Mission accomplished, but not here
film: Sky Force
Director: Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Sharad Kelkar, Manish Choudhary, Mohit Chauhan and Varun Badola
A film releasing close to Republic Day and starring the new-age Bharat Kumar, the poster boy of patriotism Akshay Kumar, and you enter the cinema halls with a bit of dread. But you are pleasantly surprised both by the storyline and the fact that though the film harks back to the 1965 Indo-Pak war, there is no overt Pakistan-bashing or screechy jingoism. ‘Sky Force’, based on true events — actually the Indian Air Force’s retaliatory attack on Pakistan’s Sargodha airfield — tells the story simply, without too many theatrical excesses.
Prior to the release, it has been drawing comparisons with last year’s Republic Day release, ‘Fighter’. However, except for some finely executed aerial action set pieces and dogfights, there isn’t much to compare, both in good and bad ways.
Expectedly, ‘Sky Force’, which is the name of the mission which the Indian Air Force officers undertake in 1965, is a tale of valour, the stern stuff gallantry award winners are made of. An effective Akshay Kumar plays the role of Wing Commander Kumar Om Ahuja, a character inspired by OP Taneja, Vir Chakra winner. Veer Pahariya, grandson of former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, makes an impactful debut as Squadron Leader T Krishna ‘Tabby’, fashioned after real-life hero Ajjamada B Devaiah. How he became a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra in particular is a story we don’t know, and is certainly one which needs to be told.
The film starts in 1971, the year of another Indo-Pak war. A Pakistani officer, Ahmed Hussain (Sharad Kelkar), has been captured. Strangely enough, Ahuja, who is investigating him, is more interested in why the enemy officer got a bravery award in 1965, in a war Pakistan lost. The film begins to acquire shape as it goes back in time to September 1965 and we meet Tabby, a fearless, and expectedly reckless, officer.
As Ahmed uses the word ‘fana’ in his interrogation, we have every reason to believe that Tabby has been martyred. Flashback is reconstructed. We see the daredevil action of brave officers of the IAF on Pakistani soil. Though one would assume mission impossible accomplished successfully on enemy territory is the endgame for the film, surprisingly, it isn’t. For Akshay’s character Ahuja at least, yet another quest begins: to find Tabby, his favourite officer. Besides, isn’t he bound to the pledge, the motto of IAF, ‘to never leave one of us behind’?
Whatever happened to Tabby, who was not part of the mission and was rather an officer on standby? It turns out, he took off without orders. Is he missing in action (presumed dead) or is he still alive, being held in captivity in Pakistan? The answers to these questions keep us invested, if not on tenterhooks.
If the first half has the customary song and dance, emotional angles of wives (Nimrat Kaur and Sara Ali Khan’s Geeta is pregnant too), the second half moves in another emotive direction. Apart from IAF’s victorious feat, Tabby’s disappearance holds the movie’s narrative core. Even though the timeline keeps on shifting from 1965 to 1988, the interest in where he could possibly be does not wane. The runtime of less than two hours helps and the absence of unwanted back stories is an additional plus.
With some heartfelt moments in its armoury, the film does not go for the jugular either and is not your standard tearjerker. But for a stray remark, ‘Hindustan tumhara baap’, and an impassioned speech on patriotism and how it takes madness to die for your country, there are no bombastic dialogues.
Ahmed’s character of a Pakistani officer, well played by Kelkar, is accorded the dignity and honour a soldier even of an enemy nation merits. Manish Choudhary as Group Captain David Lawrence and Varun Badola as Air Vice Marshal Amit Narang are adequate, but do not get enough writing support to create an impression. Music by Tanishk Bagchi and lyrics by Manoj Muntashir, Irshad Kamil and Shloke Lal do keep the mood of the film in mind.
The temper of the movie, however, is unsteady. In its bid to keep the rousing sentiments in check, at points it gets a bit stilted as well. Yet, there is no denying that such rare stories of heroism deserve a celluloid adaptation. Only, for these to become truly memorable, a more buoyant flight of imagination and not just VFX effects is needed. Watchable, nevertheless.