Makers of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl have found themselves in the midst of a controversy with Sreevidya Rajan, an IAF officer who was posted along with Gunjan Saxena, has objected to the newly released biopic. The film, starring Janhvi Kapoor in the title role, is streaming on Netflix.
The film had already stirred controversy for its portrayal of the Indian Air Force.
The IAF has written a letter to the Censor Board objecting to its "undue negative" portrayal in the movie.
In an elaborate post on Facebook, Sreevidya pointed out factual errors in the film and called out Dharma Productions for ‘twisting facts for the sake of publicity'.
Sreedevi, who was posted along with Gunjan at the Udhampur base in 1996, said it is wrong that Gunjan is shown as the only woman who was posted at the base.
“Since the two of us were the first lady pilots to be posted to that helicopter unit, we were skeptical about our acceptance in the male-dominated niche area of flying. We were received with the usual preconceived notions and prejudices from a few colleagues. However, there were enough officers to support us. We were under strict scrutiny and certain mistakes of ours were met with corrective actions which may have been overlooked had it been done by our male counterparts,” Sreedevi wrote about facing prejudice, adding that there were people who supported them.
The officer, who hails from Kerala, said that they did not face any ‘humiliating demonstrations of physical strength’ as is shown in the film, and were not ill-treated. She wrote: “Our flying began within a few days of our arrival and was never interrupted or cancelled for petty reasons as wrongly portrayed in the movie. The squadron commander was a thorough professional. He was a very strict and tough officer who took us to task whenever there was a mistake from our side, be it male or female. We never faced any humiliating physical strength demonstrations as shown in the movie. We were never ill-treated or humiliated by our fellow officers.”
There were no separate changing facilities or toilets for women, as shown in the film. she said.
The film also shows Gunjan Saxena as the ‘only woman pilot’ who flew during Kargil operations—a claim Sreevidya called ‘factually incorrect’. “In the movie, Gunjan Saxena was shown as the only lady pilot to fly in Kargil operations. This is factually incorrect. We were posted together to Udhampur and when the Kargil conflict started, I was the first woman pilot to be sent along with the male counterparts in the first detachment of our unit which deployed at Srinagar. I flew missions in the conflict area even before Gunjan's arrival at Srinagar. After a few days of operation, Gunjan Saxena came to Srinagar with the next set of crew. We actively participated in all operations given to us which included casualty evacuation, supply drop, communication sorties, SAR, etc.”
She said that the ‘heroic acts of the climax’ never actually happened, and said she acknowledges the creative license. “Being her coursemate and a good friend, I believe that the filmmakers have twisted the facts given by Gunjan for the sake of publicity. She is a brilliant officer and a thorough professional. She had many achievements during her career which should have been portrayed to inspire the younger generation instead of showing her as a weak and oppressed victim in certain scenes. . As the pioneers of women pilots, we were treated with utmost respect and it was our responsibility to live up to the expectations and pave way for future generations,” she added.
Sreevidya said the movie is sending out a wrong message about woman officers of the IAF, and that it is demeaning the prestigious organisation.
She added: “Though I was the first lady pilot to fly in Kargil, I never claimed it in any forum before this due to my strong belief in gender equality. In Kargil operations, male pilots had flown extensively and faced more hardships than us. But they never got or sought any publicity. We probably were given this fame because of our gender which I do not support. In defence services, there is no disparity between male or female. We are all officers in uniform.”
