# Sky Force (स्काई फोर्स)
**Sky Force** (स्काई फोर्स) is a 2025 Hindi-language war drama directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, inspired by a real [Indian Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-air-force) operation during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war: the airstrike on Pakistan's Sargodha airbase. It stars [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar) as Wing Commander K.O. Ahuja and debutant Veer Pahariya as Squadron Leader T. Vijaya, alongside [Sara Ali Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-ali-khan) and Nimrat Kaur, and was released in cinemas on 24 January 2025, the Republic Day weekend.[1](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sky-force-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi3ndky) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/fullcredits/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 24 January 2025, theatrically in India and several overseas markets[1](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sky-force-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi3ndky) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/releaseinfo/) |
| Directors | Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur (Kapur's directorial debut)[1](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sky-force-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi3ndky) • [5](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/abhishek-anil-kapur-on-sky-force-debut-journey-working-with-akshay-kumar-74942.amp) |
| Historical basis | A retaliatory airstrike on Pakistan's Sargodha airbase during the 1965 Indo-Pak war[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2025/Jan/25/sky-force-movie-review-this-aerial-actioner-is-on-autopilot) |
| Lead cast | Akshay Kumar (K.O. Ahuja), Veer Pahariya (T. Vijaya, "Tabby"), Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/fullcredits/) |
| Production | Maddock Films, Jio Studios, and Leo Films; producers Dinesh Vijan, Jyoti Deshpande, and Amar Kaushik[7](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/sky-force-17054) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sky_force_2025) |
| Box office | ₹1.314 billion (₹131.44 crore) India net; ₹1.689 billion (₹168.88 crore) worldwide gross[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/sky-force/box-office/) |
| Streaming | Prime Video, exclusive global premiere from 21 March 2025 across 240 countries and territories[10](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/sky-force-will-stream-on-prime-video-from-march-21) |
## Spoilers
### Story and historical basis
The film dramatizes an operation the screenplay calls Sky Force: the 1965 Indian Air Force retaliatory strike that destroyed a fleet of modern American jets housed at Pakistan's Sargodha base.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/) Its central story follows a pilot on stand-by during the operation who disobeys his leader's direct orders and takes off in a plane that is not airworthy, his flying credited with saving his fellow pilots' lives.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/)
The two lead characters are modeled on real officers. Akshay Kumar's K.O. Ahuja corresponds to O P Taneja, and Veer Pahariya's T. Vijaya (called Tabby) corresponds to Ajjamada B Devaiah, whom the film depicts going missing in action after a solo engagement and whose fate Ahuja spends years trying to establish.[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2025/Jan/25/sky-force-movie-review-this-aerial-actioner-is-on-autopilot) • [11](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0SLPTBCQ1ZDECXPY1NF7IONL7T?tr=kn) According to the New Indian Express, Devaiah is the only Indian Air Force officer to have been given the [Maha Vir Chakra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maha-vir-chakra) (India's second-highest wartime military gallantry medal) posthumously.[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2025/Jan/25/sky-force-movie-review-this-aerial-actioner-is-on-autopilot) The frame narrative opens in December 1971, during the war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh, when the interrogation of a captured Pakistani pilot ([Sharad Kelkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharad-kelkar)) yields a clue to the missing pilot's disappearance.[12](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-in-a-patchy-inconsistent-film-2-5-stars-7545820) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/)
## Production
The film was developed at Maddock Films, a production house known for horror comedies, and the New Indian Express described it as the studio's first foray into nationalist cinema.[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2025/Jan/25/sky-force-movie-review-this-aerial-actioner-is-on-autopilot) Abhishek Anil Kapur, a longtime Maddock associate whose career there began with *Stree*, was brought in as co-director alongside Sandeep Kewlani because of Kewlani's limited directorial experience; the script was narrated to Akshay Kumar on the set of *Sarfira*, and he agreed to star.[5](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/abhishek-anil-kapur-on-sky-force-debut-journey-working-with-akshay-kumar-74942.amp) Kewlani said he was drawn to the project because Indian cinema has produced very few films about the Air Force, and that the production involved detailed research to bring large-scale aerial combat sequences to the screen.[13](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/march/hyderabad-english-edition-2025-03-12.pdf)
The crew included cinematographer Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran, editor [A. Sreekar Prasad](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-sreekar-prasad), and music by [Tanishk Bagchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanishk-bagchi), with songs including "Maaye" (sung by B. Praak), "Yaad Aati Hai," "Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon," and "Rang."[14](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/sky-force.html) • [15](https://filminformation.com/featured/sky-force-review-24-january-2025/)
## Censorship and release
The [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) classified the film 12A for cinema release on 20 January 2025 after the distributor, Bollywood Films, chose to cut bloody detail in violence scenes; an uncut version would have received a 15. The BBFC notes intense combat scenes with shootings, explosions, and plane crashes, brief verbal references to a "suicide mission," and infrequent strong language.[1](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sky-force-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi3ndky) The film opened on 24 January 2025 in India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, and other markets.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/releaseinfo/)
