Taali to Neerja: Powerful narratives that celebrated four extraordinary lives

When entertainment deviates from fantasy to derive inspiration from real life, the narratives that emerge are richer because they have the poignance of lived experience, relatability, raw emotional power, authenticity and profound gravitas. They connect more deeply with us because they give us a glimpse of the pain, resilience  and courage of people who are not a figment of our imagination. We pick four such stories that will continue to resonate with the audiences for a long time to come:

Neerja

In 2016, 'Neerja' brought audiences to tears in theatres as it recounted the bravery and sacrifice of 22-year-old Neerja Bhanot, a brave flight purser who was on the Pan Am Flight 73 during a hijacking attempt by the terrorists of the Abu Nidal Organization on 5 September 1986.  Directed by Ram Madhvani, the film narrates how Neerja not only  foiled the hijack attempt by alerting the pilots, who left the cockpit, thus grounding the plane but also helped save hundreds of passengers. She lost her life, trying to protect three children from terrorists and was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra and many other honours across the world. Produced by Atul Kasbekar's company, Bling Unplugged, alongside Fox Star Studios, the film starred Sonam Kapoor,  Shekhar Ravjiani, Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku, Kavi Shastri and Jim Sarbh. Watch it on Disney+Hotstar.

Taali

Right from the onset, creators Arjun and Kartk knew that the story of transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant had the potential to be translated into a riveting on-screen narrative. What emerged was a six-episode series led by the inimitable Sushmita Sen who played Shreegauri with compelling conviction and palpable emotion. The scene where Sen sits in rain, willing the management of a hospital to apologise for placing a trangender woman's dead body on the ground,  is a testament to the actor's total identification with Shreegauri. She brings to life Shreegauri's struggle for acceptance and equality in the face of brutal discrimination and  prejudice, her remarkable journey from pain to triumph, her ability to lead and protect her community and her strong, all-encompassing maternal instinct.  Directed by Ravi Jadhav, 'Taali' can be watched on

JioCinema  

Gunjan Saxena  : The Kargil Girl

"Main plane uthane nahin udane aayi hoon," says Gunjan when she is taunted by her colleagues in the Air Force about her lack of physical strength. Directed by Sharan Sharma and produced by Dharma Productions and Zee Studios, this 2020 biographical drama film was based on Gunjan Saxena, a female air-force pilot and one of the first women to fly in a combat zone. The film is a rousing account of how Gunjan, a small-town girl sets her eyes on the near impossible goal of becoming a pilot and encouraged by her father, finally  joins the Indian Airforce where she faces sexim and bullying by fellow officers. How she displays exemplary courage  during the Kargil war and leads a rescue mission heroically, makes for a riveting watch.  The film stars  Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in the lead roles. Watch it on Netflix.

Mary Kom

This 2014  film based on the life of  boxer Mary Kom, was directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.  Priyanka Chopraa depicts Kom's journey from an impoverished rural home to international glory with grit even though she does not resemble the boxer and had obvious trouble with her diction.  Still, the journey of a determined woman through bureaucratic politics, personal challenges and pain to the ultimate triumph at  the 2008 World Boxing Championships in Ningbo, is an inspiring watch. It also stars  Darshan Kumar and Sunil Thapa  and can be watched on Netflix.