“Just watched #GunjanSaxena. What a film. Cried my eyes out and laughed out loud. Entire team take a bow. Outstanding” is what #HrithikRoshan tweeted. The story of a young woman’s trials and tribulations and eventual triumph. We definitely need more of such stories!
ASHOK’s FIVE presents #SharanSingh’s #GunjanSaxenaTheKargilgirl released this week on #NetflixIndia. I think the film is not outstanding in any aspect, but the honesty and sincerity shines through and makes for an inspiring watch. #JhanviKapoor plays the 24-year-old #GunjanSaxena, India’s first woman combat aviator, who flew helicopter missions in the 1999 Kargil war.
1. The first reaction to the movie is that it stays firm on the rails of a mission to document Gunjan’s story of mental resolve against all odds. There is no chest-beating about the war or the enemy, there is no exaggerated melodrama of a woman breaking a boundary and there is no super-charged climax. The film ends with her brother (#AngadBedi in a constrained role) saluting her and both saying #JaiHind. And this is a refreshing take. Yes, there are scenes where the misogynistic behaviour is displayed at the Udhampur Air Force Base, but I guess this is unfortunately true of most work places in India. Incidentally, the Indian Air Force has gone to court citing a misrepresentation of the work conditions prevalent there. I was reminded of the women scientists at NASA in #HiddenFigures and some of their challenges at the male-dominated workplace.
2. I think the initial scenes are done meticulously with superb editing and building up a focussed narrative. One of my favourite sections is young Gunju, played with brilliance by young #RivaArora. Her wonder-struck visage as she enters the cockpit and then the giggling star-struck little girl in the aviator glasses is very endearing.
3. #JhanviKapoor is an interesting and perhaps apt choice for the role. There is something missing about her body language but for most part, she is in her elements. What she does brilliantly is to bring the right balance between a simple innocence and a strong, resolute mind. Her quiet, confident smile to herself as she scales each challenge is easily the best part of her character. I think the only scene where she went over-board was the one where she bursts into the men’s only party at the base and switches off the music system.
4. Interestingly, there is no romantic or love-interest in the film almost as if that would have distracted from the sharp focus. The men in the film all play specific roles that either take her forward or detract her on her journey. There is #PankajTripathi, her father and #MaanavVij, at the air-force base who support her and there is #VineetKumarSingh and her own brother who discourage her. I wonder if providing another character who she could confide in, perhaps even female would have made the narrative more evocative.
#AmitTrivedi’s music is a mixed set. “Dori Tutt Gaiyaan” sung by #RekhaBharadwaj and penned by #KausarMunir stands out.
5. #PankajTripathi nails it with characteristic brilliance as the doting and ever-supportive father. One of the best parts of the film is the father-daughter relationship. The dialogue writing also aids this. Gunjan asks her father if she is less patriotic since all she wants to do is to fly. He responds saying that is she does her flying with utmost sincerity and gives her country the best, that is more patriotic than anything else. Brilliantly done!
Gunjan’s mother (#AyeshRazaMirza) is the typical Indian mother, protective and conservative and her character is used to infuse light humour in the script. But when their neighbour castigates them for sending both their children to war, she is quick to jump in and admonish him saying that if everyone were to think like that the country would go to the dogs.
#JhanviKapoor is the same age as #GunjanSaxena was when she flew during the Kargil war. The film does a great job of proving inspiration, for women who struggle to realise their dreams specifically but in the context of the current environment in general. The hallmark of the film is clearly a research based, tight line, exceptional focus and very very believable!
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