‘Sky Force’ directed by Sandeep Kelwani and Abhishek Anil Kapur is set during the tumulus war of 1965. The movie follows India’s daring and successful airstrike on Pakistani’s heavily protected Sargodha airbase.
Sky Force (Hindi), 24-01-2025, Action, Drama, 2 hours 30 minutes, U/A, Theatre
- Main Cast: Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Sharad Kelkar, Sara Ali Khan, and Nimrat Kaur
- Director: Sandeep Kelwani and Abhishek Anil Kapur
- Producer: Dinesh Vijan, Jyothi Desphande
- Music Director: Tanishk Bagchi
- Cinematography: Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran
- Rating: 3/5
Subjects involving our beloved neighbour Pakistan have been one of Bollywood’s pet themes over many years, whether it is the likes of Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) or Aditya Dhar’s Uri (2019).
The love and hate-relationship between India and Pakistan has been the emotional fodder for numerous movies. When it comes to war movies portraying Pakistan there has been an increasing trend of playing to the gallery with zero nuances, of course, exceptions are also there like the Meghana Gulzar-directed Raazi (2018), a movie which looked at the human cost of war.
Synopsis
Sky Force directed by Sandeep Kelwani and Abhishek Anil Kapur is set during the tumulus war of 1965. The movie follows India’s daring and successful airstrike on Pakistani’s heavily protected Sargodha airbase.
In this very successful mission, the rebellious squadron leader TK Tabby (a promising Veer Pahariya) goes missing. He has a major disregard for protocols, which leads to him flying solo into the enemy territory during a sky-force mission.
TK Tabby goes missing and the higher authorities in the military have zero interest in knowing his whereabouts given his rebellious nature. It is left to Akshay Kumar’s KO Tiger Ahuja to uncover the mystery.
KO Ahuja is both a wing commander and also a fatherly figure to Tabby. The movie follows KO Ahuja’s relentless quest.
Sharad Kelkar in an extended special appearance plays Pakistani squadron leader Ahmed Hussain. He turns out to be a major link for Tiger Ahuja in unravelling the mystery.
What works and what doesn’t
There is no denying that Sky Force has a bumpy start. The initial sequences of camaraderie and the air training portions have a distinct hangover from Siddarth Anand’s Fighter a movie which also featured many air combat sequences.
But the movie soon settles down as the intensity of the 1965 War takes centre stage.
The movie also taps into the bureaucratic frustrations and political red tape. These issues are briefly touched upon effectively. The pre-interval sequence leading to the successful airstrike and then the subsequent disappearance of Tabby is wonderfully staged thoroughly involving the viewers.
The second half focuses on KO Ahuja’s relentless quest and from here on the movie engages the viewers emotionally.
How KO Ahuja finds the first lead thanks to Ahmed Hussain and his determination to uncover bringing closure and also justice to Sarah Ali Khan’s Geeta Vijaya —Tabby’s wife packs in an emotional punch.
The ultimate revelation and how Tabby gets his much-deserved due for his bravery has both been wonderfully written and enacted.
Dynamics between the leads
A major plus for the movie apart from the strong emotional resonance, are the dynamics between Tabby and KO Ahuja.
The on-screen camaraderie between the two characters has been wonderfully established. KO Ahuja sees his lost son in Tabby— there is visible warmth in the light-hearted scenes.
KO Ahuja is a father-like figure to Tabby, someone he respects deeply. Ahuja treats Tabby with warmth but maintains an authoritative stance. In one scene, Tabby is kept on standby and not allowed to take part in any action. When Tabby asks for an explanation, saying he has always looked up to Ahuja as a father, Ahuja responds firmly, “I don’t owe you any explanations.”
Sky Force is also refreshing in the sense that there are no in-your-face celebrations after India defeats Pakistan, no over-the-top dialogues looking down at Pakistan.
The animosity between the two nations isn’t going to last forever. There is a mutual sense of respect for men in uniform in both India and Pakistan. The scenes featuring Sharad Kelker as the Pakistani squadron leader is a very good example of this.
Technical aspects and performances
The action sequences designed by Parvez Shaikh and Craig MacRae are a delight to watch particularly for fans of air combat sequences.
Santhana Krishnan Ravichandrana’s cinematography is also stunning. He perfectly captures the intense action like an action-packed sequence between Veer Pahariya and Sharad Kelkar.
Tanishk Bagchi’s music is of a good standard barring one rather unnecessary party number. Among his compositions, the standout number not surprisingly goes to B Praak’s “O Maaye Teri Mitti Bulaye”. The composition along with B Praak’s soulful voice will move the audiences.
Talking about the main leads Akshay Kumar as KO Ahuja plays a senior officer and a concerned mentor with absolute finesse. He brings in a lot of gravitas making the viewers root for his character.
Veer Pahariya makes a confident debut; he plays the determined soldier with conviction effortlessly embodying a rebellious nature. Sharad Kelkar also leaves a significant impact in his brief role with a restraint act.
Nimrat Kaur and Sara Ali Khan play the typical army men-wife characters. They are good in their limited portions but the characterizations of both leave a lot to be desired.
Final take
To sum it up Sky Force is worth boarding on despite a familiar territory.
(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)
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