An epic untold.... Review on 1971

A movie that went as silent as its subject…. The

Prisoners of the 1971 war in Pakistan. The Indian soldiers who were

unfortunately captured and were secretly held in Pakistani prisons in complete

negligence of the international law which stated that POWs were to be released

at the end of a war.

This is the story of those brave and courageous

soldiers who kept the faith to return to their country, their families, and

their homes. 1971 is the finest film surrounding the armed forces since Haqeeqat *and Lakshya. ‘Deewar-Lets

bring our heroes home’ was an insult to the topic. 1971 is a gripping and

emotional saga of a few soldiers who defied all odds to venture out by

themselves from the prison in an effort to make it to the border and thus

enable the release of the rest of their prisoner comrades. Manoj Bajpai plays the

lead role in the film directed by Amrut Sagar, son of Ramanand Sagar. 1971 is

an unlikely surprise from bollywood, which is renowned for making anti-Pakistan

masala movies. Based on true events, the film captures the essence of

companionship among the army men who share their fate, joy and sorrow in the

camp. Humour, emotion, hope and intelligent planning by the Indian soldiers build

up the tempo in the first half of the film. But, there is a strong undercurrent

of malicious intentions and duplicity from the Pakistani side but it does not

come out through any dramatic scenes. The confrontations between the Pakistani

generals and the Indian majors are never over-the-top.

The Escape plan, followed by the comprehensive hunt by

the Pakistani forces is what follows in the second half of the film. The

action, the locations, the cinematography, the acting, the cat and mouse game

are all adroitly executed functions of the director and the result is a

realistic and sophisticated looking film that in the end, leaves you both in

awe of the director’s product and in sadness for the P.O.W. in Pakistan. The

heroic story goes through highways, villages, valleys and mountains and through

sacrifices of their dear comrades, takes the protagonists incredibly close to

their goal.

Shot exclusively in the Himalayas, the film looks true

to its origin and in the spectacular backdrop, takes the viewer through the

intense series of events that saw the TRUE HEROES of war, fade away in their unknown

glory.

Director Amrut Sagar has made what nobody could’ve made

with as much sincerity. The film earned no great amount financially but to

those few who have seen it; it will leaves an inerasable mark in their hearts

and souls. Few can create this effect. In all aspects of film making, he

excelled. The script churned out enough real drama while doing justice to every aspect of the story.Cinematography in the spectacular Himalayas was outstanding, the

screenplay was gripping through every turn of events, action was real and

convincing, direction was flawless and the background score gave the film the

right epic touch it required. Perhaps the film was a bit too long but with the

perfect series of events that followed every scene, one would not really

complain. Each and every actor has given the most sincere performance. Accomplishing

such a task from such a less known but large cast is no mere achievement.

Glory, pride, comradeship, patriotism and a selfless

determination towards one common goal to freedom are the treasures that are unraveled

in this epic tale of True Heroes. One is left in awe, remorse, helplessness,

anger and tears as the film concludes.

1971 may get erased from the year’s film books as an

unsuccessful attempt at the box office but for those who have seen it, will

cherish it more than just the year’s best film. Manoj Bajpai is at his best.

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9.45 On a scale of 1-10.