Sidharth Malhotra to Ajay Devgn: Actors who played Param Vir Chakra Recipients react as islands are renamed in Andamans

The Indian Prime Minister’s decision to rename the 21 largest islands in Andaman And Nicobar after Param Vir Chakra awardees was met with appreciation and praise from the country’s citizens. Bollywood has seen several portrayals of the heroics of the Param Vir Chakra winners, who did not shy away from putting their country first, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives. Some of the stars who essayed the role of such heroes were all praise for the Prime Minister’s decision, and took to social media to express their appreciation.

In 2003, Ajay Devgn had essayed the role of Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, an Indian army officer who was martyred in the Kargil War in 1999, in the 2003 film LOC: Kargil. Taking to Twitter, the actor thanked the PM, and added that the decision to name one of the islands after captain Pandey was assuring of the fact that his sacrifice for the nation will continue to inspire generations to come. LOC: Kargil is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Suniel Shetty had portrayed an Assistant Commandant Captain of the Border Security Forces in the 1997 film Border, which is also available on Amazon Prime Video. In a tweet, Shetty applauded the move made by the PM on the 126th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and said that the move made him feel proud.

In the 2021 Amazon Prime Video film Shershaah, Sidharth Malhotra starred as captain Vikram Batra, another army officer who was martyred in the Kargil War. Malhotra spoke of how he had ‘goosebumps’ after listening to the PM’s announcement, and how proud he felt to have portrayed the role of Batra on screen.

Meanwhile Malhotra’s latest direct to OTT release came in the form of Netflix’s Mission Majnu, where he played a spy.