If Peter Pan ever decided to grow up, he'd probably become an air force pilot. After all, J M Barrie's creation loves to fly.

Off Neverland too, there are quite a few actors enamored by men in uniform and their mid-air gallantry. Sky's the limit; like they say, ever since Tom Cruise memorably portrayed the uber cool Maverick, donning those iconic aviator glasses, in Tony Scott's Top Gun, which celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this May.

Back home, there haven't been too many films set against the backdrop of military aviation. Yet the ones, most of them anyway, to come out have made a lingering impression.

The latest to develop wings is Shahid Kapur as Squadron leader Harrinder Singh aka Harry in father Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut, Mausam.

Among many other firsts, it also gave the fit and fabulous 30-year-old a rare opportunity to fly an M-16 jet fighter aircraft. So delightful was his experience, even with some objection from Indian Air Force over a few scenes, Shahid gushed how he would liked to become a pilot if he wasn't already a movie star.

With Mausam hitting the marquee on September 16, here's a look at the air force-themed films of Hindi cinema over the years.

He may have had a brief role in Rang De Basanti but R Madhavan's character makes all the difference to the story. His Flight Lieutenant Ajay Singh Rathod is a picture of zing and zeal.

So it's particularly tragic when he dies in an MiG-21 plane crash, wherein the Defence Minister suggests it was owing to the former's negligence when the truth is the aircraft was already faulty.

No wonder Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's uncompromising creation wasn't well-received by the Indian Defence Ministry.