Gunjan Saxena Addresses The 'First Woman Pilot' Controversy

Deciding to address this controversy, Saxena spoke saying, Somewhere towards the end of these Kargil operations is when a media interaction was arranged by the Air Force, and it was then that my name was projected as being the first woman aviator flying in a combat zone.

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Hindustan Times

With the release of Dharma Production’s Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, there was a lot of positive buzz about the film which translated it into praising reviews. Based on the life of Flight Commander Gunjan Saxena, India’s first female combat pilot in the Kargil War of 1999, the film was appreciated for its storyline and performances. However, controversy ensued when retired Indian Air Force Wing Commander Namrita Chandi took offense to the maltreatment of women showcased in the movie. 

In an open letter, the retired commander insists that she “never faced the kind of abuse and maltreatment as was portrayed in the movie” and further on Flight Lieutenant Sreevidya Rajan saying she was the first woman to fly in Kargil, not Gunjan. She said that she went with the first batch of pilots and later when the second batch was sent, Gunjan came along with them.

Deciding to address this controversy, Saxena spoke to NDTV saying, “Somewhere towards the end of these Kargil operations is when a media interaction was arranged by the Air Force, and it was then that my name was projected as being the first woman aviator flying in a combat zone. And now from July ‘99 till today, my name has featured in a number of articles.”She said that her name has also featured in the Limca book of records, and also said that in one of the promotion exams taken by the Air Force for the officers, there’s a question which asks about the name of the first female pilot who has flown into a combat zone. And Gunjan Saxena’s name featured as the correct answer there.

She said that the poster of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl released in August 2019, and from July ’99 to August 2019, there was no controversy about this from anyone. “Between then and now, I don’t know what has changed. The only thing that has changed is this movie being released.”

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