Ever since Netflix feature film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, featuring Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role has premiered, the film has been at the center of controversies. The film was called out for being gender-biased and portraying Indian Air Force in a bad light. The filmmakers were also accused of twisting facts.
Defending the film and her portrayal, Gunjan Saxena wrote a blog on NDTV saying when she joined the armed forces there was no discrimination at the organizational level. She says that she got equal opportunities at all time, however, she did combat the difficulties of prejudice and discrimination at the hands of a few individuals for being a woman.
In response to outrage over the portrayal of IAF as an organisation, Gunjan writes, "IAF is too big and too respectable a force to even be scratched by the controversy. The IAF as an organization is not into institutional discrimination, be it on gender or anything. I can speak for myself."
"Since the bias is not at an organizational level, the experiences of different woman officers would be different. To deny it completely speaks of a feudal mindset and undermines the grit of women Officers," she added.
She also responded to reports claiming that she was not the first woman pilot in the Kargil War. Saxena said it is absurd propaganda and ranting over the "peddling of lies". Saying it is disheartening to see a small group of people trying to dent her hard-earned reputation with "nonsensical rants", she listed down some "firsts" she had as an IAS officer in eight years of her service.
"I was first in the order of merit during my basic training and also in helicopter training, the first woman to fly in a combat zone (mentioned in the Limca Book of Records), the first 'BG' (a coveted flying category) among women helicopter pilots and the first woman officer to undergo the jungle and snow survival course," she mentioned in the blog.
Talking of the factual inaccuracies in the film, she emphasised that the intention of the movie was to inspire people to chase their dreams and the film never intended to be a documentary on the Kargil war, adding, neither her nor Sharan Sharma, the director, intended to insult the IAF.
Read: IAF Officer Sreevidya Rajan Says Gunjan Saxena Wasn't First Woman to be Posted to Udhampur or Fly in Kargil
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