Based on the real story during Kargil war fought between India and Pakistan in 1999.
LOC KARGIL is the story of Indian soldiers fighting in Kargil and being remembered by their family. There is Vikram Batra (Abhishek Bachchan), a daredevil soldier who won Param Vir Chakra for his bravery. Manoj Pandey (Ajay Devgan), a poet by nature laid his live and was served with Param Vir Chakra too. The toughest of all the soldiers was Lt. Balwant Singh (Akshaye Khanna) awarded the Mahaveer Chakra. Major Deepak Rampal (Sanjay Kapoor) was on leave when the call for war came. He was the backbone of the unit, awarded VIR CHAKRA. Lt. Col. Y. K. Joshi (Sanjay Dutt), a daredevil soldier was too awarded VIR CHAKRA. Captain Anuj Nayyar (Saif Ali Khan) for whom death was just another game lived his life and was awarded with Mahaveer Chakra.—gavin@[email protected]
The Indian government is quite aware that the Pakistani army is attempting to combat them. Worse off the Pakistani soldiers gets beyond the line of control; so the authorities get the necessary arms and ammunitions ready as well as instructs the soldiers to take up position. What follows is a huge confrontation between the two leading to death, despair and sadness.—gavin ([email protected])
After Pakistani forces intrude past the line of control into Indian territory, the Govrnment of India instructs the Indian army to defend it's borders. A confrontation takes place between the Indian and Pakistani forces, leaving many casualties on both sides. This movie depicts the battle and the outcome it has on some of the soldiers and their respective families.—rAjOo ([email protected])
LOC Kargil opens with a dramatic shot of an Indian soldier's wireless set chirping frantic commands from one of the army bases, calling a patrol to report in while the radio operator lies dead in the snow. After frantic attempts from battalions to locate their lost patrols, the Indian Army HQ in Jammu and Kashmir decides to deploy more troops. They suffer a rude shock when company and even battalion-sized attacks are beaten back by the largely unknown enemy sitting on top of the steep and treacherous peaks surrounding Kargil, Mushkoh Valley, Drass, Batalik and the Kaksar sectors. After these terrible and surprising reverses, the decision is taken to go ahead with maximum mobilization and move its best fighting units into the area of operations. Orders are not to cross LOC.
The first unit deployed is 1/11 Gorkha Rifles (1st Battalion, 11th Regiment) who are specialists in high-altitude warfare. 1/11 is led by its commanding officer, Col. Lalit Rai (Sudesh Berry), and has the charismatic and brave Lt. Manoj Pandey (Ajay Devgan) leading one of its platoons. Subsequently, the 18th Grenadiers (which was in the Kashmir Valley guarding against terrorist infiltration when they were urgently summoned to help throw out the intruders) are deployed. The Grenadiers were led by Colonel Khushal Thakur (Raj Babbar). Among the officers and soldiers were men like Lt. Col R Vishwanathan (Mohnish Behl), Major Rajesh Adhikari (Karan Nath), Lt. Balwan Singh (Akshaye Khanna), Captain Sachin Nimbalkar (Vineet Sharma), and Grenadiers Yogendra Singh Yadav (Ashutosh Rana & Manoj Bajpai). Other units like the 17th Jat, 2nd Rajputana Rifles, 22 & 16 Grenadiers, 2 Naga, 1 Bihar, 8 Sikh, 18 Garhwal Rifles, 12 JAK LI, 3 Punjab and 13th J&K Rifles are inducted into the theatre of conflict.
The first assault is by the 1/11 Gorkhas advance platoon led by Lt. Manoj Pandey which links with the beleaguered and severely mauled Sikh Bn. They follow up to launch its attack on Kukarthang post, a very heavily defended enemy position supported by mortar units and artillery batteries on the Pakistani side of LOC. The Gurkhas take Kukarthang after suffering heavy casualties, revealing that the enemy is a trained army unit being given full-fire support from across the LOC.
The second battle is at the strategic Tololing mountain which sits astride National Highway 1, the main supply route for the entire Northern Kashmir sector including Siachen and Leh. Col. Khushal's 18th Grenadiers 1st company, led by Major Adhikari, attacks Tololing. The company is held up midway to the top due to heavy fog; it waits for clear weather. The men when half asleep suffer intense shelling from artillery and mortars, causing casualties and panic. They try to get to safety by moving up the mountain but are pushed down by heavy small-arms fire from intruders dug into the well-prepared position atop the mountain. Subsequent counter-attacks from the Indians are stifled by stiff resistance, in the absence of artillery support for the Indians, claiming the lives of Major Adhikari and Lt. Col. Vishwanathan.
The 18th Grenadiers are relieved by 2nd Rajputana Rifles, commanded by Col. Ravindranath (Ashish Vidyarthi), which moves in with an artillery battery of 110 mm field artillery and acclimatized troops. They launch a multi-pronged attack under artillery cover which ends in success but at the cost of losing many officers and ranks, including Capt. Vijayant Thapar (Amar Upadhyay), Maj. Padmapani Acharya (Nagarjuna Akkineni) and Maj. Vivek Gupta (Himanshu Malik). All this happens while the 13th J&K Rifles led by Lt. Col. Y K Joshi (Sanjay Dutt) stands by in case the 2nd Raj Rif fails.
The 13th JAK Rif is blooded at Rocky Mount where they take the field after suffering heavy casualties. They follow it up with another victory at Point 5140 where Lt. Vikram Batra (Abhishek Bachchan) distinguishes himself by taking the south face of Pt 5140 without any casualties and is promoted to captain.
The decisive phase of the war has come. 18th Grenadiers are assigned to take Tiger Hill, 17th Jat to Three Pimple complex feature, 1/11 Gorkhas to Khalubar Ridge and 13th J&K to Bunker Complex. The Grenadiers take Tiger Hill after a daring stealth attack by the elite Ghatak section, losing its lead Nk Yogender Singh Yadav (Ashutosh Rana). Only one of them Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav (Manoj Bajpayee) survives to link up with the rest of the battalion. 17th Jat suffers heavy casualties with Captain Anuj Nayyar (Saif Ali Khan) and several others killed and injured, but is able to secure Three Pimple complex.
1/11 Gorkhas link up with 22 Grenadiers at the base of Khalubar Ridge after braving an intense creeping barrage of artillery. Pandey somehow keeps the sagging morale of the weary unit up till the battalion begins its attack. The plans go awry as Gurkha CO Col Rai is injured by machine gun fire. Pandey volunteers to take out the bunkers which are holding up the attack. The machine guns are taken out, but Pandey is killed in action.
The last battle is fought by the 13th J&K attacking Bunker Complex, but the unit gets split up. Capt Batra is sent to link up with Captain Nagappa (Nagender Choudhary) who has been captured one bunker and surrounded by the enemy. Batra links up with Capt. Nagappa but is pinned down himself by heavy enemy fire. He alone takes out two bunkers but is mortally wounded. The 13th JAK pursues the enemy to the LOC but stops due to orders not to cross the LOC. Finally, India declares 'OPERATION VIJAY' a success and victory and secures all its captured heights from the adversary.
Just like J. P. Dutta's previous war movie BORDER, the Indian Military provided technical and material assistance during its production and filming. Weapons used in Kargil War like different variants of INSAS rifle family as well as the Famous Swedish Bofors artillery guns and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers. Air Force planes like Jaguars in bombing role and helicopters like Mi-17s and Cheetah were shown in casualty evacuation roles. Pakistani artillery shown were Indian field guns and 81 mm mortars. SLR stood for G3 rifles used by Pakistani Army.
