The makers of Kaatru Veliyidai have revealed that the prison escape episode in the film is based on a true story. There is a sequence in the film where the Indian prisoners Karthi and his two friends escape from Pakistan prison and their Army Men.
“When Flight Lieutenant Dilip Parulkar was shot down over Pakistan on 10 December 1971, he quickly turned that catastrophe into the greatest adventure of his life. On 13 August 1972 Parulkar, along with Malvinder Singh Grewal and Harish Sinhji escaped from a POW camp in Rawalpindi. Four Miles To Freedom is their story. “Four miles to freedom” is a book written by Ms.Faith Johnston. It depicts their real story,” said the makers in an official statement.
Kaatru Veliyidai borrows incidents from this book. Most of what Karthi and his friends do to escape are from real incidents. So, this should put an end to people who question the authenticity of this sequence.