Movies about the army seem to be the flavour of the season. In its latest offering, Bollywood will be releasing an action film based on a real life hero to be played by Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor will be playing Brigadier Farukh Bulsara in the upcoming film Bull. Brigadier Bulsara was the man who led Operation Cactus in 1988 in the Maldives.

On 3 November 1988, the Indian Armed Forces helped the Maldives take back control of the country after a coup attempt by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE).

The Quint

The 50th Independent Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Bulsara, flew to Hulhule Island and rescued then-President Gayoom.

The Indian forces made quick work of the mercenaries who were enforcing the coup, capturing most of them and restoring control of the capital to President Gayoom’s government within hours. The operation was hailed as an international success, with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stating, “Thank God for India: President Gayoom’s government has been saved.”

Edition

The dogged determination of this brave paratrooper will be on full display courtesy Shahid Kapoor in the film. It will be directed by Aditya Nimbalkar 

Talking about the film, Kapoor said,

‘Bull’ is a full blown action film inspired by real events from the life of Brigadier Bulsara. It is a privilege to play a paratrooper who lead his boys through a historic and selfless mission that has now become iconic for its precision and bravado. The opportunity to play a paratrooper is exhilarating and truly an honour.

The movie will begin filming in 2022.