The Ghazi Attack Trailer

[Catherine Nicolo]

Itis so difficult to spot a naval uniform in a Bollywood film that one could easily give up hope of seeing the men in white on the big screen. In many ways, the naval uniform and its depiction reflected changing societies better than other military attire, popping up in cabaret songs in 1950s films as well as denoting a coastal town and therefore, by inference, the presence of foreign sailors passing through.

And yet, the Indian Navy played a key role in at least four major military operations after 1947. Each operation would have done very well on the screen. These are real stories, dramatic and vigorous and coming at key points in military history.

One upcoming movie revisits the sinking of the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi in 1971. The Ghazi Attack, a Telugu-Hindi bilingual production, has been directed by Sankalp and stars Kay Kay Menon, Rana Dagubatti, Om Puri, Atul Kulkarni and Taapsee Pannu. The movie will be released on February 17.

In 1971, the Navy played an exceptional role and ensured that Pakistan would feel the brunt of a war that was declared after Pakistani jet fighters screamed into Indian air space and attacked forward air fields. India declared war, and the Indian Navy began preparations for an audacious attack on the Karachi harbour that pulverised the Pakistani navy. But unknown to the Indian navy, the Pakistanis had already launched a pre-emptive operation in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Vishakhapatnam.

On December 3, 1971, INS Akshay set off on a patrol from Vishakhapatnam when it came upon the debris of PNS Ghazi. The submarine had drowned, killing everyone on board, and it looked like a blast had ripped through its hull, sinking it within minutes. Originally an American boat built during World War II, PNS Ghazi was one of four submarines that had been deployed against India. Muted claims that the Indian Navy had sunk the boat were never officially made. As many neutral accounts argued, the submarine sank due to internal explosions. Either way, this would prove to be a huge win for India.

The chequered history of PNS Ghazi contains enough drama for a movie. From the trailer, it appears that The Ghazi Attack depicts a brave Indian submarine crew that is sent to the Bay of Bengal to hunt for PNS Ghazi for 18 days. It also throws in a woman rescued by the submarine, which apparently surfaces during war time to pick up some survivors at sea.

3a8082e126