Shershah was a great watch – a story about one of the most memorable of Indian soldiers, Captain Vikram Batra. Another biopic based on the life of Major Mohit Sharma is in the works. Maj Sharma was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime military award for his counter-terror operation. His story, particularly the way that he went undercover to infiltrate the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and then lost his life in an anti-terror operation is to be made into a film.
Chintu to his family and Mike to his NDA mates, this engineering student cleared his SSB exam and became part of the National Defense Academy in 1995. A keen sportsperson, he was good at boxing, horse riding and swimming. He opted to become a para commando after some years of service.
He assumed the name of Iftikhar Bhatt and approached Hizbul militants with a story about wanting to attack the Indian army. He reportedly approached Abu Sabzar and Abu Torara, in Shopian, Kashmir valley
He grew his hair and a beard and told them a fictitious story about his brother being killed by the army and wanting to avenge his death. Clearly, he committed to this undercover operation fully, since the Indian army has very strict rules about grooming and facial hair.
Maj Sharma laid down his life in an encounter with militants in Kupwara in March 2009. Based on the information following the infiltration attempts the security forces were tasked with a search and destroy mission. Maj Sharma was leading the Bravo Assault team when he not only pulled other soldiers to safety but also continued to lead his men after being hit in the chest.
He lost his life battling the militants and succumbed to his injuries. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra for “conspicuous gallantry, unyielding fighting spirit and supreme sacrifice.” The Award was accepted by his wife Maj Rishima Sharma from the President in 2010.
Last year it was announced that a film based on his life was is being made by Applause Entertainment and Drishyam Films. This is to be an adaptation based on a book by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, India’s Most Fearless 2: More Military Stories Of Unimaginable Courage And Sacrifice.
There is now a metro station named after Major Mohit Sharma; the Rajendra Nagar station of Ghaziabad. It is thought that the movie based on the major’s life, tentatively titled Iftikhar could see an August 2022 release to coincide with Independence Day.
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