
little
girl
to
follow
her
dreams
of
becoming
a
pilot
and
later
supports
her
journey
to
becoming
an
Indian
Air
Force
officer.
Speaking
to
Mid-Day,
Pankaj
said
about
Anup,
"There's
no
taking
away
the
fact
that
our
society
needs
more
fathers
like
Anup
Saxena.
To
have
a
parent
like
him
who
encouraged
his
child
to
break
the
shackles
of
patriarchy
was
rare
and
empowering
for
a
girl
in
the
'90s.
She
could
dream
fearlessly
because
she
was
given
the
impetus
at
home
by
her
father
who
harped
on
gender
equality.
It
was
this
quality
that
attracted
me
to
the
film."
He
credited
his
success
to
the
women
in
his
life
and
said,"While
I
was
filming
Gunjan
Saxena,
I
realised
I
have
traces
of
Anup
in
me
and
want
to
continue
being
that
parent
to
my
daughter.
It's
my
most
cherished
compliment
that
my
wife
and
daughter
are
happy
with
my
portrayal
of
the
role."
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl
is
a
biopic
on
an
IAF
officer,
who
is
said
to
be
the
first
woman
IAF
pilot
to
fly
into
combat.
Apart
from
Pankaj,
the
film
also
stars
Janhvi
Kapoor,
Angad
Bedi
and
others,
and
has
been
directed
by
Sharan
Sharma.
The
film
has
received
much
appreciation
from
critics.
However,
it
has
also
been
marred
by
controversy
for
allegedly
portraying
the
Indian
Air
Force
in
a
negative
light.