Touted as the biggest Bollywood movie that will be released in the month of January 2025, Sky Force's trailer was recently released. Directed by Sandeep Kewlani & Abhishek Anil Kapur, Sky Force is a war drama set in the backdrop of 1965 revolving around India's first airstrike on Pakistan. Produced by Stree fame Dinesh Vijan, Sky Force features Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur, and more in the leading roles. Since the movie mentions India and Pakistan, fans are digging deep into Sky Force Real Story or Sky Force True Story.
Is Sky Force a real story?
The answer is yes. Sky Force is inspired by real events from 1965 when India carried out its first-ever airstrike on Pakistan. Talking about Skyforce's characters guide, it features Akshay Kumar as Wing Commander K.O. Ahuja based on Group Captain of Indian Air Force Group Captain O.P Taneja, Veer Pahariya as T. Vijaya based on Mahavir Chakra awardee Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, Sara Ali Khan as Veer's wife in the film.
Who was real-life T. Vijaya?
As mentioned above, T. Vijaya is a fictional name of Veer Pahariya in the movie whose character is inspired by Mahavir Chakra awardee Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya. As per the information available, Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya is the only Indian Air Force officer to be posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. For the unversed, the Maha Vir Chakra is the second-highest wartime gallantry award, below only the Param Vir Chakra.
During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Squadron leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya was part of a strike mission targeting the Pakistani airbase Sargodha when he was attacked by an enemy aircraft. He shot down the enemy pursuer's plane but in the process his aircraft was damaged and he went missing. Presumably, he died in Pakistani territory. Twenty-three years later, in 1988, he was posthumously awarded the MVC award.
Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya hailed from Coorg, Karnataka. When the war broke out in 1965, Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya was an instructor at the Air Force Flying College. When Devayya went missing in the Pakistani territory, the Indian government made multiple efforts to find him. but he was not traced. Eventually, he was presumed dead.
As per a report, many years after Pakistan claimed that Devayya's body was found almost intact by villagers not very far from Sargodha. However, the IAF's officer's death still remains a mystery.