## Box office
**Commercial performance.** Sky Force opened to ₹153 million (₹15.30 crore) in India on day one and reached ₹732 million (₹73.20 crore) over its opening weekend and ₹997 million (₹99.70 crore) in its first week, boosted by the [Republic Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-day) holiday. Collections then fell steeply, week two dropped 75 percent, and the film finished with ₹1.314 billion (₹131.44 crore) India net and ₹1.689 billion (₹168.88 crore) worldwide gross, including ₹137 million (₹13.7 crore) overseas. Bollywood Hungama's trade summary rates the performance as average.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/sky-force/box-office/) The Numbers records about $8.56 million in international gross, with India accounting for $8.24 million of it.[16](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Sky-Force-%282025-India%29) Trade coverage during the run also carried a credibility dispute: the film's director denied allegations of "block booking" to inflate first-week numbers, while a Mumbai-based trade analyst claimed the opening gross was inflated from about $6 million to over $9 million.[17](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/pdf/2025/11/20/kt_pdf-20251120-1.pdf?ts=215700)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) and NDTV both rated it 2.5 out of 5; Shubhra Gupta argued that the brave pilot T. Vijaya, played by debutant Veer Pahariya, should have led the film but consistently plays second fiddle to Akshay Kumar's character.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/) • [12](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-in-a-patchy-inconsistent-film-2-5-stars-7545820) The Guardian called it a "threadbare air-war flagwaver," praising Kumar's humanist gravitas while criticizing the dogfight visuals as looking like cutscenes from a mid-1990s [PlayStation](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation) game.[18](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/25/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-stands-tall-in-threadbare-air-war-flagwaver) India Today was more positive, describing a non-fussy film about emotions and valor that uses the elements of commercial patriotic cinema without overdoing them.[19](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-veer-pahariya-in-positive-non-fussy-film-about-emotions-valour-2669398-2025-01-24) On Rotten Tomatoes the film held a Tomatometer score of 77 percent from 9 reviews.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sky_force_2025)
Reviewers repeatedly compared the film with *Fighter*, the previous year's Republic Day release about Indian fighter pilots; several noted that Sky Force is a period variation on the same theme, mounted on a smaller budget, with Inside Box Office reporting an expected budget of ₹1.25 billion (₹125 crore) to ₹1.5 billion (₹150 crore) against *Fighter*'s roughly ₹2.5 billion (₹250 crore).[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/) • [18](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/25/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-stands-tall-in-threadbare-air-war-flagwaver) • [20](https://www.insideboxoffice.com/top-stories/bollywood/sky-force-vs-fighter-box-office/)
Veer Pahariya won Best Debut Actor at the International Iconic Awards and Fresh Face of the Year at the Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards in 2025; the film received two wins and six nominations overall.[21](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/awards/)
## Home media
Sky Force began streaming on Prime Video in India and across 240 countries and territories from 21 March 2025, as an exclusive global premiere; it is available in 4K with subtitles in multiple languages.[10](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/sky-force-will-stream-on-prime-video-from-march-21) • [22](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/sky-force/umc.cmc.168i2a2m3rrqetzkpi0kgu3qc)
## References
1. [Sky Force, BBFC classification record](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sky-force-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi3ndky)
2. [Sky Force movie review, The Indian Express (Shubhra Gupta, 24 January 2025)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sky-force-movie-review-veer-pahariya-should-have-been-the-lead-of-this-film-not-akshay-kumar-9796386/)
3. [Sky Force (2025) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/fullcredits/)
4. [Sky Force (2025) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/releaseinfo/)
5. [Abhishek Anil Kapur on Sky Force debut, Filmfare](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/abhishek-anil-kapur-on-sky-force-debut-journey-working-with-akshay-kumar-74942.amp)
6. [Sky Force movie review, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2025/Jan/25/sky-force-movie-review-this-aerial-actioner-is-on-autopilot)
7. [Sky Force (2025), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/sky-force-17054)
8. [Sky Force (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sky_force_2025)
9. [Sky Force box office collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/sky-force/box-office/)
10. [Sky Force will stream on Prime Video from March 21, About Amazon India](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/sky-force-will-stream-on-prime-video-from-march-21)
11. [Sky Force, Prime Video](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0SLPTBCQ1ZDECXPY1NF7IONL7T?tr=kn)
12. [Sky Force review, NDTV (Saibal Chatterjee, 24 January 2025)](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-in-a-patchy-inconsistent-film-2-5-stars-7545820)
13. [Interview with Sandeep Kewlani, The Pioneer (12 March 2025)](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/march/hyderabad-english-edition-2025-03-12.pdf)
14. [स्काई फोर्स crew info, FilmiBeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/sky-force.html)
15. [Sky Force review, Film Information (24 January 2025)](https://filminformation.com/featured/sky-force-review-24-january-2025/)
16. [Sky Force (2025), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Sky-Force-%282025-India%29)
17. [Kuwait Times, 20 November 2025 (Bollywood credibility crisis report)](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/pdf/2025/11/20/kt_pdf-20251120-1.pdf?ts=215700)
18. [Sky Force review, The Guardian (25 January 2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/25/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-stands-tall-in-threadbare-air-war-flagwaver)
19. [Sky Force movie review, India Today (24 January 2025)](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/sky-force-review-akshay-kumar-veer-pahariya-in-positive-non-fussy-film-about-emotions-valour-2669398-2025-01-24)
20. [Content and Box Office: Does Sky Force win over Fighter?, Inside Box Office](https://www.insideboxoffice.com/top-stories/bollywood/sky-force-vs-fighter-box-office/)
21. [Sky Force (2025) awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27056066/awards/)
22. [Sky Force, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/sky-force/umc.cmc.168i2a2m3rrqetzkpi0kgu3qc)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2020s › Hindi films of 2025*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license