“URI” Review: A chest thumping, and exhilarating experience.

“URI” Review: A chest thumping, and exhilarating experience.

The Surgical Strikes is still is recent memory, so this film tackles an incident that is still fairly new. Plus, we all know the outcome. So to really grab us by the throat and involve us throughout the duration of the film, the movie needs to work of two things, 1. Giving a personal touch to it which we would not know about and 2. The detailing of the plan and execution of the surgical strikes. So, does the film work in those two areas? For the most part, yes it does!

We follow the journey of Vihaan Shergil. A life-changing decision sees Major Shergill, an able commander, return to take charge of the forces to avenge the Uri killings that also claimed his brother-in-law’s life. Uri therefore, becomes both the story of a man and a country on a mission. That is the personal touch. One can call certain elements in his backstory cliché, but cliché is also often a reality. Life can be cliché and from a cinematic standpoint, sometimes cliché’s work if done right. This film does it right! We connect with him instantly, and from there onwards, we follow him! Not sure if his mother needed to have Alzheimers though. That’s a bit forced.  No doubt, this film is also detailed. The unique aspect of the movie is that it is broken into chapters, giving us a unique, docu-drama style story telling technique with a very “Zero Dark Thirty” feel to it. However, with a bit more of a revenge feel to it though since revenge is a formula that often works in India. Back to the detailing, in the second half, the way in which we see the planning and the ultimate execution towards the climax, is wonderful! This film tackles the mission perfectly. From the chatter amongst war-room strategists, those who are in-charge of advanced weaponry, and the men who give the orders, to the chest thumping and exhilarating action, there is nothing not to enjoy in this film.

The screenplay keeps you hooked. The first half is a build up and the second half is when things really hit the ceiling! Technically, this film is very fine. The cinematography and the camera movements are on par with international films. The lighting is tremendous. The editing is fast paced during the action and slow during the emotional moments, like it should be. The sound designer deserves special mention and the music adds adrenaline to the film. One minor hiccup is that the film goes down a slight jingoistic path, but the director Aditya Dhar manages to strike a proper balance. As far as acting goes, Vicky Kaushal is phenomenal! He goes from someone who seems to be a simple man, to someone who is sad, to someone who is angry. His body language, to his dialogue delivery, there is a perfect graph from beginning to end. Everyone else lends support to the movie, but nothing more than that.

Overall “Uri” is definitely worth a watch. One of the better “Mission” related movies to come out of India is recent times. In short, a chest thumping, exhilarating experience!

Rating: 3.5 stars