Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Anupam Kher, Vishal Jethwa, Dalip Tahil
Director: Sankalp Reddy
Language: Hindi
Spoilers ahead
Few years ago, I read something very interesting on Twitter. It spoke about the predictability factor in Hindi cinema, and how a film that’s predictable isn’t necessarily a bad film. For starters, in Lagaan, we knew it was always going to be the underdog villagers that would trump the British in their own game; in Chak De! India, obviously it was going to be India, otherwise what’s the use of adding the name of our nation in the moniker. Also, nearly all love stories are predictable too, unless the makers have something else as a plan. But when a film ends up being both predictable and pedestrian, there’s a problem. Vidyut Jammwal and Anupam Kher’s IB71 is unfortunately one such film.
First of all, Jammwal has always been an earnest hero, occupied by stories and narratives that are dying to let his fists and fury do the talking. Here, where he also turns producer, he gives his brawn a rest and let his brain do the talking, which means there’s going to be a lot of talking happening. His entry scene sees him masquerading as a Pakistani officer and trying to save his colleague held captive in the neighboring nation. One would expect this as a solid conflict for the star to break into some spectacular action, but as I said, he has chosen words and not wounds to get the job done. And of course, he does get the job done.
The film is directed by Sankalp, who also made the impressive The Ghazi Attack, and here too, he tries to tell a story that was lost in the pages of history, or maybe was never allowed to come out of those pages. The problem with most of the films based on true events in these times is their sheer dichotomy. In most of the interviews, the actors stand by the fact that their films are based on true stories, and the disclaimers in the beginning have a completely different story to tell. IB71 opens with a disclaimer that says that it’s indeed inspired by true events but…The but here makes all the difference. But obviously suggests the makers would’ve taken creative liberties to perhaps add more pulp to the material. What’s the use of these creative liberties when you can’t even make your leading man break some bones? But as I said, he has chosen words this time.
The story is based in 1971, when both Pakistan and China were planning an attack on India, and our hero Dev (Jammwal) has an idea, a plan that looks very hard to put on paper. He wants the officials of the intelligence bureau to block the airspace to prevent the supposed attack from happening. Just at the same time, he’s informed about a young boy Qasim Qureshi (Vishal Jethwa trying to have fun) who’s planning to hijack a plane for the release of his 36 brothers (brothers here obviously means something else). Even though Jammwal is a man with limited emotions and expressions, the background music does the job of informing us what he’s thinking and what’s going to happen next.
Cinematographer Gnana Shekhar does a fine job of capturing the lusciousness of Kashmir and it’s only from here that IB71 gets a little intriguing. Qureshi buys a ticket to watch the 1965 romance Arzoo daily, and of course it has to be a part of his plan. Who would’ve thought a film as tender as this could inspire someone in all the wrong ways? The other scene that’s executed skillfully is a scene at the hotel lobby, with all the passengers of the aircraft telephoning their families and how their otherwise wise cover is blown just as quickly. But many other scenes fail to evoke any excitement or emotion, especially the one where the aircraft is hijacked or even the climax. Even a seasoned actor like Kher stays perplexed throughout, albeit cracking a faint smile in the end when India outsmarts Pakistan.
For all the restraint in the narrative, the end credits taking pride in India defeating Pakistan in the 1971 war in a span of just 13 days reeks of jingoism. The intent might have been to evoke a sense of pride and honour (Hi Garv) but to make the neighboring country look like an army of cliched and dimwitted villains for the 10000th time is now both tiring and terrifying. Look what Meghna Gulzar did with the remarkable Raazi, and how she gorgeously showed humans on both the sides of the border. Here, we have a bunch of stern faces mouthing Janaab after every line, the same issue that bogged down Mission Majnu this year. The end credits are accompanied by a voiceover of Jammwal, what we read is also what we hear. As I said, the man has chosen words this time.
Rating: 2.25 (out of 5 stars)
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