Bhuj: The Pride of India

Disney+Hotstar

*ing: Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar

Rated: 5/10

War movies are always interesting to watch especially if it involves India and Pakistan. Of course what adds to the watching experience is to see Pakistan soldiers run away. In that sense, Bhuj… is no different. Directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya, the heart is on the right place — honouring unsung heroes.

It is always great to see films where soldiers step up to defend the country at the cost of their lives. The pride that one feels watching such films is like no other. The premise of the story tells us how people step up in crisis. Here it was the Indo-Pak war of 1971. The IAF airstrip at Bhuj was destroyed by the enemy. Around 300 local women, led by IAF squadron leader Vijay Karnik, worked round the clock to reconstruct the airbase. This helped India win the war. What a feat!

As for the film, Dudhaiya ended up with a cartoonish version of this historic event. The shoddy manner in which the movie has been shot makes one want to cry as to why the makers even tried to approach it in the first place. One definitely expected more from Ajay Devgn.

Unfortunately, it is the execution that fails here however close the subject has been for the director. His grandmother was one of the 300 women involved in the construction of the airstrip.

Still there are so many things that don’t make sense and are ridiculous from the word go. Take an example. Sonakshi Sinha in the middle of the night with a baby in hand single handedly manages to kill a leopard with a hasiya! We understand the need of the director to tell us that the local women of Bhuj were fearless but this is ridiculous.

There there is Sanjay Dutt. He seriously needs to step up or step out. Here he plays Pagi. Of course, he is not going to die — how can he? He just put his pagri in the mandir! But of course the Army officer RK Nair had to die! The other starcast amble along.

Sadly, a great story lost its way in the lacklustre treatment.