Farhan Akhtar’s war epic “120 Bahadur” is set to make history as the first film to release across India’s defense theater network, according to Variety. The film will screen in over 800 cinema halls serving the country’s military community when it opens on November 21.

Centered on the Battle of Rezang La, the film recounts the heroic stand of 120 Indian soldiers from Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, who fought Chinese forces at an altitude of over 16,000 feet in Ladakh in 1962.

Of them, 114 soldiers were killed in action, making it one of the most defining battles in Indian military history.

The ensemble cast includes Farhan Akhtar, Raashii Khanna, Sparsh Walia, Vivan Bhatena, Dhanveer Singh, Digvijay Pratap, Sahib Verma, Ankit Siwach, Devendra Ahirwar, Ashutosh Shukla, Brijesh Karanwal, Atul Singh, Ajinkya Deo and Eijaz Khan.

The film is directed by Razneesh “Razy” Ghai and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, in collaboration with Amit Chandrra’s Trigger Happy Studios.

The rollout, led by PictureTime in partnership with GenSync Brat Media, aims to screen the film exclusively for defense personnel and their families, an initiative organizers say bridges a long-standing gap between India’s armed forces and the entertainment industry.

Pointing to a massive but underserved viewership, Sushil Chaudhary, founder-CEO of PictureTime, said, “There are 1.5 million active soldiers and over six million viewers. But only 30 percent of India’s 20-million strong veteran and family audience has access to defense cinemas. We aim to expand the ecosystem to additionally reach the underserved 70 percent and we begin with a bang with ‘120 Bahadur,’ a film we know will deeply resonate with the forces.”

The expansion utilizes PictureTime’s mobile cinema network to bring theatrical screenings to soldiers and families stationed in remote regions.

According to Variety, calling the film a tribute to military valor, Vishal Ramchandani, CEO of Excel Entertainment, said, “‘120 Bahadur’ honors the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces. We feel truly privileged that the soldiers whose spirit the film celebrates will be watching it with their families. Our sincere thanks to PictureTime for facilitating this screening for those who serve the nation.”

Excel Entertainment and Trigger Happy Studios will also host select paid previews on Tuesday to mark the 63rd anniversary of the battle, a strategy designed to honor the 120 soldiers while generating early word-of-mouth ahead of the film’s Nov 21 release.