In 2017 I had the esteemed privilege of playing the first girl commando in the Special Forces in the Indian Army. For nearly 60 days I had the honour of wearing the OG uniform in the name of my costume for the day. Rarely as an actor do you come upon a chance to enact your childhood dream for a living. On this most glorious 70th Army Day, I’m sharing some moments ( thank you @kunjinout for all these gems ♥️) of a time that shall remain most precious to me for all my living days. I could hardly find images from set where I’m not bursting with joy in my time off. The closest I could come to being and feeling one with the Armed Forces all over again. Also, remembering today all the brave, unsung super hero Indian soldiers who no longer live to see and be with their loved ones so that we can peacefully do so. Proud forever to be an Army daughter and so blessed to have played one. #ArmyDay #ProudArmyGirl #FaujiKidForever #TheTestCase #Jan26 @altbalaji

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Reel Life ‘Jawaans’ Who Wanted to Be Soldiers in Real Life

Akshay Kumar

thequint2017-127bdeaf54-00fc-4ddb-87da-bc5b7596dd83akshay kumar army

Patriotism runs in his blood. Born to a military officer, Akshay Kumar always wanted to serve in the armed forces. The actor has always been a fitness enthusiast and has also set up an online initiative, Bharat Ke Veer where one can make contributions towards families of courageous soldiers, who laid down their lives for protecting the country. The closest Akshay got to being an army officer was playing a naval officer in Rustom and an army officer in Holiday and Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon.

 

Shah Rukh Khan

thequint2017-126d758bb6-95a8-4ceb-84c2-ed940faa65c2b4f8c9e7-8295-4792-9dfe-661dbb120eae

The King Khan of Bollywood was born in a family of freedom fighters and he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Destiny veered its course and he landed in Mumbai to be an actor. In 1989 in his debut TV series Fauji he played the role of an Indian soldier. Though not unbroken, the stint continued with parts in films like Army (1996) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).

Nimrat Kaur

thequint2017-12d89c7c9d-b880-4520-b8b3-46e61c45c284drdf

Nimrat Kaur aspired to serve in the army just like her father. For her, wearing the olive green uniform was a matter of pride but soon she realised it wasn’t an easy task. Witnessing her father’s life at close quarters with all the intense training and the hardships, made her change her mind. Nimrat recently wrapped up the shoot for the web-series, The Test Case where she is playing the role of Shikha Sharma, an army officer. She took to Twitter to share her immortal love for the armed forces:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

thequint2017-122e4bc84c-9236-4159-a738-4f2ac1a61b99c0a99725-14fa-49b2-b531-95398fda3aadThe proudest moment for our former Indian Cricket team captain wasn’t winning the World Cup in 2011. Rather it was when he accepted the position of Lieutenant Colonel in Parachute Regiment. In an interview with a newspaper, Dhoni admitted being fascinated about joining the armed forces since childhood. As a kid he loved to read about weapons, combats and tanks. Dhoni has always allegedly told his wife that she is the third most important person in his life, the first two positions being that of his country followed by his parents.

Nimrat Kaur’s Republic Day Tribute To Women Officers Is Super Special

Having recently wrapped up shooting for all episodes, the unit of Ekta Kapoor’s Test Case is eyeing a 2018 Republic Day release. The Nimrat Kaur-starrer chronicles the journey of a female officer in the Indian Army. The show was among a series that marked the launch of Kapoor’s web channel, Alt Balaji, earlier this year.

thetestcase1-kLUB--621x414@LiveMintonfirming the news to mid-day, Manav Sethi, chief marketing officer, Alt Balaji, says, “We recently wrapped up the shoot. We decided to dedicate the show to the Indian women who are fighting for equality [to join the army]. We hope they break norms. The team felt that it would be apt to release it on Republic Day.” Referring to the government’s decision to open doors to women in combat roles, Sethi adds, “Only a few months ago, the army announced that women would be welcome to take up all kinds of roles [in the army]. It is a coincidence that our series showcases the same.”

Having been associated with the project for over a year, Kaur says she is certain to miss being on set. “I can’t wait for people to watch what we have put together with, literally, our blood, sweat and tears.” The unit describes the nine-part series as one that’s ideal for “binge watching” over the weekend. The channel usually permits viewers to only watch five episodes of any series without a fee. But, the team says it may reconsider  the practice. “We are looking into the details and are collating the viewership data of our previous shows. Depending on the results, we will decide the number of episodes that must be aired for free.”

The series was put on the backburner soon after the first episode released in April. Initially, it was helmed by Nagesh Kukunoor, but it was shelved after his fallout with Kapoor. She then roped in Dangal’s assistant director, Vinay Waikul.

Source