Ok, so I guess you are seeing me more on Thursdays than Fridays. But, this time I am a day late. Blame it on Netflix for releasing it midweek(I wonder why??) but then better late than never! So, Mum and I had been talking wherein she was narrating a few incidents of her life, one of which was when she was the only girl in the entire examination hall! Imagine sitting in a room full of boys and having to write an exam!! When it comes to our society, the fairer sex has always got the shorter end of the stick(whether we accept it or not). Why am I telling you this? It is because I have just finished watching the biopic of Gunjan Saxena who was the first Indian female Air Force Officer to fly in the combat zone. Its trailer looked solid, is the movie as inspiring, lets find out!

Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl is the story of Gunjan who aspires to become a pilot till fate lands her a job with the Indian Air Force. This is where the story of her struggle really comes out well adding a lot of substance as it highlights the shortcomings of the job that is laced with patriarchy. The screenplay is definitely well penned and filled with several heart warming moments. On the downside, some of the sequences are a little far fetched( young Gunjan allowed in a cockpit amidst others) and a little too simplistic. Also, the ‘high’ at the end is a tad less than what it should have been. But, the moments featuring Gunjan’s bond with her father and the sequences at the Training Camp are total winners and hide the flaws in the movie. Dialogues are good but slightly over dramatic in places. Music could have been much better. Director Sharan Sharma has done an excellent job in his debut outing.

Angad Bedi shines in an extended cameo as Gunjan’s brother. Ayesha Raza Mishra as Kirti Saxena(Gunjan’s mom) is first rate. Vineet Kumar Singh as Flight Commander Dileep Singh is once again a delight to watch. Manav Vij as Commanding Officer Gautam Sinha is absolutely brilliant and you definitely wish there was more of him to watch. Pankaj Tripathi as Anup Saxena is wonderfully restrained. Utterly soft spoken, he brings a new dimension to his acting armory. He is definitely the pick of the actors for me! Jhanvi Kapoor as Gunjan Saxena is outstanding. She has definitely worked on her acting chops and dialogue delivery, which is quite evident(as compared to her debut film Dhadak). Her mother Sridevi would have been proud of her performance!

Before I end my review, I have a rant. While researching for my review, I noticed that this movie has an imdb rating of 4.4 out of 10! Why? Because majority of the audience are rating it less due to a nepo kid in the movie? Because it is produced by a nepo kid? I think we as an audience need to grow out of it, and judge a film based on its end product. Yes, the choice remains whether to watch it or not but remember this might be a dream project for the debutant director too who is nowhere related to the film industry. This movie also belongs to Pankaj Tripathi and Vineet Kumar Singh who have worked really hard to make their way up the ladder. It is important that you watch the film before rating it. Do not fall prey to the trolls! Gunjan Saxena is an inspiring watch for all the young girls with big dreams! Literally sky is the limit! Available on Netflix and Recommended!

PS : Gunjan Saxena was just 24 years old when she flew into the war zone. What were you doing when you were 24 years old?