An action thriller was made in Bollywood on the heroic story of the unforgettable war that took place in Garibpur area of Boyra Union of Chowagacha Upazila in Khulna in 1971. Its name is ‘Pippa’. Why? To know that answer, you have to turn your eyes to the pages of history.
The battle tank PT-76 was in the fleet of the Indian allied forces that came forward to help in the liberation war of Bangladesh. It was an amphibious tank, i.e. it floated in water as well as on land. A few such tanks at Garibpur caused a miserable defeat for the Pakistani army. The PT-76 tank was called ‘Pippa’ by the Indian Army.
The battle of Garibpur played an important role in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. It is known as ‘Battle of Gharibpur’. History of this incredible success is taught in various military colleges in India. On November 21, 1971, the Indian allied forces participated with the Bangladesh Liberation Army in the frontal war against the Pakistani army. Through this war started between India and Pakistan for the first time in the war of liberation. Although India formally took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh on 3 December 1971.
Captain Balram Singh Mehta was the fearless second-in-command of the Indian Army’s 45 Cavalry Squadron in 1971. He wrote a detailed account of his victory in the Battle of Garibpur in his book ‘The Burning Shafis’. 14 Punjab Regiment along with the soldiers crossed the Kabadak river in the darkness of the night of November 20, 1971 and entered the boundary of Garibpur under the cover of thick fog. As dawn broke on November 21, the Indian Allies threw themselves into a head-to-head battle. In the beginning, the commander of 45 Cavalry Squadron, Major Daljit Singh Narang, lost his life in Pakistani firing.
Scenes from the movie ‘Pippa’Then the burden of conducting the war fell on the shoulders of young Balram Singh Mehta. He set a unique example of valor and bravery by fighting from the front with his fellow soldiers in the Bangladesh Liberation War. On his face was the battle cry – We will fight like heroes, kill like heroes and die like heroes. 14 M-24 Light American Shafe tanks and 2 Saber F86 fighter jets of Pakistani forces were destroyed in the Battle of Garibpur. On the other hand, 5 PT-76 tanks of the Indian allied forces were destroyed. A total of 19 people of Mukti Bahini and allied forces were martyred and 33 people were injured in the battlefield. Hundreds of Pakistani soldiers were killed.
‘Pippa’ tells the story of patriotism, heroism and sacrifice through the eyes of hero Balram Singh Mehta. It stars Ishaan Khattar as Captain Balram Singh Mehta. She made her Bollywood debut with Karan Johar’s ‘Dhadak’ (2017). He was earlier seen in ‘Beyond the Clouds’ directed by Iran’s Majid Majidi. The 28-year-old star is the half-brother of actor Shahid Kapoor.
Mrunal Tagore played the role of Balaram Mehta’s lover. The girl is a journalist by profession. Priyanshu Pennyuli and Soni Razdan will also be seen. The music of the film was directed by Oscar winner A. And. Rahman.
Mrunal Tagore‘Pippa’ is directed by Raja Krishna Menon. He wrote the screenplay along with Tanmoy Mohan and Ravinder Randhawa. Earlier, he received praises by directing Akshay Kumar’s ‘Airlift’ (2016) and Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Chef’ (2017).
Raja Krishna Menon feels that such inspiring stories of victory in war need to be presented to the world. He hopes, through Amazon Prime Video, ‘Pippa’ will be accepted by the audience around the world.
‘Pippa’ is a movie based on the liberation war of Bangladesh, jointly produced by Ronnie Screwvala (RSVP) and Siddharth Roy Kapur (Roy Kapoor Films). They believe, the film will deeply inspire the new generation.
The trailer of ‘Pippa’ shows a glimpse of the battle of Gharibpur. It will be released directly on Amazon Prime Video on November 10. Through which viewers of 240 countries of the world including India-Bangladesh can see this film.
Ishaan Khattar in the movie ‘Pippa’
Tags: Bollywood show unforgettable Gharibpur battle Khulna Chougacha
