Gunjan Saxena Tells HC: “Didn’t Face Any Discrimination At IAF”
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At a time when the Janhvi Kapoor starrer ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl‘ is facing flak for showing the Indian Air Force in a bad light, Flight Lieutenant (retd.) Gunjan Saxena, on whose life the Dharma Production film is based, has apprised the Delhi High Court that she has “not faced any discrimination on the basis of her gender” during her tenure at the force.
“The Deponent (Gunjan Saxena) has not faced any discrimination on the basis of her gender. The IAF rather gave the Deponent an opportunity to serve the nation, including in the Kargil War,” the IAF officer said in her affidavit filed before a single-judge bench of the High Court presided by Justice Rajiv Shakdher.
The Centre had moved the high court saying the movie has dented the image of the IAF as it showed that the force is gender-biased, which is not correct.
Saxena has further stated that she firmly believes that the Indian Ar Force (IAF) as an institution is very progressive and that she will forever remain grateful for the opportunities given to her by the IAF.
The retired IAF fighter pilot also told the court in her affidavit filed through advocate Aditya Dewan that the film is not a documentary but is only inspired by her life. “The Deponent does not claim that everything that i shown in the movie has happened with her in her real life,” she said.
“However, the Deponent believes that the message sought to be conveyed through the movie is to motivate young women to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) and, on a broader canvas, the aim is to inspire young women to pursue their dreams, not to doubt themselves and to work hard towards their goals,” the affidavit said while adding that the movie is a dramatic representation of Gunjan’s life.
The High Court while hearing the matter through video conferencing asked the counsels representing the Indian Air Force and the makers of the film – Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl to sit together and hold a conference in order to make an attempt for sorting out the issues related to the content shared in the film.
The submissions and observations came in while the court was hearing a petition filed by the Ministry of Defence which sought permanent injunction to restrain the defendants (filmmakers) from broadcasting, telecasting, releasing in theatres and/or any other digital/OTT platform or in any platform in any manner whatsoever, the film ‘Gunjan Saxena…The Kargil Girl’ in public domain, privately or otherwise, by any means whatsoever, without the grant of NOC from the Plaintiff (IAF).
