After the resounding success of Jaat, Randeep Hooda will take on the role of a soldier in one of the Indian Army’s most daring overseas missions—Operation Khukri, a high-stakes rescue operation that unfolded in the dense jungles of Sierra Leone in 2000.
The film, aptly titled Operation Khukri, will chronicle the intense ordeal and eventual liberation of 233 Indian peacekeepers who were held hostage by a notorious rebel militia group active during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war.
The Indian soldiers who went there as a part of the UN Mission found themselves trapped for nearly 75 days in the rebel-dominated region.
Hooda will step into the boots of Major General Raj Pal Punia, then a young company commander in the 14th Mechanised Infantry.
As per historical records, Punia’s leadership was instrumental in the rescue operation that became a masterclass in military planning and courage.
The upcoming film is based on the bestseller Operation Khukri: The Untold Story of the Indian Army’s Bravest Peacekeeping Mission Abroad, published by Penguin Random House India.
Speaking about the film, Hooda said, “Operation Khukri is a story that moved me deeply. It’s not just a tale of guns and glory but of sacrifice, brotherhood, and unyielding courage in the face of insurmountable odds. To step into the shoes of Major General Punia, a man who led his men out of a 75-day siege in an unknown land, is an honour and a responsibility.”
Operation Khukri was a rescue mission with 233 soldiers as per available information, turned into a full-scale military offensive and included aerial insertions, ground offensives, and deception, culminating in a decisive counterattack.
Going by the films such as Highway (2014), Sarbjit (2016), Main aur Charles, swatantrya veer sawarkar and now Jaat, Hooda has proven his exceptional skills at pulling off intense characters in every film project he takes up.
