URI-THE SURGICAL STRIKE#MOVIE# INDIA STRIKES BACK#PATRIOTISM#ANDAR GHUSEGAA BHI#AUR MAREGA BHI#

When was the last time you had goosebumps while watching an Indian army film? It certainly must be while watching “Border,” which showcased the might of 120 Indian soldiers against a Pakistani battalion of 2,000 soldiers. Every Indian remembers the famous dialogue from the film, “Koi bhi jung mar ke nahi jeeti jaati, jung jeeti jaati hain dushman ko markar” (No war is won by dying, but war is won by killing the enemy). The same sentiment is showcased in a compelling way in the movie URI-The Surgical Strike.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, “URI-The Surgical Strike” is a tribute to a group of diehard Indian soldiers, who as a part of a covert operation, crossed the LOC and destroyed several terrorist camps in Pakistan causing massive causalities to avenge the death and killings of Indian soldiers at URI. The movie has been divided into four chapters (a pattern popularly seen in movies like Black Friday and Dunkirk), and the director Aditya Dhar tried his best to keep the audience hooked throughout the whole film despite a familiar storyline. So, the first question that will arise in your mind is that why should I watch this movie?

War films are meant to be watched for a very important emotion – They Inspire!! This movie gives you several inspirational characters. However, two outstanding stars of the URI universe are Major Vihaan Singh Shergill (Vicky Kaushal) [After back-to-back awesome performances in movies like ‘Sanju’ and 'Manmarziyaan,’ Vicky Kaushal completes a hattrick with this movie. You can’t find a flaw in this person’s acting skills. He single-handedly carries the bulk of the movie on his shoulders] and Govind (Paresh Rawal) [Do we need to mention anything about this guy? He is simply gifted. You will love him in the movie].

The film begins at Chandel District in Manipur where a few Naga extremists attack a military convoy in 2015. Major Vihaan Singh Shergill leads the operation to destroy the base camp of those extremists and emerges successful in his endeavors. However, Vihaan wishes for a premature retirement to spend time with his ailing mother who supposedly has Alzheimer's disease. The PMO ensures that Vihaan is shifted to a desk job in New Delhi to keep him close to his ailing mother.

Captain Karan Kashyap (Mohit Raina) [You must have revered him as Lord Shankar on television; however, you would be in awe seeing him perform as an army captain], who is shown as Vihaan’s brother-in-law, and 18 of his unarmed army men have to face a gruesome death at the URI camp in the one of the deadliest terror attacks carried out by Pakistani terrorists.

It is exactly at this juncture when a revenge drama is merged with the existing storyline. Vihaan expresses a strong desire to be back in the action mode, and as expected, he is given the responsibility of leading the Surgical Strike Operation, which is executed just 11 days after the URI attack. Don’t be amazed if we tell you that some sequences in the surgical strike look inspired from the Hollywood film 'Zero Dark Thirty.’ [You must have already seen that in the trailer]. An interesting scene in the movie is when the protagonist Major Vihaan Singh Shergill gets an opportunity for hand-to-hand combat with the leader of the terrorist group.

Several sequences in the movie seem a tad exaggerated for supposed visual effects. However, various other scenes will give you goosebumps, especially when the daughter of the deceased captain gives out a loud war cry at his funeral, and the soldiers join in the war cry. When the Indian soldiers launch an artillery attack on the Pakistani terrorists, the entire audience in the theater comes alive [For a moment you feel as if you are watching a live PUBG game].

Jasmine (Yami Gautam) plays the role of an intelligence officer, and we can also see the adorable Kirti Kulhari playing a cameo role in this film [Look out for her heroics towards the end of the movie. She will surprise you]. The camera work of this film has been excellent throughout the film, especially the night shots. The background music keeps you hooked. The screenplay appears a little weak in the second half, but the subplot of a family drama is depicted well by the debutant director Aditya Dhar.

Vicky Kaushal fully justified his role with his presence all over the film. This film would surely cement his position in the hearts of the audience. URI: The Surgical Strike is undoubtedly a good film, worth watching at least once, as it has all the ingredients of a high-octane action thriller. If you take a close look at Vihaan’s character, his expressions, his mannerisms, and his physique, he will certainly remind you of Leonidas (Gerard Butler) from the movie 300. Vicky Kaushal, as we have said above, has done a fabulous job. This guy has come a long way and is certainly here to stay in Bollywood.

Our rating for the movie: 3.5/5