Before Parmanu, here’s a list of six films based on real life events

Making films based on real-life events is not a new trend in Bollywood, but the Hindi film industry treats the theme in two ways -- either it’s a biopic or it seeks inspiration from real stories. John Abraham’s next film, Parmanu The Story Of Pokhran, isn’t a biopic, but it is based on a real story.

John Abraham is playing an army officer who spearheaded the covert operation to test nuclear weapons under severe diplomatic pressure. The film isn’t based on one person, but tells the story of what happened during Operation Shakti, and how it was carried out despite prying satellites and surveilling international agencies.

Here’s a list of six other such films that are based on real events and aren’t biopic.

No One Killed Jessica (2011): Director Rajkumar Gupta based his story around the murder of 23-year-old model Jessica Lal. However, more than a crime-and-punishment drama, the film talked about class divide, power and refusal of a woman to bow down to a lopsided justice system. The film eloquently captures the public movement that ensured justice was delivered eventually.

Madras Cafe (2013): Madras Cafe was described as an “espionage thriller” by its director Shoojit Sircar but had the conflict in Sri Lanka and the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as its central theme. The film tracked the build-up to Gandhi’s last public rally where he was assassinated. John Abraham played an intelligence officer who was following the movement of LTTE before the fatal day.

The Attacks Of 26/11 (2013):Probably this was the last time when Ram Gopal Varma gave us the glimpse of his genius. A prelude to the execution of Pakistani terrorist Kasab, this film chronicled the days after 10 men stormed into the financial capital of the country and attempted to wreck it. The docu-drama captured the terror filled moments and the response to it.

Gulaab Gang (2014): It was based on the struggles of all-women group in Uttar Pradesh that protested the gender-related crimes. Madhuri Dixit played the leader of the women group while Juhi Chawla played her nemesis. Soumik Sen’s directorial has strong roots in actual events that unfolded in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

Bhopal A Prayer For Rain (2014): The night of 3rd December, 1984, brought upon the city of Bhopal a disaster that would change its future. A very poisonous gas leaked at one of the plants run by a company called Union Carbide. This accident left thousands dead. Directed by Ravi Kumar, the film saw actors like Martin Sheen and Kal Penn playing important roles.

Talvar (2015): Meghna Gulzar decided to bring all the aspects of the infamous double murder case of teenager Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj. The story is told through the perspectives of officers investigating the case. It shows how the evidences were ignored and how the operation went into a wrong direction because of crucial mistakes made during initial investigation.