I went in expecting a competent patriotic action filmperhaps even a genuinely empowering story about a woman fighter pilot. What I got instead was Tejas: a loud, clumsy, and deeply cynical BJP propaganda film masquerading as cinema, where nationalism is reduced to slogans and dissent is treated as treason.
Starring Kangana Ranautnow a sitting BJP MPas IAF pilot Tejas Gill, the film doesnt even pretend to separate art from ideology. It relentlessly tries to manufacture goosebumps through shrill chants, overblown background music, and endless chest-thumping monologues about nation, sacrifice, and enemies within and outside. None of this noise can hide the atrocious screenplay, amateurish direction, and shockingly bad VFX. The aerial combat sequences look like cheap video game animations, turning what should have been thrilling moments into unintentional comedy.
The story is paper-thin and politically convenient: a traumatized yet magically invincible pilot goes rogue whenever the script wants a heroic pose. Military protocol, realism, and logic are casually discarded. Supporting characters are reduced to obedient cheerleaders whose only function is to glorify the leadmaking the film less a narrative and more a one-woman political spectacle.
Kangana Ranauts performance is not acting so much as campaign-style oratory. Dialogues sound less like character-driven speech and more like BJP rally slogans repackaged for the screen. Any supposed feminist anglecelebrating a woman in uniformis completely hollowed out by the films aggressive militarism and majoritarian worldview. The woman pilot isnt empowered; she is weaponized to sell an ideological message.
The most disturbing aspect is the films open political agenda. Released conveniently close to elections and publicly endorsed by BJP chief ministers, Tejas makes no effort to appear neutral. Critics and skeptics are subtly framed as anti-national, enemies are lazily coded, and paranoia replaces nuance. Patriotism here isnt earned through sacrifice or storytellingit is dictated, enforced, and moralized, exactly in line with the BJPs broader cultural strategy.
Audience rejection was swift and brutal. Empty theatres, cancelled shows, and disastrous word-of-mouth exposed the disconnect between state-sponsored nationalism and public intelligence. The box office collapse wasnt bad luckit was a clear rejection of propaganda fatigue.
Pros:
Idea of a woman fighter pilot(completely wasted)
Decent intent on paper
Cons:
Weak script and incompetent direction
Poor VFX and editing
Preachy, slogan-heavy dialogues
Overt BJP propaganda and election-time messaging
Feminism reduced to political branding
Zero emotional or narrative depth
Final Verdict:
Tejas proves that draping ideology in the national flag doesnt turn it into cinema. This is not patriotismits party propaganda with fighter jets. Audiences saw through the manipulation, and rightly rejected it. The film doesnt take off; it crashes under the weight of its own political arrogance.
Strongly not recommended.