Gunslinger's gone: Abhinandan Varthaman's evolving style

All eyes were on Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as he flew a sortie in MiG-21 fighter aircraft in Pathankot with Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.

However, what caught everyone's attention more was Varthaman's new look. The officer has shaved off his iconic handlebar 'gunslinger' moustache and instead sported the chevron moustache with close cropped hair.

Later, Twitter users reacted to the missing handlebar and tweeted their disappointment. "The handlebar is gone. But, the style and smile remain," a user wrote on the micro-blogging site.

"Sad to see that he has trimmed his iconic moustache," another user tweeted.

The Vir Chakra awardee's iconic moustache gave birth to many trends. Some of his admirers even insisted on getting a beard like him as they thought imitating his style was the best way to pay tribute to the braveheart.

So much so that a hairdresser in Bengaluru gave 650 men the 'Abhinandan look' without charging a single penny. "Considering the popularity of our proud soldier, we decided to give free 'Abhinandan Cut' to all for a day at my salon and spa," the hairdresser had said.

A handlebar moustache is not an unusual sighting in India. They were earlier sported by Bollywood villains, people from the defence, but after the braveheart's association with it, it is only being known as the 'Abhinandan look.'

Varthaman, who was captured by the Pakistan Army after his MiG-21 was brought down during the February 27 dogfight with Pakistani Air Force F-16s — one of which he shot down. He was then in Pakistan's custody for over 60 hours before he was released to India. Earlier in August, he was also conferred with the Vir Chakra on the 73rd Independence Day.