GUNJAN SAXENA

‘Gunjan Saxena’ is the latest Bollywood movie to have a digital release during the lockdown. Directed by Sharan Sharma, the movie stars Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Vineet Kumar Singh, Ayesha Raza, Manav Vij, and many more. The movie has music by John Stewart Eduri and Amit Trivedi and is streaming now on the OTT platform Netflix. The movie is also dubbed and available in English, Tamil, and Telugu. Can you count on ‘Gunjan Saxena’ for the mid-week binge? Read more to find out.

‘Gunjan Saxena’ is the real-life story of Pilot officer Gunjan Saxena who fought for the nation in the Kargil War. India’s first Female Combat Pilot Gunjan Saxena paved the way for a better future for women in the Indian Air Force. However, her journey was not all less-complicated helipad landings. Emergency Landings with bloodshed forms a major part.

Director Sharan, without any delay, takes us into the world of Gunjan Saxena. A young girl who is fascinated by aircraft and choppers. Right from the word go, we see a Janhvi Kapoor who wants to become a pilot. She is ready to overcome all odds against her to conquer her dreams of flying an aircraft and a chopper. Is her family on her side?

Gunjan Saxena is a bright student and the family is really proud of her. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re on the same team. A sad Janhvi Kapoor is spotted right after the first 10 minutes in the movie, although her entire family and friends are celebrating her success. Quite contradictory, isn’t it?

Janhvi Kapoor as Gunjan Saxena has done justice to her role. Doing a biopic genre in her 3rd film is no easy job and Janhvi seems to have pulled it off. However, a more solid portrayal of the different emotions of Gunjan Saxena could have made Janhvi stand out, among the rest of the cast. Pankaj Tripathi, as the affectionate and feminist dad who is also a Colonel, deserves special mention. He aces it with the dialogues and when there aren’t any, he wins it through his comical expressions. This never seen before role of Pankaj is bound to inspire many ‘new-age’ Dads. The rest of the cast have done a neat job throughout and in no place, they make you feel like they’re actors in uniform. They’ve lived through the characters and the director has done a great job in executing this.

With a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes (out of which around 10 minutes are credits), ‘Gunjan Saxena’ has a lot to offer. It is not just a tale of a strong and bold woman following her dreams and making her passion her profession. The movie also portrays the misogyny and sexism that prevailed (read: prevails) in the country. For instance, a couple of officers take a different route just because they don’t have to salute Lady Pilot Officer Gunjan.

Although being a familiar narrative, ‘Gunjan Saxena’ keeps you engaged right from the title card up until the last frame. A slight deviation from the plot in the first 30 minutes of the movie is evidently visible, but post that, there’s no looking back. The director has tried to induce humour at a few places and it does work for the benefit of the movie, without altering the pace of the screenplay.

On the technical front, the cinematography and VFX are splendid. The aerial shots throughout the second half take you directly to the valleys of Kashmir. Right through the movie, it feels like Jahnvi is out there, actually flying a chopper and that is the actual success of the visual department.

“I can’t change the way the World thinks Gunjan.” “Forget the world. Change Yourself, maybe you'll inspire the world to change.” This is a piece of conversation between Gunjan Saxena and her brother Anshuman Saxena, played by Angad Bedi and this is what the movie is all about. In the beginning, Gunjan is seen entering the cockpit as a small girl. The breathtaking visuals from the Pilot’s seat make her want to fly an aircraft on her own. 15 odd years later, she is out there, making the country proud. The nation needs to know the Inspiring Journey of Gunjan Saxena.