Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Anupam Kher, Vishal Jethwa, Dalip Tahil, Faizan Khan, Niharica Raizada

Director: Sankalp Reddy

In IB71, which is now streaming on Hulu and Hotstar, Agent Dev (Vidyut Jammwal) leads a top-secret mission to block Indian air space for West Pakistan’s military movement ahead of the 1971 war.

Inspired by the hijacking of the Fokker F27 plane, named Ganga, by Kashmiri extremists in January 1971, the film presents the Pakistani theory that the hijack was orchestrated by Indian intelligence agencies. According to this theory, the intention was to create a pretext for blocking Indian airspace, preventing the Pakistani military from advancing towards East Pakistan in the lead-up to the December 1971 war, which ultimately led to the birth of Bangladesh.

The writers have done a decent job of blending available information with speculations and possibilities, but the screenplay and execution restrict the imaginative potential of the story. However, no narrative about the 1971 war can be complete without acknowledging the political will of Indira Gandhi, yet she is noticeably absent from the film.

The film follows the familiar formula of featuring a fearless officer (in this case, Vidyut Jammwal as Agent Dev) who can be spotted from afar, while his opponents somehow fail to notice his actions. The build-up in this spy thriller takes a considerable amount of time before finally hitting the right notes.

Vidyut’s performance barely gets an opportunity to energize the scenario. His breadth as an action hero remains underutilized with barely any action being performed.

Even the experienced actor Anupam Kher, expected to bring gravitas to the film, appears disconnected in his portrayal of Awasthi, the head of the Indian intelligence apparatus. The young Kashmiri extremists (played by Vishal Jethwa and Faizan Khan) who hijack the plane get the Kashmiri accent and mannerisms down to a T. Watch out for Jethwa. He delivers yet another superb performance as a disillusioned Kashmiri terrorist.