When a guy, who almost became a fighter pilot, offers you a film on the Indian Air Force (IAF), you don’t say no. That’s what Telugu actor Varun Tej believes. It is this belief that has birthed Operation Valentine, directed by Shakti Pratap Singh. “Shakti had applied [to the IAF], but didn’t get through because of his [compromised] eyesight. He has done a lot of research for this film. He’d constantly say one thing—that he wanted Operation Valentine to be technical. We knew we had to tone down the film for the masses, but it’s not a dumb film,” states the actor.

Fighter released on January 25