Directed by the debutante Sankalp Reddy, The Ghazi Attack releases today on 17th February, 2017 with a bang and people have been waiting for this movie because it has a different Indi-Pak war story to tell which is unique from the rest of the patriotic movies. The Ghazi Attack has an intelligent mix of one of the finest actors of Bollywood featuring Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Om Puri, Nassar, Atul Kulkarni, Taapsee Pannu, Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah (in a cameo). A true story about PNS Ghazi which was sent to destroy India’s INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy sends his best men including Lieutenant-Commander Arjun Varma (Rana) and the aggressive Captain Rann Vijay Singh (Kay Kay) to stop Ghazi from reaching Vishakhapatnam coast. The Ghazi Attack is the best choice if you are looking for a patriotic film as the film really engages you right from the start till the conclusion. Each member of the movie will inspire you in their own respective ways and the film, besides being a “work of fiction” attempts to make it as real as possible.
Quite interestingly, Daggubati too is wonderfully restrained – a complete changeover from the kind of parts he has been playing so far. Shot splendidly inside what looks like a real submarine, Ghazi has been mounted with a fair degree of authenticity and scripted quite impressively. Admittedly, the film may not be comparable to some of Hollywood’s unforgettable war classics, like Von Ryan’s Express and Battle of the Bulge – just to name two. But given the kind of handicaps Indian cinema faces in terms of budget and special effects, Ghazi is remarkable in the way it presents some of the most tense moments when the Indian submarine hits a landmine planted by the Pakistani vessel. Great photography by Mathi, and lovely work by the special effects team propel Ghazi into death defying waters in a drama where the fear is clearly etched on the face of each Indian sailor. Really, an engaging piece of cinema. But what was Taapsee Pannu – as an East Pakistani refugee rescued by Varma from the high seas -- doing in the movie? Totally wasted after her performance in Pink. The rather poor dubbing is another minus point. But on the whole Ghazi is gripping.
Got to hand it to first-time director Sankalp Reddy: he sure aims high. He merits full marks on that score. But like the torpedoes fired in the film, The Ghazi Attack misses its mark more often than not, notwithstanding the impressive scale of its ambition and execution. The Ghazi Attack delivers many a riveting moment and is bolstered by the talent of a few capable actors. Its plot however, is devoid of any mystery. It combines the time-tested generic conventions of the Hollywood submarine movie with a sweepingly constructed indigenous mythology of war that sails on waves of unalloyed patriotic fervour. In an extended disclaimer, The Ghazi Attack disavows any claims on "historical accuracy". It also admits that there might be other versions of the PNS Ghazi incident out there. On the positive side, The Ghazi Attack offers an unprecedented and detailed peep into the workings of a Navy submarine and its crew although much of what is said and done in the course of two hours and bit could still be gobbledygook for the lay viewer.This film does not do much to increase our desire to dive deeper and learn more about that obscure chapter. Even so, do watch The Ghazi Attack. We haven't, for sure, ever seen anything quite like it in this country.
For all its technical limitations and over-dramatic narrative at times, The Ghazi Attack ticks all the right boxes for a war film. One must appreciate debutant director Sankalp Reddy's sincere efforts in making a film, that for the first time, delves into the depths of the sea, to fish out a story based on a classified mission undertaken by the Indian Navy on the eve of the 1971 war with Pakistan. The Ghazi Attack has its heart at the right place, but there are times -- and these are easily forgettable given the grey areas the film has to cruise through -- when over-dramatisation gets the better off Reddy's helmsmanship. Most interestingly, director Reddy, backed by its producers one supposes, seems to have consciously decided not to explore any kind of romantic angle and force contrived songs on the viewers. The Ghazi Attack is a riveting telling of a war story and absence of any unwanted distraction is only justified, though one is literally at sea trying to make sense of Tapsee Pannu's -- yes she is a East Pakistani refugee onboard a merchant vessel that is sunk by the Pakistani submarine -- presence in this war film. Nevertheless, if you love watching a war movie, that too about a mission that is mired under the weight of being 'classified' and under the sea, the truth about which can surface only exploring the depth of the sea bed, then The Ghazi Attack is a must watch film.
“ALL people associated with this film are law-abiding citizens.” Yes, films have come to that now. The Ghazi Attack starts with this disclaimer, before going on to declare that its intention is not to outrage or offend anybody, that it doesn’t in any manner support the expressions used by its characters, and that it makes no claim to historical accuracy. Pakistan must be relieved. Clearly, some amount of effort has gone into understanding the makings of a submarine, running of a ship, and even firing of torpedoes and laying of landmines at sea. The film doesn’t cut corners on underwater shots of ships damaged, leaking, hissing and sputtering as they turn leeward and starboard, even though the first shot of Singh and Arjun first heading out to sea is Titanically fake. You know how a film that strategically deploys — literally — Jana Gana Mana, Saare Jahan Se Achcha and the Tricolour will end. But for a while, Rana Daggubati and Kay Kay Menon film could have been an engrossing crisis-at-sea drama but the film is so busy slaying Pakistanis that it loses sight of its core strengths.
An elaborate disclaimer at the beginning of The Ghazi Attack clarifies that though it is inspired by historic events, it is ‘purely a work of fiction’. While various versions of this underwater incident have surfaced, this film is based on the claim that Indian submarine INS-Rajput (renamed as S-21 here) attacked Ghazi, resulting in its subsequent sinking near India’s eastern coast. Given the scale of his ambitious project and limited resources at hand, debutant director Sankalp Reddy deserves a pat on the back for making an engaging film. You wish the execution was more nuanced and performances a tad understated but Sankalp makes you invest in his characters nonetheless. While the visuals and special effects lack finesse, the film compensates for it with its riveting story. The second half keeps you on the edge of your seat as the submarines go head-to-head, firing torpedoes while dodging and defending themselves. Despite the hitches, this underwater thriller is worth a watch. It leaves you in awe of the soldiers, who lay their lives for their country.