The first female Indian Air Force officer to serve in the war zone, Saxena speaks to Forbes India about her experience in Kargil, and how true the film is to her real life
Gunjan Saxena, after returning from the Kargil War
Popularly known as ‘The Kargil Girl’ after being the subject of a major motion picture, Gunjan Saxena is the first female Indian Air Force (IAF) officer to serve in the war zone. The film, which released on August 12 and stars Jahnvi Kapoor, has come under some fire from critics for dramatising sexism in the air force, and discrediting some of its progress.
On the heels of the film, Saxena now also has an autobiography released, co-authored by Kirandeep Singh and Nirvan Singh. "It was a wonderful experience with immense learning value. It did not feel like we were collecting data to write about her life, it was as if a senior officer was counselling us about ethics and moral values," says Nirvan.
Saxena talks to Forbes India about her experiences during Kargil and whether the film story stayed true to her life. Edited excerpts:
Q. Can you recall your earliest memory when you decided you wanted to become a pilot?
I was about six or seven years old when we were travelling back home for vacations, from Guwahati to Delhi in an Indian Airlines flight, since my father was posted at Tezpur at the time. The captain was my father's distant cousin. He knew that my brother and I were on that flight, and sent the air hostess to ask us if we wanted to have a look at the cockpit.