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| Edited By: Aishwarya Vasudevan |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Aug 10, 2020, 01:37 PM IST
Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Viineet Kumar, Manav Vij, Ayesha Raza Mishra
Director: Sharan Sharma
Duration: One hour 57 minutes
Where to Watch: Netflix
Critics' Rating: 3 out of 5
Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena (Janhvi Kapoor) makes history in her journey from aspiring aviator to India's first female combat pilot in the Kargil War.
There is a scene in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl where Janhvi Kapoor's character asks her onscreen father (Pankaj Tripathi) that is she being a traitor to the country in the name of her dreams as she just wanted to fly planes. She says 'The Air Force needs pilots who are patriots.' Her loving father asks her to show her sincerity towards her job and she will automatically become a patriot. This scene has a deeper meaning and related in today's times too. Back in the 90s when India was inching towards the 21st century, gender issues were prominent. Male or a female, pilots are called pilots only, not easy for many to understand.
Gunjan's household has so many issues with a sunkissed feminist father, who is the wind beneath the wings of the young girl aspiring to touch the skies. Her father was an army man, son follows the steps and joins the army but how can daughter dream of that? This question is asked by her Dada played by Angad Bedi, who becomes the voice of the 'log kya kahenge?' world.
But the support of her father makes her give everyone a deaf ear until she becomes IAF Officer and enters the man's world (miniature boy locker room) lead by Viineet Kumar Singh. It showed the harsh reality of gender equality making men fear of losing their respect. However, the captain of Udhampur Air Force Station played by Manav Vij doesn't care about the gender unless Gunjan thinks it as an issue. She likes his strictness which made her become the top officer which is a hindrance to the rest of the team.
Sharan Sharma's directorial debut is refreshing as the war sequences are not caricaturish and show the ground reality of what could have happened back in the day. He narrated the story of Gunjan, written by Nikhil Mehrotra, to a crisp in the right runtime. The film showed feminism as the topic of discussion rather than nationalism which is basically the narrative of films with a war backdrop. Sharan showed the moments with great honesty and harsh reality which Gunjan must have actually witnessed while making a mark as IAF pilot.
The aerial combat sequences are a visual delight which is beautifully co-ordinated by Marc Wolff (watch his work in Mission Impossible and Star Wars series).
Talking about performances, Janhvi gave me a prejudicial thought which remained true in certain aspects. Gunjan was all of 24 when she entered war base for the first time, more or less Janhvi is of the same age group. For me, she seemed to be a misfit while being a revelation too. The actor can show vulnerability beautifully but her strong appeal as an IAF pilot lacked a display which might have been a deliberate move.
Pankaj Tripathi, on the other hand, was the show stealer overall. The talented actor knows his craft and just his presence is enough for the scenes to be highlighted. He reminded me of a tough father like in Dangal or Neerja's father who always asks 'Mera bahadur baccha kaun?'. Angad Bedi is a loving brother but a practical man who fears supporting his sister's decision of being the only woman in a man's world.
Viineet Kumar is shown as someone who stands by the rules (it's a man man man's world) and only by the physical means and he aces it perfectly. Manav Vij is always a treat to watch when it comes to showing a tough man.
Gunjan Saxena is heart-touching not for its patriotism but for its feminism and who better than a father to portray one?!
Watch it for the correct portrayal of a feminist father and yes, they do exist!
