Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur, Priyanshu Painyuli, Soni Razdan
Director: Raja Krishna Menon
Review:
The link between the man and the machine is not extensively explored in the tale, despite the fact that the movie is named for the PT-76 tanker that Captain Balli oversaw and he shows his affection for it. Nevertheless, this is a magnificent story of the coming of age of a young and bold Captain Balli, as well as how India’s courageous warriors answered the call of duty for a nearby nation.
Following a brief overview of the battle between West and East Pakistan, it explains how we, as a country, decided on justice and humanity and supported the latter. This skillfully written combat drama is also novel in that it does not centre entirely on Captain Balli’s daring.
It draws attention to his siblings, Major Ram (Priyanshu Painyuli), the older brother, and Radha (Mrunal Thakur), the younger sister, who was an expert decryptor of encrypted signals and was crucial to winning the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
You may anticipate a biographical war play to be centred around nationalistic zeal and exalt the hero on whom it is based. But what sets Raja Krishna Menon’s film apart is India’s kindness and dignity in supporting the Bangladesh Liberation War (1971). And in the middle is Captain Balram “Balli” Singh Mehta (Ishaan Khatter), a nonconformist soldier who is direct and defies instructions from his superiors.
Writers Tanmay Mohan, Menon, and Ravinder Randhawa demonstrate their narrative prowess as they condensibly provide a peek of Captain Balli’s personality, family history, and how each element contributed to his path in a unique way.
What makes the movie so intriguing is how authentically it tells the story. Without giving in to the temptation to depict the horrors of the conflict or the crimes committed on the unfortunate people, the eastern front and the battle scenes are faithfully portrayed.
The story generally keeps the reader interested even though the war’s prelude scenes periodically lag.
The music by AR Rahman gives a punch to the proceedings, particularly in the songs Rampage by MC Heam and Krystal Garib and Jazbaat by Shilpa Rao and Jubin Nautiyal.
Star Performance
Ishaan Khatter is excellent in his part, whether he is playing a bold young soldier or one who is exhibiting leadership and composure.
Priyanshu Painyuli does a fantastic job portraying the courageous and disciplined Major Ram Mehta. When portraying the brothers’ tense relationship or its eventual transformation, the duo works effectively together.
Mrunal Thakur does her job admirably. Excellent performances by Shibli and Soni Razdan, who plays the mother of the war hero brothers, and Inaamulhaq, a lowlife Pakistani soldier, are also included in the film.
Final verdict
Pippa movie is a prime example of a recipe that calls for all the necessary components, but the execution of the recipe goes awry, leaving a meal that is only partially pleasant despite having all the right elements, rather than being dramatically undercooked.
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
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