Bollywood stars who played pilots, and how real they looked | Indian Air Force Day
Bollywood stars who played pilots, and how real they looked | Indian Air Force Day
As India celebrates the 93rd Air Force Day on Wednesday, October 8 2025, let’s take a look at Bollywood actors, including Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, and others, who have portrayed the role of a pilot on screen.
Hrithik Roshan portrayed the role of a fighter jet pilot in the 2024 film 'Fighter'. His character name was Squadron Leader Shamsher 'Patty' Pathania. Several viewers praised his look and performance in this aerial action movie. The film 'Fighter' was directed by Siddharth Anand and also stars Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, and others in the lead roles. The Bollywood film is available to stream on Netflix.
2/5Image Source : TMDB
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan played the character 'Veer Pratap Singh' who was an Indian Air Force pilot in the 2004 film 'Veer-Zaara'. The film was directed by
Yash Chopra and written by Aditya Chopra. In this film, Shah Rukh Khan's character rescues a Pakistani girl stranded in India. It features Preity G Zinta and Rani Mukerji in the pivotal roles.
3/5Image Source : TMDB
In the 2023 film 'Tejas', actress Kangana Ranaut portrayed the role of an Air Force pilot named Tejas Gill. The film was written and directed by Sarvesh Mewara and also features Sanjay Bharadwaj, Vishak Nairm, Anshul Chauhan and others in the pivotal roles. For the unversed, the movie is available to stream on the Zee 5 platform.
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4/5Image Source : TMDB
Janhvi Kapoor stepped into the shoes of an Air Force officer named Gunjan Saxena for the 2020 film 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl'. For the unversed, Gunjan Saxena was the first Indian female Air Force officer to fly in a combat zone during the 1999 Kargil War. The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Ayesha Raza Mishra and others in the key roles.
5/5Image Source : TMDB
In the 2024 aerial action film 'Fighter', Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone played the role of an Air Force pilot. The name of her character was Squadron Leader Minal Rathore, also known by her call sign 'Minni'. This marked the first time Padukone had donned the pilot's uniform. Her performance was loved by the audience. Siddharth Anand's film also stars Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Oberoi, Karan Singh Grover, and Anil Kapoor in the key roles.
