Angad is a confused teenager trying to find himself and is caught in between the marital problems of his Maharashtrian mother Neelima and Punjabi father Nihal, it is time for him to decide what he wants to do with his life. Angad chooses to become a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force. What follows is his struggle to become a victor both with his self and the outer world. Angad is attracted to Anna Varghese, who is the daughter of his flying instructorGroup Captain Varghese a Malayali Syrian Christian. Angad must learn to adapt to flying, leaving his mom and dad for long periods of time, as well as try and woo Anna who helps him overcome his fears and realize his potential as a fighter pilot. Nihal is a clean-shaven Sikh, Neelima is a Hindu, Angad is a Sikh and Anna a Christian, while Angad's fellow officers represent all religions. The film is notable for some rarely seen aerial photography of combat aircraft active with the IAF in the 1980s. The central character of Angad is a MiG-21 pilot and is shown flying the aircraft in the ground attack role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Much of the movie, including the climax involving a MiG-21bis, was shot at Pune. The IAF No.4 Squadron provided the pilots and planes for the film's aerial sequences. The movie included good color footage of the Oorials aircraft in flight and in operation.
Cast
Shashi Kapoor as Nihal Singh
Rekha as Neelima Singh
Supriya Pathak as Anna Varghese
Kunal Kapoor as Angad
Madan Jain as Venkat Raju
Raja Bundela as Aslam Khan
K.K. Raina as Wilson
Amrish Puri as Group Captain Varghese, the Chief Instructor
The "senior pilots of the Indian Air Force" who are credited with providing assistance with the aerial photography were drawn from No. 4 Squadron, IAF. It was their MIG-21Bis' that were used in the aerial combat sequences and much of the film was shot at their then base in Poona/Pune.
The I.N.S. Mysore seen in the film was a WW2 British Fiji Class Cruiser, H.M.S. Nigeria that was sold to the Indian Navy in 1957. The ship was decommissioned soon after the film was completed. The current I.N.S. Mysore is a newer vessel.
The aircraft that the pilots train on are domestically produced HAL HJT-16 Kirans.
Film World magazine rated the film "Good" and wrote, "Vijeta is perhaps the first film of its kind, a film which shows the Indian Air Force, its gallant men and their life in true colours." According to Asiaweek, "Vijeta is a tribute to the IAF in celebration of its golden jubilee last year".
Awards
Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award - Govind Nihalani
