Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020)

This is the kind of feminism that the Hindi movie industry desperately needs. There's nothing preachy, nothing simplistic, and nothing reductive about the way this movie operates. Gunjan Saxena comes off as a refreshingly honest young woman- the script is uninhibited when it comes to sharing her moments of self-doubt, her flaws, and those traits that make her immensely relatable. 

The star of the movie is Pankaj Tripathi. No second thoughts about that. The way he brings depth to each and every scene that he is in, the way he makes me wish he was my father, the way I want every dad in this country to say "Kaun badtameez tumhein yeh sikha raha hai?" every time his son says some weird shit, the way he is restrained in the way only a retired army man can be, the way he pushes his daughter like only a progressive Indian father can, the way he is everything that screams "National Award winner" to me. 

Two other performances that I would like to applaud are Manav Vij as Commanding Officer Gautam Sinha and Angad Bedi as Anshuman, Gunjan's elder brother. The former is excellent- the story establishes his character as the ideal defence man, and Vij more than lives up to that distinction. I knew he was something special after Andhadhun (2018), and Gunjan Saxena makes me feel so validated. Angad Bedi is one of the best elder brother representations, and his last scene with Gunjan made me cry so much okay I'm crying again, time to listen to 'Aasmaan Di Pari' (Amit Trivedi rocckzz..!!)

My favourite part about the movie is probably the fact that it's patriotic without being jingoistic, something of a rarity in these times. It makes you realise the importance of sincerity, commitment, and hard work (something that I desperately need), and it makes you laugh and cry while it does so, which is what I go to a Bollywood movie for. I also love the fact that the real Gunjan Saxena was involved throughout the making of the movie, and that it starts with a dedication to her mother. It just adds to the humanity of the movie, making it one of the most pleasurable cinematic experiences, one that I cannot wait to have again some time soon. 

Also, Janhvi Kapoor was fine. People who compare her to her mother can honestly go to hell. She stumbled a bit during the beginning of her monologue, when she confronts her male peers, but delivers a powerful ending anyway with "Aapki yeh nakli mardaangi aap logon ko mubarak" YOU TELL THEM SIS. Otherwise, she was really believable as the wide-eyed, naive young woman who really just wants to fly a plane.

In conclusion, this probably will end up becoming one of my favourite movies. Also, the butthurts who felt like it portrayed the IAF in a bad light make no sense to me. The movie actually shows IAF in a very positive and progressive light. As mentioned earlier, Manav Vij's character is established as the ideal defence man- he's fair, disciplined, and rigorous with training (and insults), and it's him who ends up mentoring Gunjan, which quite clearly implies that despite everything, the forces are firm believers in equality. The climax, with everyone applauding her, plus what her brother says to her, just reiterate that sentiment. So what am I missing? Why all the needless drama? These propaganda-peddlers, I tell you. They'll do anything to distract people from the real issues. Sigh. At least we have people like Gunjan. *heart eyes emoji*