After Bhuj, T-Series picks up another 1971 war film, Navy Day

After Abhishek Dudhaiya's Bhuj: The Pride of India (2020), T-Series has picked up another war film set during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Titled Navy Day, the film is based on the attack on Karachi harbour by the Indian Navy. Along with T-Series, the film will be co-produced by Atul Kasbekar's Ellipsis Entertainment, and Asylum Films. 

The film will mark the directorial debut of Razneesh Ghai, a prominent ad filmmaker. The film's title refers to the crucial Operation Trident launched by the Indian Navy to immobilise Pakistan's Karachi harbour during the 1971 war.

The operation saw the use of anti-ship cruise missiles for the first time in the sub-continent. The success of the operation led to India celebrating its Navy Day on 4 December every year. 

The project is currently under development, with principal photography set to begin early next year. 

Speaking about the project, Bhushan Kumar said, in a release, "The operation was one of the most successful in modern naval history after World War II. Our navy suffered no losses and caused heavy casualties on the enemy side. T-Series and Ellipsis look forward to bringing to life this extraordinary tale of strategy, thrill and bravery.”

“Navy Day will be one of Ellipsis’ most ambitious films in terms of size and scale. Together, with our friends at T-Series, we look forward to working with Razneesh, yet another doyen of Indian advertising, after Ram Madhvani of Neerja (2016) and Suresh Triveni of Tumhari Sulu (2017),” said Tanuj Garg, Atul Kasbekar and Swati Iyer Chawla in a statement. 

The film is likely to be scheduled in 2020, with a casting announcement soon to follow.