'Mission Raniganj' to 'Gold', real-life inspired movies featuring Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar's recently released film 'Mission Raniganj' is based on a real-life story. Akshay portrays the heroic role of Jaswant Gill who headed the rescue operation of miners stuck in a coal mine. However, previously as well, Akshay has played roles based on real-life characters and situations and helping bring stories of unsung heroes in the limelight

Updated On: 2023-10-07 03:53 PM IST

Compiled by : Athulya Nambiar

L-Akshay Kumar in Mission Raniganj; R-Akshay in Gold

Special 26 (2013) 

Starring Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, this Neeraj Pandey-directorial is based on the 1987 Opera House heist.  The plot follows a team of criminals (Akshay Kumar with Anupam Kher), who pose as CBI officers and conduct raids, robbing politicians and businessmen of their black money

Airlift (2016) 

Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, Akshay Kumar's character was based on Mathunny Mathews, a resident of Kuwait who is credited for the safe airlift evacuation of 170000 Indians stuck in Kuwait during the invasion of the country by Iraq

Due to the film's theme based on the rescue operation, the film was compared with Ben Affleck-starrer Argo (2012) sharing the similar storyline. However, Kumar stated that the film does not have any connection with it and is completely based on a true story

Padman (2018)

This biographical comedy-drama film featured Akshay Kumar as  Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist and entrepreneur from Coimbatore who made low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas. The film was directed by R Balki

Rustom (2016) 

The film is loosely based on the K. M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra court case,[3][4] and narrates the story of naval officer Rustom, who shares a happy relationship with his wife Cynthia. Soon, he discovers her affair with Vikram, a close friend, and is accused of murdering him

Akshay Kumar won his first National Award for Best Actor for this film

Gold (2018) 

In this film, Akshay Kumar plays the Indian hockey team's coach Tapan Das who is credited for the Indian team's first gold medal at the Olympics in 1948. The film chronicles the partition of India and how it impacted the team 

The film takes us through the journey of Tapan Das who dreams of Indian hockey team winning in a free country. However, post the partition, the team splits as some members move to Pakistan

Bell Bottom (2021) 

Akshay plays a RAW agent in the film inspired from real-life hijacking events in India by terrorists calling themselves Khalistani terrorists during the 1980s, such as the Indian Airlines Flight 423, 405 and 421 hijackings

Mission Mangal (2019) 

The film is loosely based on the life of scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation who contributed to India's first interplanetary expedition Mars Orbiter Mission

Apart from Akshay Kumar, the film stars Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari as scientists

Samrat Prithviraj (2022)

Akshay Kumar plays the titular role in this film based on Prithviraj Raso, a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a Rajput king from the Chahamana dynasty

Mission Raniganj (2023) 

Akshay Kumar's latest film to hit the theatres is also based on real-life incidents. The actor essays the role of Jaswant Gill in the film

The film is based on the Raniganj Coalfields collapse of 1989 in West Bengal. Jaswant Singh Gill was a brave and diligent mining engineer from IIT Dhanbad who rescued 65 trapped miners at the Raniganj Coalfields

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