‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ is the story of a young girl who, with her head in the sky and a heartfelt desire to fly, combats multiple social prejudices and personal conflicts in order to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot through sheer perseverance and hard work. She became the first female Indian pilot in combat when she served in the Kargil war as an IAF officer. The character of Gunjan Saxena is portrayed beautifully by Janhvi Kapoor.
The movie might seem far-fetched to some in terms of the kind of oppression faced by an ambitious woman, but let me tell you that the stereotypes and challenges portrayed are very relevant even today.
It begins with a small episode wherein Gunjan’s brother mocks her dream of becoming a pilot and tells her that she should instead aim for the job of a flight attendant. It’s her father who stands up for her and encourages her to pursue her dreams. After all, “plane ladka chalaye ya ladki, dono pilot hi kehlaate hain”. This is a small, yet important incident which not only gives her a glimpse into the kind of mindset people have but also instills a feeling of hope for the future and motivates her to go after her dream with the support of her father. While watching the movie, it was this very moment that defined the whole narrative for me; an ambitious girl fighting with the world to prove her worth and achieve her dreams and a supportive father encouraging his daughter every step of the way and helping her fulfill her aspirations.
Gunjan or Gunju, as her family calls her, is so fascinated with pilots that as a kid, she wears Ray-bans all the time (even while watching a movie at night) and is so obsessed with airplanes that they’re all she sees everywhere she goes. Her conviction to become a pilot is supplemented by her father’s determination and his confidence in her and her dreams.
Throughout her journey, Gunjan faces a lot of criticism from a lot of people because how can a girl even think for herself, let alone have ambition? How preposterous!
Her brother, Anshuman Saxena (portrayed by Angad Bedi), is shown as a perfectly misogynistic male who thinks that only men deserve to have goals and aspirations. Like a man with a totally patriarchal mindset, he propagates the idea that women aren’t capable of defining their own happiness and are so naïve that they can’t take charge of their own security – the idea that it is a man who needs to decide what a woman should do and where she should go because she just isn’t mature enough to take such decisions for herself even though she’s a fully grown adult.
Anup Saxena (played by Pankaj Tripathi), on the other hand, is a loving father who doesn’t believe in arguing. Instead, he maintains his faith in himself and his daughter and supports every decision of hers. He keeps motivating her to reach heights and achieve her dreams, no matter what anyone else says. He is not a glamorous or a loud man. He says what is needed to be said with ease and simplicity and yet manages to create a massive impact. His words like “Jo log mehnat ka saath nahi chhodte, kismet unka haath nahi chhodti” stay with you even after the movie ends.
One of the things that this movie and Gunjan Saxena, in particular, teaches you is how to deal with criticism not just from outside, but from within your family as well. It’s difficult to deal with the opinions of outsiders but at some point in time, you learn to ignore the noise and focus on yourself. But what do you do when the one pulling you down is from within your own family? You simply have faith in your goals and capabilities and ignore whoever doubts you, be it an outsider or someone from your own family.
Her brother, as it turns out, is right about one thing though. The world is full of people like him, ones who reduce a girl to being just a girl incapable of having a personality or identity beyond that. They deem those who don’t have enough physical strength to be weak and undeserving. Her fight wasn’t just with her brother. It was with every person who has the same mindset, which was basically her whole unit at Udhampur base, her first post.
It’s the little, subtle ways, like not providing her with basic amenities like a toilet and an accessible place to change her clothes, in which she is made to feel like she doesn’t belong there. It makes me wonder about all those women in the world who are not provided with not just basic amenities, but basic human rights as well. It makes me think about all the men who try so hard to convince the women in their lives that the only place they belong in is their kitchens.
The thing to keep in mind here is while there are a lot of men like her brother and her colleagues who have such fragile masculinity that they try to oppress every woman they can and are too scared to have a woman command them, there are also men like her father who want nothing but for women to realize their true potential and fulfill their dreams.
Ultimately, it’s all about believing in yourself and proving to the world that you not just belong, but are fully capable enough of owning your own goddamn place! And nobody, NOBODY can take that away from you. “Duniya bohot mushkil hai auraton ke liye. Par uska hal pinjare mein kaid hona nahi hai, pinjare se ud jaana hai.”
This movie, and more importantly, this story, offers a message for everyone. It’s a story of
courage, determination, and an undying desire to achieve something even when the whole world tells you that you can’t have it. It’s a story of hard work, perseverance, and being unapologetic of your dreams, whatever they may be. To the men who are supportive of the dreams and aspirations of women in their lives, it will provide you with resonance and affirm that your heart is in the right place. To the men who still believe that women aren’t fit for anything except housekeeping and that we can’t take care of ourselves, this movie will oppose your outdated viewpoints and raise your awareness about your own misogyny and your own ingrained biases. It will sensitize you towards them. To the women who are ambitious and want to take charge of their life, this story is going to be a hopeful and empowering journey. I would recommend this movie to be watched by all audiences as it is a narrative that everyone can connect with and it has a strong message for those who face challenges in fulfillment of their dreams. No matter who you are or where you come from, it is bound to leave an impact on you and inspire you in some way or the other. Its themes and characters will stay with you. So this is truly a movie to remember.
Finally, I want to leave you with this: Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough or that you don’t belong. As Gunjan Saxena said, “main bas itna jaanti hu ki main yaha apni kaabiliyat ki vajah se aayi hoon. Main yaha rahungi ya nahi ye bhi meri kabiliyat pe tae hona chahiye”. Only our talent and hard work can determine our worth and nothing else.
It’s our time to shine, to soar on our own wings.
Author – Divyanshi Khemka, Illustrated by – Kashish Dhawan
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