Bollywood movies inspired by real-life stories

'Airlift'- Airlift (2016) narrates a story of a Kuwait-based businessman who carried out the safe evacuation of stranded Indians during 1990, during the Invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Did you know that Akshay Kumar's character, 'Ranjit Katyal' is actually based on Mathunny Mathews, a Kuwait based Malyali businessman, who was behind the evacuation in reality? The movie received immense appreciation and had a box office collection of a whopping 251 crore!

'Sanju' - A biopic on Sanjay Dutt, who has popularly been given the nickname ‘Sanju’, takes you through the journey of struggles, hardships and determination of Sanjay Dutt beautifully portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor, one of the most versatile actors of Bollywood. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the movie was released in 2018 and got a lot of appreciation by the audience.

'Raazi' - The movie 'Raazi' did not only bring to light the spectacular acting of Alia Bhatt, but also an Indian spy's story of love and sacrifice. Did you know this film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka's novel 'Calling Sehmat', which is based on real-life incidents in the life of a RAW agent? Raazi, released in 2018 and directed by Meghna Gulzar, won a lot of awards for its direction and acting.

'Padman' - Directed and written by R. Balki, starring Akshay Kumar, Padman is a story inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu. The film was released in 2018 and earned 207 crore!

'Neerja' - One of Sonam Kapoor’s finest performances, Neerja is a biopic based on a 23 year old flight purser, Neerja Bhanot who showed extreme valour and strength when four armed men hijacked the plane at Karachi airport in 1986. The movie was directed by Ram Madhvani and won a lot of hearts and awards. It was also accredited as one of the best films made that year (2016) in India!

'Secret Superstar'- The movie revolves around a talented young, ambitious girl who, despite all odds, has a dream of becoming a singer. Inspired by the life of Nahid Afrin, an Assamese reality show singer, the story beautifully embraces the spirit of the young singer and a daughter's relationship with her mother. Directed by Advait Chandan, the movie stars Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij and Raj Arjun.

'Mission Mangal' - Mission Mangal, directed by Jagan Shakti is inspired by the life of ISRO scientists who dreamt of reaching Martian orbit and all the hardships faced by them to achieve their dream. The inspiring film, released in 2019, stars Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan in lead roles.

'Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi' - Based on the life of the legendary Rani Lakhsmi Bai of Jhansi, Manikarnika was directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and starred Kangana Ranaut. The movie did decently well in box office and was released in 2019.

'Kesari' - Directed by Anurag Singh, 'Kesari' is based on the true story and celebrates the valor portrayed by Indian soldiers during the Battle of Saragarhi. The movie stars Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles and had total box office earnings of 207 crore.

'Gully Boy' - Ranveer Singh and Siddhant Chaturvedi stunned the audience with their realistic acting as 'Muraad' and 'MC Sher' respectively in ‘Gully Boy’, which is an adaptation of the lives of rappers of Mumbai, 'Divine' and 'Naezy'. The movie brings to you the actual struggles and hardships faced by these real 'gully boys' in pursuit of their dream. Released in 2019 and directed by the one and only Zoya Akhtar, the movie won a lot of awards too, and rightly so!