Janhvi Kapoor on Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl - Film made me aware of my strengths, weaknesses

Earning Best Actor (Film) nomination at mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards for Gunjan Saxena, Janhvi on bringing IAF pilot's journey to screen

Janhvi Kapoor played the titular role in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl with resilience, mirroring the steely resolve of its real-life heroine. The actor, nominated in the Best Actor (Film) category of the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, says the Sharan Sharma-directed venture was a personally rewarding journey. “The film made me aware of my strengths and weaknesses. It wasn’t an action thriller; it [was nothing like] a conventional film of this genre. But it had a lot of heart,” she says.   

Rising above jingoism, the film beautifully brought forth a different connotation of patriotism. In a scene, Gunjan tells her father that flying a plane is her only ambition, and wonders whether she may be deceiving her country by using the Armed Forces as a means to fulfil the dream. Her father explains that sincerity is the first step towards serving the nation. “It was the last [scene] we worked on. The scene doesn’t condemn [chest-thumping] nationalist sentiment, but shows other forms of patriotism. It encapsulates the film’s spirit. We had multiple versions of the sequence, but nothing captured Gunjan ma’am’s love for the country as beautifully as this did. After watching the film, she said, ‘You’ve said everything I wish I could say.’”

The movie invited the wrath of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which claimed that it showed them in  poor light. Kapoor acknowledges that the backlash affected her “deeply”. “Throughout the promotions, we acknowledged that Gunjan ma’am got the opportunity to serve in the IAF because of their [willingness]. They took a progressive step by recruiting women. We never wished to offend anyone. Some people didn’t get Gunjan or her spirit because they are victims of their conditioning. I am glad the film sparked a conversation [about women joining the IAF].”

Did you know?

The film marks the directorial debut of Sharan Sharma, who was the creative director of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013).

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards

Janhvi Kapoor has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female): Film category for Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. The other nominees are:  
. Radhika Apte: Raat Akeli Hai (Netflix)
. Saiyami Kher: Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai (Netflix)
. Tillotama Shome: Chintu Ka Birthday (Zee5)
. Tripti Dimri: Bulbbul (Netflix)
. Vidya Balan: Shakuntala Devi (Amazon Prime Video)

Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on February 9.

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