BOTTOM LINE
Dreadful And Disastrous Patriotic Drama
OUR RATING
1.75/5
PLATFORM
Disney+ Hotstar
What Is the Film About?
Bhuj: The Pride Of India is based on actual events during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. It has been dramatised for cinematic effect. The film’s central plot revolves around the Bhuj IAF airbase, which the Pakistani army has destroyed. It is done to capture a part of India to be used as a bargain to reclaim East Pakistan.
The Pakistani army has all the sides to connect to Bhuj destroyed, as well. The only way they can be stopped is by reinforcing the Indian army personnel, and it can happen only through Bhuj airbase. How Vijay Srinivas Karnik (Ajay Devgn) gets the runway repaired, and the Indian army stops the opposition forms the overall plot.
How Is Ajay Devgn ‘s Performance?
Ajay Devgn plays the central character in Bhuj: The Pride Of India. It is a very average outing for him. He hits all the right notes, as one would expect. However, the emotional depth and connection are missing. Ajay Devgn sleepwalks through the part showing glimpses of what he can do here and there. The result is what could have been a memorable role becomes just another character in his filmography.
Direction by Abhishek Dudhaiya ?
Abhishek Dudhaiya directs Bhuj: The Pride Of India. It is based on a real event and on the lines of patriotic movies that have flooded the Bollywood scene for the past many years.
The execution of patriotic movies (especially with war elements) is challenging. They have to tread a familiar path and then deliver without coming across as routine and predictable. The emotions have to be high but not reach the level of jingoism or look cartoonish. It is similar to the sports genre in that regard.
With Bhuj: the Pride Of India, Abhishek makes all the mistakes that one expects to be avoided from patriotic films. He picks an exciting event from Indian history but fails big time to make an engaging narrative out of it.
The signs are visible within the first few minutes, where the narrative gives a clumsy and messy feeling. So many things are happening, but nothing works. Elements of the spy genre are mixed, which are handled in a callously. If one observes keenly, it gets further frustrating as we see so much potential in the subject. Unfortunately, everything goes down the drain.
However, things don’t end up utter disastrous. The narrative improves after the opening forty minutes or so. When the focus of the story is on a single point, the repairing of the runway. The whole stretch barring the introduction of a female lead and the dialogues, are fine.
Things go back to the cacophony once the issue is dealt with. But, it is again marginally better than the opening, mainly because of one final nail-biting episode. It is the landing of the flight carrying Indian army personnel. The entire sequence could have taken the adrenaline rush to the next level. Sadly, it doesn’t happen due to a tacky execution.
Overall, Bhuj: The Pride Of India has an exciting premise and big names attached to it. But, it fails spectacularly to deliver an engaging narrative. It ends up as yet another Bollywood biggie that disappoints big time on OTT.
Sanjay Dutt,Pranitha Subhash, Sonakshi Sinha and Others?
Many known faces are present in the movie. Among them, Sanjay Dutt shines despite looking haggard. It is more to do with his characterisation than performance. Sharad Kelkar is wasted, barring a couple of scenes towards the end. Sonakshi Sinha overacts within the small-time she gets. Pranitha Subhash stares blankly at the camera most of the time when it shifts towards her. On other occasions, she gives a ‘what-am-I-doing-here’ expression looking at other co-stars.
Ammy Virk is neat within the scope given to her. Nora Fatehi tries her best to play a gritty spy but fails badly. Navni Parihar is straight out of a fancy dress competition playing Indira Gandhi. The rest are forgettable.
Music and Other Departments?
The songs by multiple composers are speed breakers. Luckily they are butchered by the makers and cut short on-screen. The background score by Amar Mohile is loud and noisy. It adds to the irritation caused by the visuals. The cinematography by Aseem Bajaj is terrible in parts. It is decent during a few night shots. The editing by Dharmendra Sharma is disastrous. It creates restlessness in the narrative in the first place.
The writing is ordinary, in parts and that’s a compliment considering the overall level of mediocrity. The VFX are tacky and repetitive shots of fighter jets are the biggest annoyance during the terrible half an hour at the start.
Highlights?
Short Duration
The Runway Repair Block
Ending Landing Sequence
Drawbacks?
Editing
Tacky Visuals
Writing
Direction
Screenplay
Alternative Take
All that Bhuj: The Pride Of India needs is a better execution. It has all the engaging elements in place.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Bhuj: The Pride Of India Hindi Movie Review by Siddartha
