Operation Valentine: A Tribute to IAF valour, Yet A Disappointing Fare
Direction: Shakti Pratap Singh Hada
Rating: 2 stars
First things first, kudos to makers for coming up with a patriotic film ‘Operation Valentine’ with a Telugu hero Varun Tej and recapturing the tense moments of Pulwama attack and thereafter, the IAF feats and dare devilry in bombing a terrorist camp in PoK. Of course, the makers avoided real names of events but quite obvious for the audience. No doubt, Varun Tej flies high, literally too, by essaying the role of a daring fighter pilot who doesn’t mind taking more risks than required. His character has more meat and looks fit too. However, the film lacks enough emotional chore rather just relies on ‘patriotic mood’ and it is quite disappointing for a commercial film viewer. These kinds of stories sound good only on paper but quite challenging to bring on screen.
No doubt, the director Shakti Pratap Singh tried to blend the love story of IAF officers Varun Tej and Manushi Chillar but it goes out of the window due to angst against Pakistan filling up the proceedings and relegating the issues between two lovers into the background. Even the back and forth screenplay by the director, doesn’t really keep you interested. The usual punch lines of hero Varun Tej and his colleagues against their rivals, read Pakistan, are mostly uttered in their cockpits while they are engaging in dog fights. While IAF jargons like ‘copy’ ‘roger that’, ‘disengage’, ‘back to bases’ and finally even the word ‘pain the ass’ filled the auditorium. No doubt, it is a good intent which has gone awry since commercial cinema demands more drama between characters, good relief through songs and comic one liners which is missing in this tribute of IAF officers.
Briefly, it is a story of Wing Commander Varun Tej who goes through sleepless nights since his friend(Navdeep) passed away while taking a high risk, low flying test of a fighter plane. His lover Manushi Chillar who is also his colleague is back with him for a mission and both reunite but she is unhappy with his ‘dare devil’ efforts. She urges him to restrain his emotions. Even his bosses call him ‘pain in the ass’ for taking more risks than required and the lovers go their own ways. Hero Varun gets a final mission to bomb the terrorists’ camps in PoK and he sets out for the most daring mission in 50 years of IAF history. Will he be able to do it without any hassles? Best to watch in theatres.
After impressing as a lover boy in ‘Fidaa’ and gangster in ‘Gaddalkonda Ganesh’ Varun Tej returns as a fight pilot and tries to salvage a docu-drama kind of script but in vain. Manushi Chillar looks pretty and does her part well. Ruhana Sharma and Sampath Raj have limited roles to play. Cinematography by Hari K Vedantam stands out for its ‘breath-taking visuals’, while Mickey J Meyer fails to impress.
Director Shakti Pratap Singh deserves a pat for making a movie on IAF valour and their dare devil deeds and churning out a patriotic film. However, he would soon realise that a big ticket film cannot impress the audience just riding on just ‘one emotion’ throughout.
