In advertising campaign, deewar was touted to be another all winner performance from the Big B. In fact role played by Amitabh Bachchan turns out to be the only good thing about the movie.
It is actually a story inspired by the true incident in part. It is about the Indian soldiers who were taken as prisoners by Pakistan during 1971 war and have never returned home. Movie starts with group of prisoners led by Big B who have been making futile efforts to escape. Back home in India his son is not sure that his father?s existence till he receives his letter from the jail. On reading a moving letter he brings up the issue with chief of army but in vain. So he decides to work for the escape of his father himself. He slips into Karachi a town in Pakistan.
Meanwhile Amitabh and his men are shifted to another jail where they meet Sanjay Dutt along with about three more Indian prisoners. There also prisoners try to escape but only Sanjay is successful to do so. Akshay some how collects the information about the jail and escape route from ISI building not before killing many Pakistani army and intelligence men. Then Sanjay & Akshay team together to escape of the soldiers possible.
This picture depicts their state of mind and undying urge to go back home, breathe their last on the homeland. But this issue was not handled properly. Though the suffering of the soldiers their dilemmas are very well shown, the rest of the movie including the escape fails to impress. There are many loopholes that kill the interest of the audience.
For instance, in the movie hero can cross the border easily, certainly recognizable Indian is roaming freely in the hostile territory killing lot of Pakistani cops and intelligence officials. Scenes of Amitabh, Sanjay & Akhsay killing the military dogs by grabbing their neck, acquiring vehicles and ammunitions whenever needed & moving easily at free will in the foreign country account for the poor show.
Amitabh finishing the digging of the tunnel to escape on the 11th hour when they are being chased by the jail keepers is out the world. Had he been not able to complete it or what if it had taken a bit longer?
Most important linchpin of the movie the hero Sanjay Dutt who makes it all possible is covered in mystery throughout the movie. Who was he? Why did he agree to help Indians out of no compulsion? Why was he kept in that jail which appeared to be meant for the POWs? If he was an Indian then how could he arrange for even things like fake passport, driving license in Pakistan? These questions have leave the audience clueless. This superman came in from no where to help Akshay for no good reason.
Moreover a bit on the lighter side; age of Akshay is told to be 30 years where as Amithabh was in prison for more that 35 years. How could this be ???? Amrita Rao was version sadly left back in Pakistan after her only family member her father dies helping out Akshay. Was she left to face the interrogation of the military after the escape?
Only one sound track [the first one] is good, the one that should have been the theme of the movie and must have been used as the background score. But it was not done.
All in all I would say movie touched on a number of very sensitive issue but completely failed in stirring them reasonably enough to leave a lasting impression on audience.