Amul releases rare ad featuring Neerja Bhanot

As the adulation and respect for the Ashok Chakra awardee soars with the movie 'Neerja', Amul raises a toast to the braveheart by releasing a vintage ad.

Born on September 7, 1963, Neerja Bhanot who was awarded the Ashok Chakra - India's highest civilian award for bravery - needs no introduction today, thanks to the movie 'Neerja'.

Coinciding with the release of her biopic starring Sonam Kapoor, dairy brand Amul has released a vintage ad from the 1980s which featured the braveheart. In the six-second-long ad when a little boy sings, "I am too old for tricycles, too young to be a pilot," his mother, played by Bhanot, replies, "But, I think you are just right for Amul chocolate".

A purser with the Pan Am (Pan American World Airways), Bhanot was martyred at a young age while saving the lives of passengers aboard the Mumbai-Frankfurt Pan Am flight 73, which was hijacked in 1986 in Karachi.

In October 2004, the Indian Postal Service released a postal stamp to honour her supreme sacrifice. She was also awarded the Tamgha-e-Insaniyat by Pakistan.

Bhanot was also a popular model, having featured in ads for brands such as Binaca toothpaste, and Godrej Besto detergent powder.