B'Town Pilots: Soaring To Success!
By MovieTalkies.com, 18 July 2011
It's a high flying strategy, for sure. And one that has steadily maintained its hold in cinema over the years, fetching raves and acceptance, as leading heroes don the mantle of air force pilots and soar away to cinematic glory in their flicks…
Aradhana(1969) - Air Force pilot Arun (Rajesh Khanna) croons mere sapnon ki rani from an open Jeep to court demure Vandana (Sharmila) while she glances coyly from behind the pages of a book in a train…
Silsila (1981) -Squadron Leader Shekhar Malhotra (Shashi Kapoor in a special appearance) falls in love with and marries Shobha (Jaya Bhaduri) in Silsila. However, he is later killed in an air crash leaving behind a pregnant wife…
Veer Zaara (2004) - Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) of the Indian Air Force rescues damsel in distress Preity Zinta after her bus meets with an accident while on a trip to India from Pakistan. The rescue operation leads the way for a romance and a love story spanning decades…
Mausam (2011) - Shahid Kapoor as Air Force pilot Harinder 'Harry' Singh in a "timeless love story," Mausam struts on an air base wearing aviator sunglasses and a helmet tucked at his side when he is not busy gazing intensely in the eyes of the love of his life, Sonam Kapoor…
Incidentally, Aradhana, Silsila and Veer Zaara went on to become hits and similar expectations have been attached to Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut Mausam starring Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, slated for release in September 2011. Ever wondered what makes Bollywood beauties fall for a uniform and that too, specifically that of an Air Force pilot? It has been a known trend that filmmakers who have to cast an actor in the role of defence personnel for a romantic movie will most often than not choose the vocation of a pilot as opposed to that of an army or navy officer.