Randeep Hooda is set to star in and co-produce Operation Khukri, based on Major Rajpal Punia’s first-hand account of the 2000 UN mission in Sierra Leone. The film, co-produced with Rahul Mittra, will capture the Indian Army’s heroics
Randeep Hooda
Films rooted in real events often strike a chord, revealing lesser-known chapters of history. One such story is that of Major General Rajpal Punia, YSM — and Randeep Hooda is keen to bring it to the screen.
Operation Khukri, the film, is based on the book of the same name, a first-hand account by Major Rajpal Punia, co-written with his daughter, Damini Punia. Then, he was a young Company Commander of the 14th Mechanised Infantry who led the rescue mission and the ensuing jungle warfare. The multinational operation was launched by the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, involving India, Ghana, Britain, and Nigeria.
(L-R) Major General Rajpal Punia, YSM and Rahul Mittra
“The events unfolded in Kailahun between May and July 2000 and revealed the important contribution of the Indian Army as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL),” says a source. The Major led 233 Indian troops to break the three-month siege laid by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The film will also feature key figures he encountered there — the village chieftain Papa Geima, a native of Kailahun and a RUF sympathiser Sister, and RUF field commander Colonel Martin.
The source adds that Hooda, who is co-producing and acting in the film along with Rahul Mittra, has completed the script and is finalising the rest of the cast and director. Filming will begin early next year. Mittra, who has known Hooda since Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2011) and Main Hoon Charles (2015), says collaborating again was natural. “We both liked the subject… Both of us felt that the story of Operation Khukri had to be told.”
Since acquiring the rights, Hooda has remained deeply involved in the creative process. “Randeep is very meticulous and hardworking… We are aiming to start pre-production by early 2026 though it depends on when the first draft is finalised,” says Mittra, adding that the team will shoot in India and Africa.
Who is Major General Rajpal Punia, YSM?
He has served over 35 years in the Army and received the Yudh Seva Medal in 2002 for Operation Khukri.
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