BHOPAL: IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s father is a highly decorated IAF officer. S Varthaman was a consultant for director Mani Ratnam’s 2017 Tamil film Kaatru Veliyidai.
In Kaatru Veliyidai, hero Karthi plays an IAF pilot who is captured by the Pakistani Army during the 1999 Kargil War. In Kaatru Veliyidai, Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Varun Chakrapani advances into enemy territory during the 1999 Kargil War. His fighter jet is shot down. He is captured by the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi. He is swiftly taken by Pakistan as a Prisoner of War and subjected to torture. In Pakistan custody, Varun begins thinking of his days with Leela, played by Aditi Rao Hydari in the film.
As India prays for the safe return of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the similarities between the reel and real situations are a little too stark. The irony? Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s father, Air Marshal S Varthaman, was a consultant for the Mani Ratnam film Kaatru Veliyidai.
