The 25th year of India’s victory in the Kargil war is being celebrated across the country. Martyrs are being remembered and the stories of the brave men who took India’s victory chariot forward are being repeated.
The Kargil war got registered in the memory of a large population of the country at a very young age. With the growth of cinema in the new century, the Kargil war is perhaps the most celebrated war on the big screen. On one hand, cinema has capitalized on the Kargil war, on the other hand, there are some actors in the Bollywood industry who have a direct connection with this war. Let us tell you about the Kargil connection of these actors…
1. Anushka Sharma
Colonel (retd) Ajay Sharma, father of one of Bollywood’s top actresses Anushka Sharma, was also a part of the Kargil War. Anushka has told that since 1982, her father has been a part of every major army operation. This also includes Operation Blue Star and Kargil War.
Anushka had told that when the Kargil war was going on, she was too young to understand all this. And during the war, whenever she talked to her father, she used to talk to him about school and her boyfriends. However, he was also scared because his mother always kept the TV on for war updates.
2. Gul Panag
Gul Panag’s father, retired Lieutenant General Harcharanjit Singh Panag (H.S. Panag), who has appeared in ‘Door’, ‘Ran’ and ‘Paatal Lok’, is awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. The Kargil war officially ended in July 1999, but the Army still had a big task.
In January 2000, H.S. As a Brigadier Commander, Panag led an operation in the Yaldor sector, the epicenter of the Kargil war, in which 35 Pakistani bunkers were destroyed and several Pakistani soldiers were killed on the LoC. With this, India got complete control in Batalik sector. In 2000-2001, he led many such operations including ‘Operation Kabaddi’, in which Pakistani Army posts on the LoC were destroyed and India got complete control.
3. Vikramjit Kanwarpal
Actor Vikramjit Kanwarpal, who has appeared in many films and TV shows like ‘Page 3’, ‘Don’, ‘2 States’, retired with the rank of Major in 2002. He died at the age of 52 due to Covid in 2021. After Vikramjit’s death, his childhood friend told E Times that he had also been a part of the Kargil war. He joined Bollywood only after returning from the war.
Interestingly, Vikramjit, who was a Major in the Indian Army, played the role of Colonel Shakur, a Pakistani Army officer, in the 2007 film ‘1971’.
4. Nana Patekar
Nana Patekar, one of the powerful actors of Bollywood, took a break from acting for some time during the Kargil war and joined the Light Infantry Regiment. Nana Patekar told in an interview given to ‘The Lallantop’, ‘At that time Fernandes Saheb was the Defense Minister. We wanted to go to war. We had completed the commando course. Is a good shooter. Nationals have been played. We have also got a medal.
Nana, who had trained with the Maratha Light Infantry for his film ‘Prahar’, further said, ‘We called there during the war. We said that we have to go to war. From there it was said that you are a civilian. That’s why can’t go. But Fernandes sir knew us. Then he asked us when to leave. I said I have to go now. I went to Kargil war. I became a member of the quick reaction team. We can do this much for the country. Our biggest weapon is not Bofors or AK 47 but our soldiers.
5. Ranvijay Singha
‘MTV Roadies’ fame host and actor Rannvijay Singha may have made his mark in the entertainment industry, but he always wanted to join the Army. The reason is that his father Lieutenant General Iqbal Singh Singha had been a part of the Kargil war. Iqbal Singh, who was commanding a regiment in the war, was posted in Rajouri-Poonch sector at the time of the war.
Ranvijay had once told on social media that during the war, he was studying in Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi. This time was very difficult for every army family. He had told that he and his classmates used to discuss the things going on in the war.