Cast
What it is about
In Srinagar, a terrorist organisation led by Azhar Akhtar prepares an attack on the Indian Air Force base there. To counter the threat, Group Captain Rakesh Jai Singh, known as Rocky, assembles an elite team of fighter pilots called the Air Dragons. Among them is Patty Pathania, a pilot shadowed by a personal loss, and Minni Rathore, who begins to develop feelings for him. The film interweaves the team's formation with the military confrontations between India and Pakistan in 2019, while the characters face professional and emotional strains.
How it was made
The project grew out of an idea Siddharth Anand developed while shooting War (2019), and the screenplay was written with Ramon Chibb. It was officially announced in January 2021 as India's first aerial action film and the opening chapter of a planned franchise. Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone lead the cast, alongside Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi. Principal photography began in November 2022 in Assam and continued in Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai. Roshan trained on a flight simulator and visited Indian Air Force establishments, and serving personnel took part in the production. DNEG handled the visual effects, and Vishal-Shekhar composed the music.
Reception and legacy
Fighter opened on 25 January 2024, over the Indian Republic Day weekend. Critics gave it mixed-to-positive reviews, and at the box office it became the eighth highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Its main significance lies in bringing large-scale aerial action, a genre rarely attempted in Indian cinema, to the mainstream and in serving as the starting point of a franchise.
Stills
Trailer
Clicking loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode). Open on YouTube
Trivia
Real military personnel
Serving Indian Air Force members, including officers and flight cadets, took part in the production. The IAF ceremonial guard was brought from New Delhi to Mumbai for one specific scene.
Roshan's preparation
Hrithik Roshan completed a 12-week simulator training programme and visited the Tezpur base and the Dundigal academy to observe officers and cadets.
More films by Siddharth Anand
Pathaan
War
Bang Bang!
Salaam Namaste
Ta Ra Rum Pum
Anjaana AnjaaniOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.