'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl': Meet Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi and rest of the cast of Netflix's war drama
Netflix's upcoming Indian war drama takes a dive into the Kargil War, an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control. But it does so while focussing on one main character — Gunjan Saxena. The film is inspired by the life of Saxena, a fearless young officer who made history by becoming the first Indian female Air Force officer to fly in a combat zone during the 1999 Kargil War. The inspirational film explores her journey.
Before 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' releases on August 12, 2020, on Netflix, meet the cast.
Janhvi Kapoor
Janhvi Kapoor is best known for her 2018 debut role of Parthavi Singh Rathore in 'Dhadak', a role for which she won the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut. Her role on Netflix's anthology film 'Ghost Stories' as Sameera is also well known. She is currently awaiting the release of 'Roohi Afzana' and is filming 'Dostana 2'. She is also set to feature in Karan Johar's ensemble period film 'Takht'. Kapoor is the daughter of yesteryear star Sridevi and Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor.
Pankaj Tripathi
Tripathi, who is one of the talented actors in the Bollywood film industry, is set to play the role of Gunjan's father. He made his debut in the Tamil film industry with 'Kaala'. His role as the antagonist in the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' film series earned him a lot of recognition. He has also earned praise for his role in 'Masaan'. His performance in 'Newton' earned him several accolades including a National Film Award - Special Mention. The movie was also India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. Tripathi is also known for delivering remarkable performances in Netflix's 'Sacred Games' and 'Mirzapur'. He is currently filming '83' and 'Mumbai Saga'. His film 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' is in post-production.
Angad Bedi
Bedi is set to play the role of Kapoor's brother in the movie who is also part of the Indian Army. The son of noted Indian cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi, the actor played cricket up to Under-19 level for Delhi before he ventured into acting. He made his television debut with 'Kaya Taran'. He is known for his roles in 'Ungli', an antagonist in 'PINK', 'Inside Edge' and 'Tiger Zinda Hai' alongside Salman Khan.
Manav Vij
'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' also stars Vij, who is known for his work in 'Udta Punjab' and 'Rangoon', movies that earned his critical criticism. His performances in 'Phillauri', 'Naam Shabana' and 'Andhadhun' also earned him recognition. Before he ventured into acting, Vij is a doctor who studied homoeopathy in Ludhiana Medical College.
Vineet Kumar Singh
Vineet first gained attention with his performance in 'City of Gold'. It is with his performances in 'Mukkabaaz', where he played the lead role and was nominated for Best Actor (Critics) award in the 64th Filmfare Awards. 'Bombay Talkies', and 'Gangs of Wasseypur' earned him critical acclaim. Vineet is also CPMT qualified and topper from his Medical College. As an aspiring actor, he couldn't enroll himself in the National School of Drama since his parents expected him to continue with his education. He is a licensed medical practitioner with an MD (Doctor of Medicine) in Ayurveda from Shri Ayurveda.