The Ghazi Attack movie review---------------
Rana Daggubati’s film is devoid of mystery
Got to hand it to first-time director Sankalp Reddy: he sure aims high. He merits full marks on that score. But like the torpedoes fired in the film, The Ghazi Attack misses its mark more often than not, notwithstanding the impressive scale of its ambition and execution. The film, made in Telugu and Hindi, imagines the circumstances in which the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi sank in the Bay of Bengal a day after India joined the 1971 war to liberate Bangladesh. The Ghazi Attack delivers many a riveting moment and is bolstered by the talent of a few capable actors.
Its plot however, is devoid of any mystery. It combines the time-tested generic conventions of the Hollywood submarine movie with a sweepingly constructed indigenous mythology of war that sails on waves of unalloyed patriotic fervour. In an extended disclaimer, The Ghazi Attack disavows any claims on “historical accuracy”. It also admits that there might be other versions of the PNS Ghazi incident out there.
So when the audience is asked to take what is going to unfold on the screen with a pinch of salt, should we get all worked up over the things that this film skirts around, notably songs, dances and other diversions? On the positive side, The Ghazi Attack offers an unprecedented and detailed peep into the workings of a Navy submarine and its crew although much of what is said and done in the course of two hours and bit could still be gobbledygook for the lay viewer.
All that we can figure out amid the high-voltage action and the heroic declamations is that two sets of men in uniform, each as convinced of their nation’s might as the other, are plotting to hit each other where it hurts. The Ghazi Attack revolves around an undersea dogfight between the S-21 (presumably INS Karanj, the name isn’t mentioned even once) and the PNS Ghazi. The latter, we gather, has sailed from Karachi around the Indian subcontinent in a bid to open up a sea route for Pakistan’s supplies to its soldiers in East Pakistan at the height of the Bangladesh liberation war. The two vessels fire torpedoes at each other even as a host of challenges erupt aboard the Indian submarine - all par for the course. This is a story of courage and heroism against all odds. Immobilized by multiple technical breakdowns, the S-21’s movement is severely curtailed but the valiant men aboard hang in there.
The S-21 is captained by the arrogant and hot-headed Rann Vijay Singh (Kay Kay Menon, his mannerisms intact). Not one to play by the textbook, his credo is as in-your-face as it gets. You don’t win wars by becoming a martyr, you win by eliminating your enemies, he thunders. Singh brooks no opposition, but Lieutenant Commander Arjun Verma (Rana Daggubati in a restrained avatar), who’s been deployed by naval headquarters to keep the former in check, doesn’t desist from speaking his mind. This leads to several tense moments on the submarine, endangering the vessel and its men. Executive Officer Devaraj (Atul Kulkarni, who stands out) is the second in command.
Post a Comment