The Surgical Strike is a story of courage told with utmost honesty. Vicky Kaushal’s disciplined performance and the way of balancing tensions, thrills make this a movie you don’t want to miss.
The movie is divided into 5 chapters, all of them, leading us to the surgical strike happened in Pakistan occupied Kashmir back in 2016. It starts with showing an ambush in the Chandel district of Manipur & how without wasting any time we see Major Vihan Shergil (Vicky Kaushal) executing a counterblow on those terrorists. Vihan’s mother in Delhi is suffering from Alzheimer’s & hence he asks for premature retirement.
Boasting a brave & clean record, Vihan is asked to retain his position by transferring to Delhi handling the Intelligence of the army. From Pathankot to Pampore, the country faces multiple terrorist attacks and Vihan, away from the field finds this unsettling. With the help of Govind (Paresh Rawal), an Indian intelligence & law enforcement officer, Vihan places himself in the mission of this secretive surgical strike that’s planned under the guidance of Mr Prime Minister – Narendra Modi.
The combat sequences, mostly set in the unsettling dark, are so well choreographed – they just explode amidst the haunting noise of bullets all over. Building the story up in the first half, it’s putting those things into effect in the second half. The tension is amazingly carried among the dense jungles of Kashmir which adds those necessary thrills to the plot. Dhar paints a disturbing yet beautiful picture of a story that’s visualised by all of us.
Vicky Kaushal delivers a mature performance without going overboard even with a single expression. He’s effortless as Major Vihan and the rigorous efforts are visible throughout his screentime. Vihan is vulnerable and here’s where Vicky aptly captures the spirit of the character.
Paresh Rawal could have been more impactful. He good in certain scenes but majorly becomes uninteresting because of lazy writing. We all know what this man can do a character but it could also be vice versa at times. Mohit Raina gets an interesting character to portray as Karan (Vihan’s brother-in-law) and he justifies it completely. More than the acting part, he’s physically active in his role.
Yami Gautam does a fine job as another Intelligence officer but gets limited scope. Wish she could have done more on the planning side of the mission but that’s where the script lacks. Kirti Kulhari’s special appearance is thankfully not wasted and though, absurd, she has an important sequence towards the end.
The at par realistic approach to the action sequences along with adding thrills to them.
Rating: 8/10