Very few war films are made in India. Keeping this in mind, the latest venture "The Ghazi Attack," a film made in Hindi, Telegu, and Tamil is a welcome addition. The film depicts the sinking of a Pakistan navy submarine PNS Ghazi close to the Indian port and naval base at Visakhapatnam. The film will be released on the 17th of February. The action took place in 1971 when India and Pakistan fought a war which led to the breakup of Pakistan.
The Indian navy task force led by the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant bottled up the Pakistani navy in East Pakistan. The Ghazi was given the task of eliminating the Indian aircraft carrier. The film is a depiction of the events that ultimately led to the Ghazi being attacked and sunk, without accomplishing its mission. The two-hour film is replete with action and stars Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon and Om Puri. This is the last film of the Bollywood actor who passed away a few weeks back.
Genisis of the film
This is India's first War Film based on the navy. One cannot recollect another naval war film ever made.
The film has taut action and in part is based on the book "Blue Fish" written by the producer-director Sankalp. The aging Indian destroyer Rajput is credited with the kill and this is faithfully depicted by the director. It must be mentioned that the Pakistani navy acknowledged the loss of the submarine but claimed it sank because of an internal explosion.
The film
The film was originally shot in Telegu. It may also be dubbed in English. The actors have emoted well and the director captured the scenes inside a warship realistically. But there seemed to be budget constraints, and that is reflected in some of the battle scenes. The panoramic sweep is missing. Among the stars, Kay Kay Menon puts in a great performance.
He is a fine character actor and lives his role. Fans will love seeing Om Puri donning the Navy uniform.
Last word
It will be interesting to see how this war film fares at the box office, as the Indian masses generally enjoy soft, romantic tales.