LOC: Kargil

LOC Kargil
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	J.P. Dutta
Produced by	J.P. Dutta
Screenplay by	J.P. Dutta
Story by	J.P. Dutta
Starring	Sanjay Dutt Ajay Devgan Armaan Kohli Puru Raajkumar Nagarjuna Saif Ali Khan Sunil Shetty Sanjay Kapoor Abhishek Bachchan Mohnish Bahl Akshaye Khanna Manoj Bajpayee Rani Mukerji Kareena Kapoor Khan Esha Deol Raveena Tandon
Music by	Anu Malik
Cinematography	Karim Khatri
Production company	J P Films
Release date	25 December 2003 (2003-12-25)
Running time	246 mins
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹400 million (US$5.9 million)
Box office	₹689 million (US$10 million)

LOC Kargil is 2003 Indian war film based on the Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan, produced and directed by J. P. Dutta under his J.P. Films Banner. Featuring a large number of Bollywood stars and music composed by Anu Malik, the film recorded as Average at the box-office.

Upon release LOC received a mixed response critically and commercially. With a running time of 255 minutes, it is one of the longest Indian films ever made and fifth in terms of running time. The film is based on the 1999, Operation Vijay and Battle of Tololing around the Line of control.

LOC Kargil opens with a dramatic shot of an Indian soldier's wireless set chirping frantic commands from one of the army bases, calling a patrol to report in while the radio operator lies dead in the snow. After frantic attempts from battalions to locate their lost patrols, the Indian Army HQ in Jammu and Kashmir decides to deploy more troops. They suffer a rude shock when company and even battalion-sized attacks are beaten back by the largely unknown enemy sitting on top of the steep and treacherous peaks surrounding Kargil, Mushkoh Valley, Drass, Batalik and the Kaksar sectors. After these terrible and surprising reverses, the decision is taken to go ahead with maximum mobilisation and move its best fighting units into the area of operations.

The first unit deployed is 1/11 Gorkha Rifles (1st Battalion, 11th Regiment) who are specialists in high-altitude warfare. 1/11 is led by its commanding officer, Col. Lalit Rai (Sudesh Berry), and has the charismatic and brave Lt. Manoj Pandey (Ajay Devgan) leading one of its platoons. Subsequently, the 18th Grenadiers (which was in the Kashmir Valley guarding against terrorist infiltration when they were urgently summoned to help throw out the intruders) are deployed. The Grenadiers were led by Colonel Khushal Thakur (Raj Babbar). Among the officers and soldiers were men like Lt. Col R Vishwanathan (Mohnish Behl), Major Rajesh Adhikari (Karan Nath), Lt. Balwan Singh (Akshaye Khanna), Captain Sachin Nimbalkar (Vineet Sharma), and Grenadiers Yogendra Singh Yadav (Ashutosh Rana & Manoj Bajpai). Other units like the 17th Jat, 2nd Rajputana Rifles, 22 & 16 Grenadiers, 2 Naga, 1 Bihar, 8 Sikh, 18 Garhwal Rifles, 12 JAK LI, 3 Punjab and 13th J&K Rifles are inducted into the theatre of conflict.