If you are blinded by the fact that the movie is headed by a star kid, then you are being unfair to the story of an unsung hero who we have completely ignored and didn’t talk about much. It’s the story of brave Gunjan Saxena, who became one of the first two women to fly in a combat zone during the 1999 Kargil War. In all the chaos of nepotism, we might forget that the movie is based on Gunjan Saxena and also stars actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Vineet Kumar Singh.  

The movie does dramatize Gunjan’s journey but manages to not go overboard with it. Sharan keeps the tone of the movie very humble and true to what the officer told him. The movie does deserve a watch because of the director’s attempt as not much information was available on Gunjan Saxena. The movie goes beyond the aspect of just celebrating Gunjan as it focuses on how supportive a father can be in the times when women were not allowed to chase their dreams. It’s a story of inspiration and courage even after being bogged down by the patriarchal notions.  

Coming to performances, Janhvi Kapoor did a decent job in portraying Gunjan Saxena. Well, it was expected more from her but she fell flat in the sequences where she had to be emotionally powerful. There’s a particular scene where she had to show that women are being suppressed by men but Janhvi couldn’t convey it powerfully. But, in the happy scenes, Janhvi did her bit and you would love her chirpiness. 

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Pankaj Tripathi as Gunjan’s father will make you fall in love with his character because he does no drama while portraying and keeps it very real. He is a father who wants his daughter to chase her dreams. Pankaj has, time and again, proved that he is someone who can pull off the easiest and most difficult of the roles. In the movie, he is a symbol of the progressive thought process and a man who believes in the concept of woman empowerment.  

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Vineet Kumar Singh as an Army officer depicts a more common portrayal of how men back in the 90s were. Back in those days, it was hard for men to accept that women can be pilots too, and here, Gunjan had joined the Air Force and is proving the old set notion wrong. Vineet is used as a symbol for men who can’t let their egos be defeated by women. His character tries everything possible to make it hard for Gunjan to survive in the male-dominated world. Vineet adds his charm to the character and he captures every scene in the movie.  

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Angad Bedi got less screen space and he plays the character of Gunjan’s brother. He is a metaphor for men who want to safeguard the interests of the women in the family. He is not very comfortable with Gunjan entering into the territory of men. He wants to protect her from the harsh society but in the end, he realizes that he doesn’t have to stop his sister from growing in his life. 

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Manav Vij and Ayesha Raza are also those actors who convincingly portray their characters.   

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The problem with the movie is that it feels so rushed at the end. As a viewer, you would want to see more of the Kargil sequence and would be left a little less satiated. It would have been interesting if there were more of Kargil sequence.
The editing and cinematography do give justice to the movie as they are done in accordance with the tone of the movie. I also loved the sound design aspect of the movie.
In a nutshell, the script is good and you can enjoy it as a one-time watch. Also see it for Pankaj Tripathi, Vineet Kumar Singh, and Manav Vij.

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