Independence Day: 5 Unsung Heroes Who’ve Been Made Immortal With Onscreen Biopics

India is a land of heroes. Heroes who always served the nation unconditionally and set an example of their courage and bravery. The stories of their lives are well-studded with a lot of heroic acts, and examples of bravery that went on to emerge as a big example of inspiration for everyone. Be it serving the nation on the borders to sacrificing their precious lives to save the lives of citizens, these heroes are worthy of much applause, admiration, and awards. The least we can do for them is to thank them and pour in immense love for their lives.

This Independence Day, let us have a look into the heroic act of some of these unsung heroes of our country. They have been made immortal by filmmakers making biopics on their lives. Have a look:

Jaswant Singh Gill

It was 13th November 1989, when the biggest rescue operation at Mahabir Mine of RaniGanj was carried out by the late Sardar Jaswant Singh Gill. As Additional Chief Mining Engineer, Jaswant Singh Gill decided to go into the mine and save 65 lives from a perilous coal mine all alone and almost slipping his life on the deathbed. This was the act that left the nation in absolute shock. The operation has also been mentioned in the World Book of Records as the ‘World’s largest coal mine rescue operation’. He shall be soon played onscreen by Akshay Kumar in ‘The Great Indian Rescue’, which was previously known as ‘Capsule Gill’.

Nambi Narayanan

An aerospace engineer, Nambi Narayanan was arrested under false charges of espionage. As this man went through many tough times and the reluctance from the citizens was something that was completely injustice but the way he raised against all odds and cemented his belief in himself made him a hero who rose and achieved triumph. He is a man who developed the Vikas engine, used by ISRO for many of its rockets, including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). He was played onscreen by R Madhavan in ‘Rocketry’.

Vikram Batra

Well known for his war cry of 'Yeh dil mange more', this hero served the nation on the border and died fighting Pakistani forces during the Kargil war in 1999 at the age of 24. He was given the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military medal after he died for his actions during the Kargil War. Setting a perfect definition of bravery, Captain Vikram Batra is a hero who gave his life to the nation and left us all behind with a lot of his heroic stories. He was played onscreen by Abhishek Bachchan in ‘LOC Kargil’ and later by Sidharth Malhotra in ‘Shershaah’.

Sandeep Unnikrishnan

Mumbai on 26th November 2008 witnessed a terrorist attack that shook the entire nation. Among many heroes, it was Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who fought with bravery and saved the life of many people. The nation truly salutes the courage of this hero who sacrificed his life in the line of duty. He was played onscreen by Adivi Sesh in ‘Major’.

Neerja Bhanot

Well reckoned as the heroine of the hijack, Neerja Bhanot is the epitome of bravery for the whole world who saves the lives of passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 which had been hijacked by terrorists from a terrorist organization during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5 September 1986. While She lost her life while shielding three children from a hail of bullets, her last words still echoes were, 'Mar jayungi lekin bhagungi nahin'. She was played onscreen by Sonam Kapoor in ‘Neerja’.