Sky Force is an extraordinary film with compelling content

- ADVERTISEMENT -

As a patriotic actioner, Sky Force is in a league of its own.

Traversing a span from 1965 to 1984, Sky Force is a classic patriotic saga inspired by the real-life story of Ajjamada B. Devaiah, a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force when India and Pakistan went to war in 1965. As is frequently the case with Akshay’s movies, real characters are renamed and the story presented with apt and sometimes considerable fictionalization.

Ajjamada’s character is thus renamed as T. Krishnan Vijaya a.k.a. Tabby and is played by newcomer Veer Pahariya. His mentor in the Air Force is Wing Commander Kumar Om a.k.a. ‘Tiger’ Ahuja (Akshay Kumar), again a screen version of O.P. Taneja. Tiger finds Tabby exceptional despite his tendency to take risks, follow his own initiatives and break protocol.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

In 1971, in a retaliatory attack on Pakistan during that year’s war, is brought to interrogate an enemy prisoner of war, Ahmed Hussain (Sharad Kelkar), who reveals that in 1965, he was awarded a gallantry award by Pakistan. Intrigued because Pakistan had lost the war, Ahuja asks the reason why he was given the award and Ahmed reveals that it was for shooting down an Indian aircraft near Sargodha that suddenly emerged to combat his plane mid-air.

The film then goes into flashback. Tiger heads a squadron of young soldiers who form a tight clique of buddies. On a recce, Tiger and Tabby find that Pakistan is planning something big. They are up against a bureaucratic wall (since we are a “peace-loving country”!) when the former suggests that a pre-emptive strike against Pakistan. In the red tape culture that follows, the enemy ruthlessly strikes at the Indian air-base. They boast of possessing the very advanced Starfighter aircraft gifted by the US, while the Indian Air-Force has to make do with the relatively very basic Mystere planes. In every way, like weaponry, speed and advanced technology, Mystere does not come close to matching the US models. But the determined Tiger and company decide to retaliate after the attack.

By some incisive logical reasoning, Tiger deduces that the Starfighters are based at the Sargodha airbase, and the Indian forces must strike there to even the odds when war breaks out. Tiger’s superior, Air Commodore Lawrence (Manish Chaudhari) declares that the insubordinate inclinations of Tabby make him a mere 12^th pilot who will remain as a reserve, frustrating the young man who wants to go all out for his country.

After the triumphant attack on Sargodha, when the planes return home, it is found that Tabby had defied orders and taken off. He does not return and is declared missing. It is in 1971 that Tiger, determined to live up to the force’s motto not to leave any of their own behind, finds a clue from Ahmed about where Tabby might be. But Ahmed, as a Pakistani patriot, does not reveal all. What happens next? Because the Indian aircraft that he had downed in 1965 could not have been anyone’s but Tabby’s. And he has said that Tabby’s plane was in smithereens but his body was never found!

The immensely lightning-paced action drama has not a moment of respite and the last half hour and a bit more are especially exciting and very emotionally fulfilling moments. Debutant directors Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur stir our emotions repeatedly, backed by spectacular aerial action and wondrous sequences on ground as well.

Though Nimrat Kaur as Tiger’s wife Preeti and Sara Ali Khan as Tabby’s pregnant spouse, Geeta have small roles, they provide the massive emotional wallop that takes an otherwise all-male testosterone-driven drama into a higher level of relatability. The tight bond between the young soldiers and the angle of the very human Pakistani officer and, above all, Tiger’s ardent passion to prove that Tabby was extraordinary and not a wrong example for new recruits forms the highlight of this unusual story of courage, loyalty and conviction.

The best part of this film is not just its technical excellence (Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran’s camerawork, A. Sreekar Prasad’s editing, the DI by Prime Focus and VFX by DNEG, Redefine and Andrew Simmonds and Brad Minnich from the UK) but the solid storytelling from an exemplary script and matter-of-fact lines (Sandeep Kewlani, Aamil Keeyan Khan and Carl Austin  with Niren Bhatt). Another extraordinary aspect is the fabulous BGM by Justin Varghese.

The songs (composed by Tanishk Bagchi) as with co-producer Dinesh Vijan’s films, are better than the norm today, and I especially loved the Irshad Kamil-written Tu hai to main hoon and Kya meri yaad aati hai and Manoj Muntashir’s Maaye. Unlike Akshay’s recent movies, the songs add to the value of the film, and do not detract from its caliber, as happened with Mission Raniganj, OMG2 or Sarfira.

Like any great team player, Akshay is in his element, playing a no-holds-barred but no-nonsense soldier and caring superior who fights for what is right. Veer Pahariya makes an impeccable debut as Tabby, and Soham Mujumdar as ‘Cockroach’, Rajat Kaul as ‘Bull’and Ritik Ghanshani as ‘Panther’ are all effective and more. Standing out also is Gurpal Singh as Mehta. The ladies are good, but the scene-stealer, as always, is Sharad Kelkar as Ahmed. He is fantastic indeed, and this is one more in a long, long chain of great turns by him.

This film is not to be missed for its excellence, entertaining and emotional quotients.

Rating: ****1/2

Jio Studios’, Maddock Films’ & Leo Films (UK)’s Sky Force  Produced by: Jyoti Deshpande, Dinesh Vijan, Amar Kaushik & Sahil Baber Khan (UK) Directed by: Sandeep Kewlani & Abhishek Anil Kapur  Written by: Sandeep Kewlani, Aamil Keeyan Khan, Carl Austin (UK) & Niren Bhatt  Music: Tanishk Bagchi Starring: Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Nimrat Kaur, Sara Ali Khan, Sharad Kelkar, Manish Chaudhari, Mohit Chauhan, Soham Mujumdar, Rajat Kaul, Ritik Ghanshani, Gurpal Singh, Varun Badola & others

Related posts:

With his new film, Sky Force, Akshay Kumar hits a patriotic 25! Salman Khan: When good things keep happening Riz Ahmed probes purpose in ‘Sound of Metal’ Mere Desh Ki Dharti: 25 memorable films that celebrated India