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Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl is refreshing for quite a few reasons. For a Karan Johar production, the movie is quite stripped off the larger-than-life imagery usually associated with the films that come out from the Dharma stable. Gunjan Saxena is a war biopic, but it doesn't indulge in the trademark shenanigans associated with such films. There is no chest-thumping patriotism, as far as I remember, there is no scene where the nation anthem is played in the background. In fact, even the protagonist's reasons for joining the Indian Air Force has nothing to do with patriotism. Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl Movie Review: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi Make A Formidable Pair in this Stirring Biopic.
Janhvi Kapoor's Gunjan Saxena is based on the real-life IAF pilot who was the first female Shaurya Chakra award winner and also the only woman combatant during the 1999 Kargil War. Her biopic shows that the reason why she even joined IAF is because she couldn't be a commercial pilot. But that fact doesn't take away her valour displayed during the war, showing that the bravery you display in a battle doesn't always have to be motivated by patriotism, but also a sense of duty.
Directed by debutant Sharan Sharma, Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl found a direct OTT release on Netflix, where it has opened to positive reviews. The direction, writing and the performances in the film have been praised. Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi have got some really good feedback, the latter playing Gunjan's father. In fact, the best moments in the film mostly involve these two, with Tripathi getting some amazing lines. In this special feature, we will look at the ten moments in the film that won us over. Remember - HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Chalo Murga Bano
This is the first scene in the film (out of the many) that make us wish we have a cool dad as Pankaj Tripathi's Mr Saxena. He is an army officer himself, and sees no differentiation between his son and daughter. When a young Gunjan is trolled by her brother for revealing her pilot aspirations, who tells her that she is better off as an air-hostess, papa dearest comes to her defense. He schools his son on the latter's sexism, saying that pilot applies to both male and female, and the plane doesn't differentiate who is flying it, so why should he? And yes, he also puts his son down to 20 squats for that misogyny! Claps! Gunjan Saxena: Trying to Boycott Janhvi Kapoor’s Film Over Nepotism? Five Reasons Why You Are Boycotting Your Own Ideologies.
Tumhe Sharaab Nahi Peeni Chahiye
When a father invites his son to have a drink with him, it is supposed to be a gesture that he sees his child as mature and equal to him. On the eve of the day Gunjan's brother is supposed to join the army, Mr Saxena asks him to join him for a drink. The brothers scolds him for encouraging Gunjan's flying aspirations and her recent desire to join the Air Force. His father merely listens to him, and then after a brief pause, tells his son that he shouldn't really drink.
If there is a subtle burn, this is it!
Born To Fly!
After passing her competency tests for the IAF training, Gunjan falters in her medical tests, as her weight and her height don't fit the required measurements. Following the 'Rekha Diet', her father makes her lose the unwanted kilos, but the lack of height is a problem. As the invigilator demonstrates that, he realises that although Gunjan may not have the needed inches, her arm-to-leg ratio is sufficient to operate the plane. As he later tells Gunjan's father, the girl is born to fly! Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl: How the Janhvi Kapoor Film Provides Key Lessons on Concepts of Casual Sexism at Workplace, Patriotism and Raising Better Men.
Deconstructing Patriotism
What makes Gunjan Saxena stand out as a film compared to others films in the same genre is that it glosses over the need to prove your patriotism to the country vocally by being a soldier. There is a lovely scene, where after her selection, even Gunjan has these doubts. She wakes her father up in the middle of the night and talks to him about her aspersions. He calmly tells her that no one in the army IRL keeps saying patriotic slogans every minute. It is the sincerity and dedication to complete the training and then apply that to her job which will be enough to prove her patriotism to the country. And then he utters the best line in the film, as he tells his daughter not to worry for "Take off ka time aa gaya hai!"
Gunjan's First Proper Sortie
Gunjan sees problems at her stint in the Udhampur Air force Academy owing to the fact that her male compatriots are yet to warm up to the fact that there is a female officer among them. She has trouble changing her uniform because of lack of dressing facilities for women and keeps missing her sorties. When she arranges one for herself, she finds out that no one is willing to train her. Finally when her HO calls her out for the lack of training hours, he himself takes her out for her first real sortie. What could have been also her final one (if she didn't impress him there), gave Gunjan yet another example to display that it was in her spirit to fly high, as she makes an unscheduled landing on an island, and win brownie points from her HO.
The Outburst
Gunjan, despite her impressive progress, gets humiliated by her superior Deepak Singh (Vineet Kumar Singh) who simply labelled her gender weak (with regards to military combat) in a ridiculous game of arm-wrestling. Later that night, a frustrated Gunjan breaks into the room where the men are having a party and calls out the sexism of Deepak and his colleagues for being scared off taking orders from a 'Madam' and reminding them that she only needs to fly a plane and not carry it, so there is no need for her to prove her strength in arm-wrestling! While Janhvi's performance is still lacking in terms of intensity, it is otherwise a well-written and well-directed scene.
Chal Paranthe Banate Hai!
Gunjan, after leaving the academy following the outburst, decides to marry and settle down like her best friend. When she expresses this desire to her father, he simply agrees to what she says and beckons her to the kitchen to make paranthas. He makes her realise that he had not brought her up in the way the world expects women to behave, unlike what her mother did. He tells her that she cannot tackle her problems by shutting herself down in a cage, but to breaking it open and flying away. It is perhaps the best scene in the film, and Pankaj Tripathi is an class act there.
STFU-ing The Bro!
Both Gunjan and her brother are tasked to be part of the Kargil War. Gunjan's brother saves her from enemy shelling once, reminding her that he won't protect her every time. Later, Gunjan, disappointed on learning that she won't be allowed to fly again over concerns of her safety, is sermonised again by her brother. She tells him that she is here for her ability and that should decide if she remains in combat or not, and not her gender. When her brother tells her the world doesn't think so, she tells him to forget the world, he should change his own outlook first. Perhaps, the world would feel inspired by him then! If that isn't a well-meaning firing salvo, what is?
Mom Has The Last Word
Unlike her father, Gunjan's mother hasn't always supported her ambitions of being a pilot or joining the Air Force. But she was a happy parent during her graduation as a pilot, showing she has become warmer to the idea of her daughter sprouting wings. If that wasn't enough, how about the scene where she shuts down an uncle who reprimands them for sending both their kids to war? She reminded him that if everyone thought so, then who would protect their country? The smile on her husband's face, on hearing her parting shot, says it all! Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl - Hrithik Roshan Praises Janhvi Kapoor's Film Calling It Outstanding.
Gunjan The Hero!
The climax of the film involves Gunjan, defying orders, to save an fallen Deepak and other injured soldiers from enemy fire. Compared to usual finales of war films, it is smaller in scale and contained, but it is well-shot. The context here is a winner, as Gunjan not only saves the day, but also earns the respect of those who looked down upon her and her gender!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2020 06:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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