As India chants on all platforms and trends the hostage of #bringbackAbhinandan, the IAF Wing Commander, who is held captive in Pakistan, here comes a stark situation had to believe. As irony has it, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s father, Air Marshall S Varthaman, was a consultant for Mani Ratnam’s film Kaatru Veliyidai, which was dubbed in Telugu as Cheliya.
In Kaatru Veliyidai, Karthi plays as Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Varun Chakrapani, who is held captive by Pakistani troops and is tortured by them before he makes his way out it. The film was set during Kargil war in 1999.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar duing media interaction said, “The Pakistan Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded instantly. In that aerial engagement, one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force. The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21. The pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts.”
