Gunjan Saxena

Gunjan Saxena (born 1975) is an Indian Air Force officer and former helicopter pilot. She joined the IAF in 1994 and is a 1999 Kargil War veteran. She is the first woman to fly in a combat zone during the Kargil War. One of her main roles during the Kargil War was to evacuate the wounded from Kargil, transport supplies, and assist in surveillance. She would go on to be part of operations to evacuate over 900 troops, both injured and deceased, from Kargil. In 2004, after serving as a pilot for eight years, her career as a helicopter pilot ended; permanent commissions for women were not available during her time.

The movie, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl was released in 2020 by Dharma Productions. Her autobiography, The Kargil Girl, was released along with the movie by Penguin Publishers, which she had co-written with author-duo Kiran Nirvan.

Early life Saxena was born into an Army family. Her father Lieutenant Colonel Anup Kumar Saxena and brother Lieutenant Colonel Anshuman both served in the Indian Army. Saxena went to study anthropology at Hansraj College, University of Delhi, but ultimately graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics.

Indian Air Force service Saxena joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1994, and was one of 26 women who became pilots in 1996. This was the fourth batch of women air force trainees for the IAF.

Flying officer Saxena was 24 years old when she flew during the Kargil War and was stationed in Srinagar. Saxena is portrayed by Janhvi Kapoor, while the film was produced by Dharma Productions and Zee Studios. The film portrays an inspiring story of her resilience. Saxena's father and brother are played by Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi, respectively.

Media inaccuracies After the film was released, there was confusion related to some facts about Saxena, due to the film's dramatisation of events. In an article in NDTV she clarified some of them: