The story of real-life heroes has always made its way into a good script which has also been liked by the masses in large numbers. The trend is still present in Bollywood and in recent months too, many films have been made on true stories. From Gunjan Saxena to Raazi, here are some of the films you didn't know tool cue from real people.
Gunjan Saxena
Gunjan Saxena is based on the real-life IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena, who served the country in the Kargil War and became the first woman to do so. She has been inspired to become a pilot from the moment she entered the cockpit and that's how this inspiring story begins. The film was released on Netflix last year and stars Janhvi Kapoor in the pivotal role. The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi who plays her father and Angad Bedi who plays her brother. The film has been directed by Sharan Sharma and produced by Karan Johar.
Shakuntala Devi
Shakuntala Devi was a mathematician and a writer, who was popularly called the 'Human Computer'. Why? Because of her ability to calculate large digit numbers and problems in merely seconds. She had a God gift and her ability to be fluent with numbers got her a place in the Guinness Book of World Record. The Amazon Prime film is based on the same story and sees Vidya Balan play the pivotal role. The film also stars Amit Sadh and Sanya Malhotra who play Shakuntala Devi's son-in-law and daughter respectively. The film dropped on the OTT platform last year due to the pandemic conditions. It has been directed by Any Menon and produced by Vikram Malhotra.
Gully Boy
Inspired by the life of real-life Gully boys, Divine and Naezy, this 2019 Hindi film sweeped all the awards of that year. Gully Boy's story goes like this, "Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher." The film stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Sidharth Chaturvedi in the lead roles and it was directed by Zoya Akhtar. The songs of the film, which mostly consisted of raps, impressed the masses and brought the culture of rapping to the forefront.
Padman
Very few people know that this Akshay Kumar starrer film's story has a real man behind it. The man named Arunachalam Muruganantham is the real padman who inspired the film. He developed a machine to produce sanitary pads which are now being circulated to other regions as well. The story of the film goes, "Laxmikant is upset when he sees Gayatri, his wife, using an unhygienic cloth during her menstrual cycle. Thereafter, he creates a machine that can make affordable sanitary pads and raises awareness." Apart from Akshay, Padman also stars Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor. The film has been directed by R. Balki. You can watch Padman on Netflix.
Raazi
Raazi is a 2018 Hindi film which is based upon the book 'Calling Sehmat' which is also written on the true events after independence. The girl named Sehmat Khan marries a Pakistani boy to spy on their mission. The story goes like this, "Sehmat Khan, an undercover RAW agent, is married into a Pakistani family by her father so that she can get some valuable piece of information about the enemy." Raazi stars Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Soni Razdan in the lead roles and has been directed by Meghna Gulzar. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.
Kedarnath
Inspired by the real-life disaster in Kedarnath in 2013, this 2018 Hindi film showcases an inter-religion love story of two people living in that region. The story goes like this, "Mansoor, a reserved Muslim porter, falls in love with Mukku, the beautiful and rebellious daughter of a Hindu priest. But their love is put to the test amid misunderstandings and nature's wrath." The film stars the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan in the lead role. It was also the debut movie of Sara. You can watch Kedarnath on the Zee5 app.
Gold This 2018 Hindi film is loosely based on the true story of independent India's first Olympic gold win. The story of the film goes like this, "Post-independence, Tapan Das, the manager of the Indian hockey team, faces several obstacles as he prepares his team for the upcoming Olympics in the hope of winning a gold medal for the country." The film stars Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy in the lead roles and has been directed by Reema Kagti. You can watch the full movie on Amazon Prime Video.
The Ghazi Attack
The Ghazi Attack is a 2017 war-thriller film that is based on real-life attacks. The story of the film goes like this, "In 1971, an Indian Naval submarine, S21, intercepts a Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi, during routine surveillance and thwarts its mission of destroying INS Vikrant." The film stars Taapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, and Kay Kay Menon in the lead roles and has been directed by Sankalp Reddy. You can watch Ghazi Attack on Amazon Prime Video.
Omerta
This 2017 Hindi film starring Rajkummar Rao in the lead role is based upon the real-life story of a British terrorist of Pakistani descent Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Rajkummar Rao sports a bespectacled and heavily bearded look in the film. The synopsis of the film reads, "Inflamed by a sense of hatred and revenge, Ahmed Omar Sheikh kidnaps and murders a Wall Street Journal reporter named Daniel Pearl." The film is streaming on the Zee5 app and has been directed by Hansal Mehta.
Mission Mangal
This 2019 film is loosely inspired by the ISRO space mission to reach Mars. It has a multi starring of actors like Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kriti Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, etc. The synopsis reads, "A group of scientists at ISRO battle in their personal and professional lives and work tirelessly towards their only motive, the Mars Orbiter Mission." It has been directed by Jagan Shakti and the film is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
