Sky Force - Did you know Akshay Kumar’s film is based on the 1965 Pakistani Sargodha attack?

Akshay Kumar, known for choosing films with a patriotic appeal over the last few years, is once again a part of a movie on India’s first and deadliest airstrike – Sky Force. The film, announced on October 2, 2023, is inspired by India's 1965 retaliatory attack on Pakistan's Sargodha airbase, as per an ETimes report. Read on to know more.  

Is Sky Force based on 1965 combat?  

Akshay Kumar-starrer Sky Force is apparently inspired by India's retaliatory attack on Pakistan's Sargodha airbase in 1965, according to the report carried by ETimes. In 1965, the air forces of India and Pakistan were engaged in direct combat. On September 6, Pakistani forces attacked Indian air facilities in Pathankot, Adampur, and Halwara, while Indian forces retaliated by attacking Sargodha. Even though Sargodha was regarded as one of the most fortified sites in all of Asia back then, Indian planes attacked Pakistan's most secure base the very following day, causing severe damage.  

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Why is Sargodha airbase’s story important?  

The tale of Sargodha is significant because it is the only instance in which a fighter was conferred Maha Vir Chakra posthumously by the Indian Air Force. Two aircraft were lost during the operation: Flt. Lt. UB "Babul" Guha's aircraft was shot down by an enemy missile, and Sq. Ldr. Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya's aircraft was reported missing in action. He was thought to have died during combat because there were no reports of him being taken prisoner by Pakistani forces. 

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But when the Pakistan Air Force produced a history of the 1965 war in 1979, one of its aircraft, the Lockheed Starfighter F-104, was said to have been shot down by an Indian Air Force Mystere aircraft. Group Captain OP Taneja, the commander of the aircraft contingent, came to know of this. It later became clear that Sq. Ldr. Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, who had been reported missing, had shot down the Lockheed and saved the lives of his contingent members who were returning home.   

Devayya's widow received the Maha Vir Chakra, which was awarded to him posthumously in 1988. According to ETimes sources, Akshay Kumar would star as Group Captain OP Taneja, while newcomer Veer Pahariya would play Sq. Ldr. Devayya. The film, which is directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Kapur, is scheduled to be released on October 2, 2024. Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur are also featured in the movie.  

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