The audience will be introduced to many new faces in 2025 and one of the most anticipated debuts is that of Veer Pahariya. Pahariya hails from a political family and is all set to shine on the silver screen alongside Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan in the much-awaited action-thriller Sky Force, a film based on the 1965 India-Pakistan war. An action-drama [directed by Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani] set for its theatrical release today [on January 24] ahead of Republic Day is about India's retaliatory attack on the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan in air war of 1965, which marked India's first airstrike.
The 30-year-old newcomer plays the role of the late Squadron Leader Ajjamada B Devaiah as T Vijaya -- a daring fighter pilot who is bold, brash and utterly fearless while Akshay Kumar plays Wing Commander K O Ahuja, a fictionalized version of Group Captain O P Taneja. “It is a true story; it is very emotional and human and this is from the point of view of the squadron leader’s wife and his family. For 23 years, his wife and his unborn daughter didn’t know if he was dead or alive or whether he became a prisoner. Many years later his senior who was his best friend [played by Akshay Kumar] proved to the Indian government and the Defence Ministry about his heroic act,” During the 1965 India – Pakistan war, Devaiah (called 'Wings of Fire') was part of a strike mission targeting the Pakistani air base Sargodha when he was attacked by an enemy aircraft. He shot down the enemy pursuer's plane but in the process his aircraft was damaged and he went missing. Presumably he died in Pakistani territory. Devaiah is the only Indian Air Force officer to be posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra which is the second highest wartime gallantry award, below only to the Param Vir Chakra.
Raised in Delhi and Mumbai, Veer says he was always inclined towards a career in acting but as he grew up, he understood it was not an easy ride ahead and that one can’t land a lead role in films just like that and hence he started making efforts in that direction. “I loved being on stage and enjoyed singing and dancing. I did many ads and commercials as a child actor and once I finished school, I had a Youtube channel where I used to write, direct and produce music. I started building a little community and an audience. I started getting paid to perform in college festivals all around Maharashtra. Now because I got a little validation from the audience that I got the confidence to face the camera. But then I knew it is not that easy a ride. However, I had a lot of self-belief that I was born to do this. It wasn’t some kind of delusion because people had accepted me in some form and I knew that bigger things were in store for me. But then I also knew that I had to start at the grassroot level and I became a direction intern on the film Alone [2015 release starring Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover],” he says.
Next, he worked in the production team of Saif Ali Khan-starrer Bazaar [2018]. “Actually, I came very close to many projects as an actor but these films got shelved due to different reasons,” says Veer who also hosted live shows on the gaming app that he launched which, he says, taught him getting camera-friendly. “Everything I have done has been a stepping stone. I never lost hope and kept working on my craft. I would write and produce music. I want to have a career in both acting and music. Wherever I get an opportunity to be on stage to show my skills I will do that. I have worked very hard with a lot of shiddat [passion]” he says.
Finally, Veer’s dream was realised when Maddock Films owner and producer Dinesh Vijan liked some of his songs when he went to meet Vijan to “sell” his music. “And when I told him I also want to act, he introduced me to [Stree director] Amar Kaushik. I convinced them to give me an opportunity in Bhediya and I got the chance to do stunt doubles for Varun Dhawan. Much later, sometime mid-2022 I was offered SkyForce by Maddock,” he says. “I am fortunate to be launched in a biopic… to represent a real hero and show him to the world is my biggest fortune. You don’t choose your first film; the film chooses you. I have auditioned for many films and I know I will get work as per my face, my physical features, my personality ...Every actor is different. Luckily there is another actor [referring to Shah Rukh Khan] who is very iconic in our lifetime who started with a television show called Fauji. We got the NCC cadets and Defence Ministry to see the film and I was happy to hear that I look like that world, I look like that character, it can’t get bigger than this for me,” Veer further adds.