Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Balakot

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhushan Kumar, Mahaveer Jain, Abhishek Kapoor

Indian Army

Pakistan Air Force

Producer-director, T-Series boss Bhushan Kumar, producer Mahaveer Jain, and filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor have come together to recreate the February 26 air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad facilities in Pakistan’son the big screen. Mirror can reveal that the project is already at the research and development stage, and the film is likely to roll by the middle of the year.A source associated with the movie said that the project was an effort by the makers to “salute and pay tribute” to the Indian Air Force, and that a major share of the profits will be handed over to the armed forces welfare fund.“This project is our small way of saluting our armed forces and their families,” the source said, adding that the casting is being finalised even as “several A-list actors have shown interest in the film”.Scores of film and TV serial makers have reportedly approached the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) to register titles such as Balakot, Pulwama: The Deadly Attack, Surgical Strike 2.0, War Room, Hindustan Hamara Hai, and How’s The Josh?Earlier this year, Uri: The Surgical Strike, featuring Vicky Kaushal, which is based on the’s surgical strike inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the terror attack on the army camp in Uri in 2016, has emerged as a massive hit.The Indian Air Force operation on February 26, this time in retaliation to the Pulwama attack by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives, was carried out deep inside Pakistan, in Khyber Pakhtunwa’s Balakot where the Jaish terror camp was located.In response to Pakistan’s attack the next day, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down aF-16 with his MIG21 Bison, before being forced to eject and land in the enemy territory. Following intense international pressure, Pakistan had to release Wing Commander Varthaman after keeping him in custody for nearly 60 hours.The source associated with the project said that Abhishek Kapoor will direct the movie that will also show how entire India came together to support the armed forces in the face of aggression and adversity. “It will be our tribute to the nation. After the gutless terror attack in Pulwama, the IAF surgical strike at Balakot was a well-planned, 100 per cent successful operation which hit the enemy targets with precision. It is an honour to bring this story on the big screen so that we, as Indians, can revel in our national pride,” the source said.