LOC Revisited
When I had seen LOC I came out of the theater and told my friend that the movie is good but too confusing. J P Dutta should have taken one story of one front like the war of tiger hill and made a movie about it, I think Farahan Akhtar was standing somewhere close by and heard this point and got the idea for LAKSHYA?? ;)
The movie is a very well made sophisticated Hindi masala movie what Javed Akhtar sahab is very good at writing. I am sure it will inspire the Gen Next to join the Army. Hritik looks too cool in the Army uniform and overall in the film he has given a wonderful performance. The other cast has done very well too I don?t want to name a few and do injustice to others cause I don?t know names of most of them still Sushant, Sharad Kapoor, Boman Irrani, Lillet Dube, Parmit Sethi, Raj Jutshi and others.
The director has made sure that in each scene even a person standing behind has the right expression. The roles of some of these actors are very short but then the film is about Hritik?s Lakshya right. Preeti Zinta I feel was wasted and didn?t look convincing as a on screen Barkha Dutt even preeti?s screen name Romilla Dutta was copied. Her hairdo in the second half of the film was bad.
Amitabh Bacchan, I can?t say he is wasted because he is very impressive in all his scenes but then any other actor could have done the role nothing so great about it. Om Puri one of my favorite actor has played as a senior Fauji, he has done well in the very few scenes he has specially his dialogues are written well.
The cinematography is too good. The special fx are also very great I had read that they had made 3D models of our MI6 Helicopters to the very tinny nuts and bolts and they looked very realistic. Watching the controversial but the most vital to win Kargil war, Boforce Gun in close up was a treat again after LOC.
Ok Now about the Movie Plot.
The movie is divided into 4 parts.
Part 1: Aimless Karan Shergil (Hritik)
Karan is an aimless college youth who doesn?t knows what he is going to do about his life (reminds you of Akash of Dil chahta hai). He is in love with his college mate Romilla (preeti) who is sure that she wants to be a journalist. Hritik has acted well as a lost college youth. One will see shades of Koi mil gaya in this performance. Inspired from an Arnold flic he decides to join the Army. His dad (Boman Irani) is against this still he does goes for the training.
Part 2: In the Army Now! ? Training
The training period is tough for our dear dude Karan. It reminds you of Sharukhs serial Fauji or nanas Prahar but all the army training institutes look that way right. Ok so our cool dude can?t take it and runs away from the army institute only to be humiliated by his father and girlfriend. Karan returns back to the training institute this time more dedicated and focused and passes out as a lieutenant. The training part is shot very well and Hritik looks just gr8 in the uniform.
Part 3: Army posting and the war
After he passes out Karan comes back to his home town only to find out that his ex gf has got engaged to someone else. He is posted in border area of Kargil sector under the command of Sunil Damle (Amitabh). Yeh our dear Mr. Bacchan has played a Marathi Army man and has even delivered a few Marathi dialogues. The Army camp Karan is posted to, have all these other characters like Sharad Kapoor, Om Puri, Raj Jutshi, Sushant etc in their respective roles which they have done well. By now our dear Ms. Romila Dutta has become a TV journalist. While being at home on vacation Karan is being called in emergency due to the Kargil conflict. The war begins. The war sequences have been shot very well specially the gun fights and shelling. We do have a couple of purana filmi stuff and punches here to remind us that it is a masala film. And yeh there is Amrish Puri too in the film for just one scene but looks very impressive.
Part 4: Lakshya (Final Mission)
There is this peak which is in control of the Pakistanis and they are targeting the National Highway from there and Indian army needs to recapture it. Hritik makes it as his personal mission. The scene is good when Karan points to the peak and tells Romilla that he will capture it for the Indian army. Karan along with 11 others leaves for the mission. The final mission portion of the film is shot brilliantly specially the rock climbing sequence. The special effects done for the sequence are very good. Finally the gang reaches on top and kills all the Pakistani army mans in command of Parmit Sethi and captures the post. And do I need to tell you what happens between our Hritik and Preeti? Remember it?s a Masala Film.
Mission Accomplish!
One special point I need to mention is that this is a very clean and good movie no where you will see the cast hugging or even coming close unnecessarily. A few directors of recent who use Sex as their main object to make their films hit should learn from this.
It is a must see kind of films. One of the best films in recent times. But it doesn?t have a repeat value as good as the directors first film Dil Chahata Hai!