Film Review: An earnest attempt, 'War Chhod Na Yaar' fails to sustain our interest in a weak second half

Cast:  Sharman Joshi, Soha Ali Khan, Jaaved Jafferi, Dalip Tahil, Mukul Dev
Director: Faraz Haider
Rating: **

What’s it about

A war story that tries to make light of a volatile situation on the LOC, the film sees Soha Ali Khan play a journalist who is sent to cover animosity between the Indian and Pakistani troops at the border. Not knowing what to expect she reaches her destination only to find that most of the soldiers and troops look at the ground reality in a very different way than the rest of the world. Using one liners, some political satire and humour, the film tries to create an atmosphere of camaraderie until the ruling parties of the two nations decide to toe a different line.

What’s hot

Haider uses every day conversation, issues that have been often debated and discussed on late night news hour shows, or often addressed in the kitchen of Indian homes to tell the story of the film. The friendship between the Indo-Pak soldiers seems easy and the characters don’t come off as plastic. Sharman Joshi excels in his role as the army captain while Javed Jafferi, his Pakistani counterpart, shows some real versatility.

What’s not

The film reaches a major road block in the second half where it seems like a headless chicken trying to cross the road.  Most of the conversation gets heavy and Soha’s character tends to get a bit annoying with her becoming a narrator rather than participant in the given scenario. Also one can’t get away from falling in the trap of getting preachy or wanting to send a message when it comes to an Indo-Pak film. Songs drag down the pace of the film instead of adding any entertainment value.

What to do

An earnest attempt, the film fails to sustain our interest in a weak second half.

Watch the film trailer: