Akshay to Play JS Gill, the Hero of the Raniganj Coalfield Rescue

Akshay Kumar seems all set to make his next real life hero film, based on JS Gill.

Akshay Kumar in a still from the film Brothers. (Photo courtesy: Dharma Productions)

With Airlift, Rustom and his upcoming film Padman, Akshay Kumar seems to be leaning more towards real stories and sensible cinema nowadays. We hear that he’ll also essay the role of Jaswant Singh Gill, the hero of the Raniganj Coalfield rescue operation (1989).

The former Additional Chief Mining Engineer Jaswant Singh Gill, is known for his gallant rescue operation, in which he evacuated 65 coal miners who were trapped in a flooded mine, by drilling a borehole and going inside the mine himself. For this dauntless act of bravery, Gill was awarded the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak by President Ramaswamy Venkataraman in 1991.

Jaswant Singh Gill, a graduate of Amritsar’s Khalsa College, recounted his experience in an interview published in The Tribune, narrating how he persuaded his seniors to allow him to venture inside the mine, when they were adamant about not sacrificing an officer such as him.

You only get one life, you need to make it count ... Everything happened so suddenly that no one had the time to think. When I got to know that 65 miners were still trapped inside the coal mine, I told the chairman of <i>Coal India</i>, who was present there, that I was going inside. His immediate reaction was, “I cannot sacrifice a senior officer like you.” So, I assured him that I’ll return safe and have a cup of tea with him in the morning. Somebody had to bell the cat.

Jaswant Singh Gill

The next-to-impossible mission was a six-hour ordeal. Initially, a borehole was drilled, into which a steel capsule was lowered, with Gill inside. Once in the mine, Gill began sending up one man at a time and didn’t leave till each one of them was rescued. He was the last man to come out once all the miners had reached the top. The nation along with the bystanders on the site, erupted in a thunderous applause saluting Gill’s heroic act.

Gill was also awarded the Bhagat Puran Singh Award for Service to Humanity in 2016.

For his son and his family too, Gill has been the greatest source of inspiration.

He has been instrumental in shaping our perspective and ideas about bravery. He remains our biggest inspiration till date.

Dr SS Gill, Son of JS Gill

Akshay Kumar has reportedly acquired the rights to this real-life story. Apparently, the actor is also affiliated with a film titled Gold, which is reportedly the true story of a hockey team led by Balbir Singh, that won the first Olympic medal back in 1948.

(Source: The Tribune, The Better India)