Randeep Hooda & Rahul Mittra to produce epic war drama on Army’s Operation Khukri

Hot on the heels of the success of Jaat, actor Randeep Hooda is set to headline his next major film — a gripping military drama based on one of the Indian Army’s most daring peacekeeping missions abroad.

Titled Operation Khukri, the film is inspired by the real-life events of 2000, that tells the story of 233 soldiers who were held hostage in Sierra Leone, West Africa by rebel forces and the high-risk rescue mission undertaken. Hooda will portray Major General Raj Pal Punia, then a young Company Commander of the 14th Mechanised Infantry (16 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles) who navigated the stand-off and subsequently the extraordinary rescue amid intense jungle warfare.

The film is based on Penguin Random House India bestseller Operation Khukri: The Untold Story of the Indian Army’s Bravest Peacekeeping Mission Abroad, the adaptation rights of which the makers, well-known filmmaker Rahul Mittra’s production house Rahul Mittra Films and Randeep’s company Randeep Hooda Films have secured exclusively.

Speaking about the project, Randeep Hooda shared, “Operation Khukri is a story that moved me deeply. It’s not just a tale of guns and glory, but of sacrifice, brotherhood, and unyielding courage in the face of insurmountable odds. To step into the shoes of Major General Punia, a man who led his men out of a 75-day siege in an unknown land, is an honour and a responsibility. Our aim is to bring to life a chapter of Indian military history that deserves far more recognition — not just for the spectacle, but for the spirit of our soldiers who would rather die than surrender. I believe this story has the power to inspire every Indian.”

The mission — once a peacekeeping effort that escalated into a fierce standoff — tested the mettle of the Indian contingent, surrounded without supplies for 75 days in the hostile terrains of Kailahun. What followed was an audacious, never-before-seen counteroffensive that would be remembered as one of the most successful operations in Indian military history.