Cast: Siddharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Pandit, Pranay Pachauri, Himanshu Malhotra.
Director: Vishnu Varadhan
BLUF:
Based on the real-life story of Captain Vikram Batra (PVC) who was instrumental in helping the Indian Army recapture of the geographically crucial posts in Kargil during the Kargil war of 1999. In fighting the Pakistani army, Capt. Vikram Batra distinguished himself for his courage and heroism.
He gunned down four Pakistani soldiers and died while saving his platoon member’s life as he lay injured in the line of enemy ire. As he was trying to drag the soldier to safety by intentionally subjecting himself to the enemy’s line of fire, he was shot in the chest and a splinter of an RPG warhead hit him in the head.
Capt. Batra died a hero. This movie is based on his life and celebrates his bravery.
THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES:
Intertwined with Vikram and Dimple’s love story, the movie tells the story of a young man who gave It all and lived life to the fullest, not in years but in worth.
The film chronicles the life of Capt. Batra through his college days, the intensity of his romance with Dimple, and the resiliency of his indomitable spirit. In all his 25 years of life, as he faces life and death situations, whether he is in terrorism-infested interiors of the Kashmir valley or the enemy at the Pakistani border, Vikram Batra is bigger than life.
The story of his bravery is one for the fables and the film narrates the story with great aplomb.
FWAR/ IN THE KNOW:
The movie does justice to the life of a hero who puts his country before himself. In being a true leader, Capt. Batra’s story is narrated with fluidity but this is not the story of the war. If you watch this movie expecting the chronicles of the Kargil war, you will be disappointed. This is the story of Capt. Vikram Batra.
Siddhartha Malhotra brings it home in portraying the enigmatic Capt. Batra. Not only does he do justice to the young college-going Vikram, but the chemistry between Kiara and Siddhartha is also off the charts. Even when Kiara has limited screen time, those two together are magic on screen.
Vikram Batra’s charm, exuberance, and zest for life are nicely woven into the story of his heroism. Siddhartha Malhotra brings charisma and valor to his role in appropriate measure and carries the story on his shoulders. He is only let down by the insipid dialogues which he tries to deliver as much exuberance that he can muster.
The cinematography by Kamaljeet Negi and camera work are well done. The action sequences directed by Stefan Richter and Sunil Rodrigues are peerless and the war scenes are well framed. The music is memorable. Especially Tanishq Bagchi’s Raataan Lambiyan, B Praak’s Mann Bharryaa, and Jasleen Royal’s Ranjha are tunes to hum on loop.
Shiv Pandit gives us a reasonable Captain Sanjeev Jamwal and so does Sahil Vaid as Vikram’s friend.
Sandeep Srivastava writes a good plot but fails in the screenplay and dialogue to keep it average.
Vishnu Vardhan‘s directorial debut is definitely a Dharma home run.
WHAT WE LOVED
Action Scenes
Cinematography
Music
WHAT WE MISSED
Better writing.
