Now ever since the teaser dropped, I was excited for this movie. Yeah, people were already calling it “sasta Top Gun” and stuff, but I had my beliefs, especially cuz this was the first time we were actually exploring aerial battles on this level. And then came the promotional materials. Or should I say the mid asf promotional materials? With every song, every promo cut, and finally the trailer, main hope chor chuka tha… all of it simply felt so cringe and cliche. But thank God I went to watch this movie, cuz bro the end product is wayyyyy better than expectations. ‘Fighter’ is another Sid Anand movie that goes all out with its crazy action sequences, but this time gets you in the feels too. Against the backdrop of the Indian Air Force and the snowy mountains of JnK, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, minus the times when the dialogues get hadd se zyada cringe :p
Plot
Let me ask you a question. What is the most recent real-life situation between India and Pakistan in which fighter jets were involved? The Pulwama tragedy, correct. That’s what the movie is based on, but of course, with a lot of masala. So hota ye hai ki Squadron Leader Shamsher Pathania, aka Patty (played by Hrithik Roshan >>>), and his elite team of top aviators led by Group Captain Rocky aka Rakesh Jai Singh (Anil Kapoor), stationed in Srinagar are tasked with a mission to blow up a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Balakot after a Pakistani terrorist blows up a CRPF convoy ferrying dozens of jawans. The plot is predictable to be honest, and trailer dekh ke puri storyline samajh hi jaoge, but the adrenaline rush and emotions are the real MVPs of this movie.
Performances
The best thing about the movie is easily the Indian characters. Hrithik Roshan is just so effortlessly good as Patty. The rizz this man has is fcking unreal. No one else could’ve pulled it off like he did. Deepika Padukone aces Minal Rathore like her everyday breakfast, but it is a shame that she doesn’t really have a lot to do, except for one emo subplot. And Anil Kapoor is crazy good as Rocky. He’s having one hell of a time, nailing every single character with equal passion. Aur yaha main hoon jo adulthood ke pehle saal mein give up karne ki soch raha hoon. Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi come out of the syllabus– trust me, you’re gonna enjoy them a hell lot. The only, and probably the biggest flaw is Rishabh Sawhney‘s portrayal of the terrorist mastermind Azhar Akhtar. Bro is… so one-dimensional??? His character is so badly written that you can’t help but cringe every time!! *cries in pain*
Direction and Writing
If you have watched War and Pathaan, you would know Siddharth Anand doesn’t disappoint when it comes to mindfck action. But, you would also know that he disappoints when it comes to the story. And I’m SO GLAD that Fighter is so much better in terms of that. Yes, it is predictable, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was on the edge of my seat till the credits rolled. There’s adrenaline rush ultra pro max, there are some vvv impactful emotional moments, and there are a lot of twists. But when it comes to the writing, the movie falls all over the place. It’s like they had two writers- one for the Indian side of things, which was pretty good, and the other for the Pak side, which was just straight-up trash. 1990s waale Pakistani characters with horrible dialogues likhne ki kya zaroorat thi? It felt very lazy and low-effort ngl.
Screenplay and Cinematography
The movie feels long with its runtime of 2h 40m. Easily 10-15 mins reduce kar sakte the. The screenplay is engaging, but the editing in some places feels vv weird. Imagine a scene in which the terrorist is planning to attack us, and the next moment there’s a party song on the Indian side. Feels very ‘???’. The drama and emotions are pretty impactful (Deepika waali subplot is so well done), but the CGI is the real winner. I was so scared that they’d fck it up, but bro they nailed the aerial combat sequences for the most part. Yeah, there are a few nods to Top Gun, but theek hai yaar, OG movie se inspiration lena isn’t really a crime. However the action in the climax feels like a sasti B-grade movie ka script, and you can’t help but cringe at it. Also, the bg music and the songs are quite good, but they could’ve removed one of the songs. Mitti is easily my fav.
In the end, ‘Fighter’ will leave you with mixed emotions—like landing after a turbulent flight. But it could have been so much more than just that. With such a great set-up in the first 30-40 mins and so much talent, the movie could’ve been amazinggg, if not for the horrible Pakistani angle waali writing and the low-effort cringe dialogues. Wo URI waali seriousness missing this, cuz Sid Anand wanted to make it… commercial, ugh. Trust me, agar ye 2-3 cheez theek karlete toh the sky would be the limit. Anyway, keep your expectations in check and you’ll enjoy it! Here’s to Hrithik Roshan supremacy>>>
