LI NETWORK
Today Delhi High Court asked real Gunjan Saxena to submit an affidavit stating her assessment of the content shown in the Netflix movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.
Delhi High Court has instructed to the Real Gunjan Saxena former Indian Air Force officer to file an answer if the events portrayed in the film, and if Gunjan Saxena The Kargil Girl, have tarnished the image of the Indian Air Force.
Central Government plea challenged the Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl movie has wrongfully depicted the Indian Air Force in bad light.
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl released on Netfilx on August 12. The court had also asked the film’s producers, Dharma Productions, and Netflix to respond to the Centre’s plea. In addition, the court suggested that former Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena should also be made a party to the suit. A notice was issued to her seeking her response to the Centre’s plea.
Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan appearing for retired officer Gunjan Saxena submitted to the court that the-
disclaimers shown in the film clearly state that the movie is merely inspired by Gunjan Saxena’s story and is not her official biopic.
Petitioners argued that under the Air Force Act and the Air Force Rules, that makers of any movie, serial or commercial wishing to depict the Indian Air Force or requiring assistance of the armed forces have to take the prior approval of the Ministry of Defence.
The requirement of prior approval is also stipulated in the 2013 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Defence, which requires a preview of the film to be produced before a ‘Preview Committee’ set up under the said guidelines.
While claiming that the Defendants unilaterally changed the name of the movie to ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ from just the ‘Kargil Girl’ without the approval of the Ministry, it was argued that:
‘A Historical film made on the Indian Armed Forces based on the life story of a war hero has to be based on the true incidents/instances and the audience watching such a biopic film assumes that the incidents/events shown therein are actual and true event. Such a movie cannot be fictionalized or dramatized to such an extent as in the present movie wherein an entirely different perspective is created based on false and misleading facts/events which leaves an adverse impression in the minds of the viewers thereby tarnishing the image of the true characters and the organization which is shown in a historical and biopic film.’
Indian Air Force on the day of the film’s release, reportedly had written a letter to the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, and the streaming platform saying that certain scenes in the trailer of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl are objectionable.
Karan Johar had promised to “represent Indian Air Force with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure that the film helps to inspire the next generation of IAF officers”, the trailer tells a different story. – IAF to CBFC