''Dhoop'' ( Sunshine; ) is a 2003 Indian

war drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

film directed by

Ashwini Chaudhary Ashwini, Ashvini, Aswini, or Asvini may refer to: *Ashvini, the first nakshatra (lunar mansion) of Hindu astrology * ''Ashwini'' (film), a 1991 Indian Telugu-language film *"Ashwini Ye Na", a 1987 Marathi-language song in ''Gammat Jammat'' Peopl ...

, based on the

Battle of Tiger Hill The Battle of Tiger Hill encompasses the battles fought in and around the peak of Tiger Hill between the Indian Army and Pakistani Army from the final week of May till second week of June 1999, during the Kargil War. The battle, with the conc ...

. Actress

Gul Panag Gulkirat Kaur Panag (born 3 January 1979) is an Indian actress, voice actress, and model. She was crowned Femina Miss India Universe 1999 and represented India at Miss Universe 1999. She began her career in Hindi films with the 2003 film '' D ...

made her Bollywood debut with this film. The film stars

Om Puri Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as ind ...

and

Revathi Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi and ...

and is loosely based on Captain

Anuj Nayyar Captain Anuj Nayyar, MVC (August 28, 1975 – July 7, 1999) was an Indian Army officer of 17 Jat Regiment who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award, for exemplary valour in combat during operation ...

, MVC and his family.

Plot

The movie is based on the events surrounding the death of Honorable Capt

, MVC of 17

Jat Regiment The Jat Regiment also known as The Royal Jats is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving and most decorated regiments.

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

, who was martyred in operations against

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

Army soldiers, in the southwest sector of Tiger Hill on 5 July 1999 as part of the

Kargil conflict The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also ...

. The story of the Kapoor family in the film depicts the real events that happened in the lives of the Nayyar family. Capt Rohit Kapoor is a young officer in the 17 Jat Regiment of the Indian Army. His father Prof. Suresh Kumar Kapoor, is a professor of economics at the

Delhi School of Economics Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as D School, is an institution of higher learning within the Delhi University. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establishe ...

. His mother Sarita Kapoor, is a librarian at the Delhi University Central Library. He is engaged to be married to Pihu Verma. The storyline of the movie takes place between 1999 and 2002, beginning with the death of Captain Kapoor while successfully defeating insurgents to capture Pt 4875 on the western side of

Tiger Hill, Kargil Tiger Hill (also called Point 5062) is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of Ladakh, India. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the subject of a battle during the 1999 Kargil War. Strategic relevance Since Tiger Hill is the hi ...

. The news is a huge shock to his family, and the first half of the film portrays their attempts to cope with their grief. They receive messages of condolence from various high government officials as they attempt to come to terms with their loss. As compensation for the loss of their son, the government allots them a franchise for running a petrol pump. Mrs. Savita Kapoor is aghast at such an offer, and the family is not inclined to avail of this compensation. However, after a visit from Major Kaul, Capt. Kapoor's immediate senior in the Regiment, Prof. Kapoor and Pihu feel it might be a worthy site to commemorate the memory of Rohit and decide to take up the offer. Savita gets convinced by her husband, Prof. Kapoor. However, as they attempt to make this dream a reality, they encounter massive corruption and red tape at various levels of

Indian bureaucracy Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

. They are threatened and humiliated by various government officials and hooligans. However, the family perseveres in the face of immense odds and continues to struggle. The latter half of the film narrates the story of their mission.

Cast

as Prof Suresh Kumar Kapoor, Rohit's father *

as Savita Kapoor, Rohit's mother *

Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri (born 6 April 1971) is an Indian actor and film producer. He comes from an affluent business family of Punjabis. He had a supporting role in '' Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)'', acted in '' Jhankaar Beats'', and co-produced and acted ...

as Captain Rohit Kapoor *

as Peehu Verma, fiancée of Rohit * Yashpal Sharma as Inspector Ram Singh Mallik *

Virendra Saxena Virendra Saxena (born 23 November 1961) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi theatre, film, and television. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Saxena is known for his character roles as well as his unique voice. He has acted i ...

as Viru Bhai *

Murli Sharma Murali Sharma (born 9 August 1972) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu and Hindi films. Sharma has starred in over 130 feature films including Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. Sharma gained wide r ...

as Col.Rathore *

Ganesh Yadav Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

as Murli Pandey *

Gopi Desai Gopi (, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of Braj. They are regarded as the consorts and devotees of Krishna and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''Bhakti'') to him as described i ...

as Rukma * Gautam Saugat as Balbir * Ashutosh Jha as Raman * Niharika as Nishi * Ehsaan Khan as Akhil Verma, Peehu's father *Paritosh Sand as Major Kaul *

Rohitash Gaud Rohitashv Gour is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films and television shows. He is best known for his leading roles in the popular TV sitcoms ''Lapataganj'' and '' Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!'', the latter ranks among the longest-running India ...

as L/Nk Nihar Singh * Preeti Dayal as Naina Verma, Peehu's mother *

Neeraj Sood Neeraj Sood is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi-language films and television. He is best known for his roles in films like '' Matrubhoomi, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'', '' Samay'' and '' Shubh Mangal Saavdhan''. Early life and e ...

as Dobriyal, clerk * Prasad Pandit as Mr Ghosh *

Rajesh Mishra Rajesh Mishra () is an Indian politician. He is a member of the 18th Lok Sabha, 18th Lok Sabha representing the Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency, Sidhi constituency in the state of Madhya Pradesh and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Political care ...

as Pandu *Jogi as Kalia Jr Engineer * Shirish Handa as Manav *

Kuldeep Sharma Kuldeep Sharma (born 3 April 1957) is an Indian politician from Haryana and former member of Haryana Legislative Assembly from Ganaur. He was first elected in 2009 Haryana Legislative assembly election as an Indian National Congress candida ...

as Manav's father * Raj Kanojia as Auto driver * Shagun Luthra as News reporter * Sam Bharoucha as OSD * Shakti Singh as Sameer Taman * Richa Nayyar as Sharbati

Reception

The film was not successful at box office. However, it got critical acclaim.

Inspiration

The film is an account of the inspiring struggle of Prof Nayyar and his family against entrenched

systemic corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activitie ...

. His dream was finally realized with the setting up of the petrol pump named 'Kargil Heights', in the

Vasundhara Enclave Vasundhara Enclave is a posh residential area located in East Delhi East Delhi is an administrative district of Delhi in India. It is bounded by the Yamuna River on the west, North East Delhi to the north, Ghaziabad district, India, Ghaz ...

area of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Prof Nayyar's struggles continued for several years, and the film serves to highlight the appalling treatment meted out to the families of courageous Indian soldiers who gave their lives in protecting the nation.

Music

Awards and nominations

Zee Cine Awards 2003

Nominated

*Best Actress in a Supporting Role -

*Best Story - Kumud Chaudhary

Screen Weekly Awards 2004

Nominated

*Best Dialogue - Kumud Chaudhary, Sanjay Chauhan *Best Story - Kumud Chaudhary *Best Supporting Actress -

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0387164, Dhoop 2003 films 2000s Hindi-language films Kargil War Indian films based on actual events Indian biographical films Films about corruption in India Films scored by Lalit Sen Indian Army in films Cultural depictions of prime ministers of India Films set in Kargil Films based on Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Kashmir conflict in films