Jackie Shroff remembers APJ Abdul Kalam on 94th birth anniversary

Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS) On one of India’s most loved Presidents, APJ Abdul Kalam’s 94th birth anniversary on Wednesday, veteran actor Jackie Shroff has remembered the late leader.

Jackie took to his Instagram Stories section, where he shared a picture of Abdul Kalam and wrote: “Remembering Shri APJ Abdul Kalam ju on his Birth Anniversary!”

Referred to as the "People's President,” APJ Abdul Kalam was an aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007.

He was known as the "Missile Man of India" for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. Abdul Kalam, who was a recipient of several awards, including the Bharat Ratna, also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, India's second such test after the first test in 1974.

While delivering a lecture at IIM Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Abdul Kalam’s life is being adapted for the screen in the upcoming biopic.

The film, titled ‘Kalam’ stars National Award-winning actor Dhanush, and was announced at the recent edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Dhanush will be seen essaying the role of Doctor Kalam in the film. The film will be directed by Om Raut, who last directed ‘Adipurush’.

The film will explore the man behind the missile programs and the presidency, the poet, the teacher, the dreamer whose every word carried both science and spirituality in equal measures. More than a political biography, the project is positioned as an insight into leadership and nation-building.

The film is produced by Abhishek Agarwal, under Abhishek Agarwal Arts, Bhushan Kumar under the banner of T-Series, Krishan Kumar, and Anil Sunkara.

--IANS

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