Box Office hits: Rustom and 6 other movies based on real life events

Akshay Kumar's new film Rustom is set to release this Friday. The movie is based on a real life event of a naval officer Kavas Maneckshaw Nanavati who was accused of murdering his wife's lover, Prem Ahuja.

The case changed the face of Indian Judicial system since the officer got huge support from the public despite surrendering himself for the crime. The film sees actor Akshay Kumar in the role of KM Nanavati.

Real life events have always inspired Bollywood movies. Here's a list of such films:

1. Airlift

Airlift depicts the story of the largest civilian evacuation in history carried by the Indian government. The movie is inspired by the events that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The government evacuated more than 1 lakh citizens from Iraq and Kuwait via an airlift.

2. Neerja

This film is a biopic based on the life of air hostess Neerja Bhanot. She lost her life while saving passengers when a Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan in 1986. She saved the lives of 359 people but could not save herself. Actress Sonam Kapoor potrays the role brilliantly in the film.

3. Special 26

Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Special 26' is inspired by the infamous 1987 Opera House heist in Mumbai. The film depicts how a group of con men pose as CBI officers to execute a fake income tax raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) in Mumbai. The film garnered widespread acclaim from the film industry.

4. No one killed Jessica

The film is based on the controversial Jessica Lal murder case who was shot dead by Manu Sharma after she refused to serve drinks to him and his friends. 'No one killed Jessica' potrays her sister Sabrina's struggle to bring justice to the family. She is aided by a reporter, played by Rani Mukherjee, who uses power of the media to speed up the process.

5. Madras cafe

The film is inspired by the Indian government's role in Sri Lanka's civil war and the events surrounding the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE. The film is a political thriller and stars John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri.

6. Talvar

Based on 2008 Aarushi Talwar-Hemraj double murder case, Talvar focuses on the investigation rather than the trial of the case. The film has Irrfan playing a cop who heads the first CBI team that investigated the case.