Much talk about the movie and a mixed review available everywhere, some word-of-mouth recommendations, and a houseful of shows! There would be hardly anyone unaware of this military attack conducted by Indian soldiers, and there were speculations around the movie depicting this event. Building interest and high expectations intrigued us as an audience to watch the picture, Uri-The Surgical Strike, in the cinema. We luckily got our tickets for the same day, although the seating wasn’t too appealing.
Arriving late into the darkened hall of the theatre, tiptoeing through a rather inconvenienced audience, we finally triumphed in finding our seats and were only adjusting to settle when we were entreated to stand up for our National Anthem. There was a momentary reluctance, which was quickly devoured by the spirit of melody and pride of our anthem.
The movie started with a landscape, and our third-row seats gave us an almost 3D experience. My urge to buy some snacks to get through the movie quickly vanished when the engaging incidents of the story started to keep us on the edge of our seats.
The movie is based on the real incidents of the Indian Army’s surgical strike against militant launch pads across the Line of Control in PoK as a retaliation for the Uri attack. The story is presented through the eyes of the central character, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, played by Vicky Kaushal. The chapter-wise presentation of the story is astounding, and the movie is magnificently plotted. The star cast is excellent, and all characters justify their roles. Vicky Kaushal proves yet again that he’s a versatile actor through his brilliant performance. The story moves perfectly and does not miss the small notes on screen portraying the incidents, places, time, and date, etc., that keep us updated with the flow. The action sequences are presented so naturally and seem so believable. If at all there is any glitch in any department, be it cinematography, background score, screenplay, direction, or performances, it is easily overcome by the gripping moments and by jolting up patriotic feelings in the audience and maintaining tears in their eyes consistently. A perfectly well-balanced mix of all characters’ screen presence, action sequences, and emotional moments. One particular emotional scene where Vicky Kaushal’s niece gives out a war cry tribute to her father is sure to be imprinted in our memories for a very long time.
This movie is a fitting tribute to the heroism of our Armed forces, their tactical capacity, planning and execution, personal sacrifices for our country and, invokes in us, an absolute sense of pride and honour for our men & women in uniform who put their lives on the line every single day to make sure people like us wake up every morning to see and be with our loved ones. Leaving the theatre, I realised how rising to our National anthem is the least we are doing and my momentary reluctance in doing so, sometime back, felt so much of an odious crime now. The movie gives an enthralling experience and leaves us with ‘High Josh’! Salute to our valiant soldiers and their brave families!
By: Jyoti Jha
