Pippa story: During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the biographical war film chronicles the valiant actions of Captain Balram Singh Mehta and his siblings of India's 45 Cavalry regiment as they fight in the Battle of Garibpur on the eastern front.
Review of Pippa: You may anticipate a biographical war drama to be centred around nationalistic fervour and exaltation of the man on whom it is based. But what sets Raja Krishna Menon's film apart is India's kindness and nobility in supporting the Bangladesh Liberation War (1971). And in the middle is Captain Balram "Balli" Singh Mehta (Ishaan Khatter), a nonconformist soldier who is direct and defies orders from his superiors.
The link between the man and the machine is not extensively explored in the tale, despite the fact that the movie is named for the PT-76 tanker that Captain Balli oversaw and he shows his affection for it. Nevertheless, this is a magnificent story about the coming of age of a young and bold Captain Balli, as well as how India's courageous warriors answered the call of duty for a neighbouring nation. Following a brief overview of the battle between West and East Pakistan, it explains how we, as a country, decided on justice and humanity and supported the latter. This skillfully written combat drama is also novel in that it does not center entirely on Captain Balli's daring. It draws attention to his siblings, Major Ram (Priyanshu Painyuli), the older brother, and Radha (Mrunal Thakur), the younger sister, who was an expert decryptor of encrypted messages and was crucial to winning the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
Authors Tanmay Mohan, Menon, and Ravinder Randhawa demonstrate their storytelling prowess as they condensibly provide a glimpse of Captain Balli's personality, family history, and how each element contributed to his journey in a unique way. What makes the movie so appealing is how authentically it tells the story. Without giving in to the temptation to depict the horrors of the conflict or the atrocities committed on the unfortunate people, the eastern front and the battle scenes are faithfully recreated. The story generally keeps the reader interested even though the war's prelude scenes periodically lag. The music by AR Rahman gives a punch to the proceedings, particularly in the songs Rampage by MC Heam and Krystal Garib and Jazbaat by Shilpa Rao and Jubin Nautiyal.
Ishaan Khatter is excellent in his role, whether he is playing a brazen young soldier or one who is exhibiting leadership and composure. Priyanshu Painyuli does a fantastic job portraying the brave and disciplined Major Ram Mehta. When portraying the brothers' tense relationship or its eventual transformation, the duo works effectively together. Mrunal Thakur performs her role admirably. Excellent performances by Shibli and Soni Razdan, who plays the mother of the war hero brothers, and Inaamulhaq, a lowlife Pakistani soldier, are also featured in the film.
As a war film, "Pippa" is an absolute must-see, particularly for its moving homage to India's legacy of defending humanity.
English (US) ·