Movie Review: Operation Valentine

Varun Tej has been struggling off-late with flops like ‘Ghani’ and ‘Gandeevadhari Arjuna’ with a lukewarm ‘F3’ in between. His much anticipated March 1 release, ‘Operation Valentine’ finally opened on 29 February, this evening, with paid premieres. The story of this film is based on the 2019 Pulwama attack and the Indian Air Force’s revenge in the aftermath.

Let’s analyze the journey this movie takes the audience on and determine whether it aligns with its intended goals.

Story:

Varun Tej plays Wing Commander Arjun Dev in the Indian Air Force with the call sign ‘Rudra’. Manushi Chhillar’s Aahana Gill is a Radar Officer, Varun’s love interest, while Navdeep plays Wing Commander Kabir Singh, his close friend. The film opens in Pakistan with Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists planning an attack on India. In India, Manushi Chhillar’s Aahana spots suspicious activity on the radar and reports to superiors. In due course of time, we are introduced to Wg Cdr Arjun ‘Rudra’ Dev at an IAF Air Base as a fighter pilot under disciplinary action for previous insubordination. Arjun saves a pilot friend from a crashed fighter jet that catches fire on the airstrip. Arjun’s appetite for risk is seen here, which Aahana fears so much, just as we are shown that she is, in fact, his wife.

Arjun is haunted by flashes of his memory from when his flight crashed and killed Navdeep’s character, his co-pilot. This incident happens while testing a risky mechanism for flying just 20 metres from the ground in order to evade radar detection. This test is given the name ‘Operation Vajra’. This operation’s failure puts a full stop to the concept of low flying in the Indian Air Force but Arjun does not stop believing. Aahana keeps warning each time he is overcome by his emotions, trying to do the right thing. On his comeback mission, Arjun and his team’s target is to bomb a mock target in the Himalayas in Kashmir, close to the Pakistan border where they come across a couple of Pakistani fighter jets. Despite the superiors’ orders to maintain restraint, Arjun tries to engage with them. Unfortunately, on the same day, the horrific Pulwama attack is carried out martyring 40 CRPF Jawans. Arjun, Aahana, the team and superiors later realise that the Pakistan Air Force had pushed them away from the ground attack intentionally.

Arjun is called to Delhi for a disciplinary hearing but it turns out that the Centre had in fact called him and his team, for a secret mission to invade Pakistani airspace undetected and bomb the terrorists’ hideout.

What actually happened in the previous ‘Operation Vajra’ in which Navdeep’s Wg Cdr Kabir had died? Does Varun Tej (Arjun) succeed in the Balakot airstrike that is ‘Operation Valentine’? Will Aahana still stay with him after everything he has done? Do Operation Vajra’s test results help Arjun against Pakistan’s F16s and SAMs in the ensuing aerial combat? All these questions will be answered in the theatre.

Screenplay and Analysis:

The first half engages the audience from the get-go with a fast-paced story progression doing away with all the character introductions before you know it. The audience is hooked on this patriotic, yet technically engaging tale of a Wing Commander’s search for redemption and giving his best for the country. The Indian Air Force has been shown in all of its dynamic glory with each team member given their due respect. The love story between Varun and Manushi is crisp and emotionally adequate. This thread is maintained towards the end and never feels stretched.

The second half brings all the big guns to the fore as the Indian Air Force sets on a mission to take revenge for the Pulwama attack. In this process, the film involves the audience in a first-hand experience of the Indian Air Force’s modus operandi in crunch situations. The attention to detail heightens this experience and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat at all times. The actual Operation Valentine sequence is ‘pure goosebumps’ as they say. The film concludes with a patriotic touch after a gruelling air combat between India and Pakistan.

Technical Departments:

The mission-critical sequences are shot exceptionally, immersing the audience in some awe-inducing moments. The sound has to be lauded separately here. Mickey J Meyer and the team do a masterful job of elevating the action and tension even higher than what’s captured on the camera. The VFX is adequate for this budget range and does not spoil the viewer’s involvement. Debut director Shakti Pratap Singh has dealt with this complicated and sensitive storyline in the most subtle way with utmost clarity. No loose ends are left hanging and no unnecessary scenes are entertained. If anything, some audience members might get confused a little by the non-linear shift between the present and the flashback, which will be clarified by the time the movie catches pace.

Actors:

Manushi Chhillar and Varun Tej’s romance flies high as they subtly portray two Air Force personnel in love, so nonchalantly. In fact, all the actors including Navdeep, Ali Reza, Ruhani Sharma, Paresh Pahuja, Mir Sarwar and others have stuck to their roles immaculately and made the story work.

Plus Points:

• Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar’s chemistry

• Well-planned aerial action and edge-of-the-seat editing

• Crisp storytelling and airtight screenplay

• Some of the strongest background music and sound design in Tollywood recently

• Patriotic elements that pay off in crunch moments

Minus Points:

• Some may find the story hard to follow in places

• Lack of songs may affect a few audience members

• A little ambiguity about which part is fictionalised and which part is based on true incidents

Bottom Line:

‘Operation Valentine – Mission Successful’