With Paltan, JP Dutta completes his war trilogy that began with the blockbuster Border, followed by the long-drawn but underrated LOC Kargil. Like his previous movies, Paltan features an ensemble cast with Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Harshvardhan Rane, Luv Sinha and Siddhant Kapoor. Can Paltan bring back the magic of Border on the big screen? Our in-house critic Sreeju Sudhakaran is watching the war drama and here's what he has to say about the first half -

'In 1962, India suffered a crushing defeat by the Chinese army that leads to the loss of thousands of soldiers' lives. Tensions are simmering along the Indo-Tibet border between the armies even in 1967. When the Rajput Battalion, led by Lt Col Rai Singh Yadav, is given the charge to take care of the Nathu La Pass, things are getting worse. The Chinese are hell-bent on illegally infiltrating the international border leading to frequent skirmishes. All the soldiers are looking for is one chance to take revenge on what happened in 1962. Paltan Music Review: Sonu Nigam's Magical Voice Works But Anu Malik-JP Dutt Combo Lacks The Zing of Border and Refugee

JP Dutta has to be appreciated for narrating about a lesser told gallantry story of the Indian army. The treatment of Paltan feels more like Border with characters mouthing Chest-Thumping dialogues at any given opportunity. While the movie has interesting moments, the melodramatic treatment given to the film makes Paltan feel outdated. Out of the actors, Harshvardhan Rane and Gurmeet Choudhury make the most impact. The interval comes at the point when the tensions between Indian and Chinese armies worsen, after the latter dig a trench into the Indian side of the border.'

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2018 11:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).