Rakshak India's Braves
Introduction
Onto the final release of the weekend but I have plenty of leftovers still which I shall get to over the course of the week. With that, I finished watching the new Hindi film Rakshak India’s Braves which is now streaming on Amazon Mini TV. The long weekend in August often brings with it several new releases with bouts of patriotism which often cater to riling up the sentiments of the viewers. And the mistake that the makers often make is that the content isn’t about the people who may have laid down their lives but instead, serving the viewers with chest thumping jingoism which ensures that the soul of the drama is lost. I did see glimpses of this in the series Commamdo this weekend, which was a downright disaster. And with Rakshak India’s Braves, I kind of was skeptical as well for the same reason. Little did I know that this would turn out to be a fitting tribute to an unsung hero who had previously laid down his life for the nation. Here are my two cents on Rakshak India’s Braves.
Story & Screenplay
Based on True Events, Rakshak India’s Braves follows the story of Lt. Triveni Singh while focusing on the chapter of his life wherein he had saved many lives in the Jammu Tawi station attack. The story here is heartfelt and it truly focuses on the events leading up to the terrorist attack followed by the rescue mission. And this is what I mean by providing a tribute that doesn’t present its protagonist in the larger than life format. The screenplay standing at all of 75 minutes does make for a compelling watch and I did connect with quite a few characters here.
The drama adds the terrorist attack as a little prelude before introducing the protagonist while briefly touching upon his love life and his family. But as is the case with men from the army, he is called in following a terror warning in Jammu which acts as a lead up to the eventual event. Now, I could make out the restrained budget that the movie may have been made on, and its extremely tight runtime which doesn’t allow the character development to come into play. So as a viewer, I had to take most things at a face value with respect to most characters. But that did not hinder my viewing experience given that there was a clear demarcation as far as the motives of the character was, and that did help in allowing the viewers to be invested in the drama straight-away.
The proceedings are compelling with several scenes laid out that would evoke a sense of tension in the atmosphere. The setting of the drama did help as well which did paint the drama with a gloomy presence lurking in. Yet, there was a sense of purpose in the screenplay which did unfold at a break neck pace, swiftly moving from one incident to another with a momentary period of layeredness to it. The final act involving the extended terrorist attack sequence leading up to the final neutralization was quite well shot. But all this while, the makers did keep the fact that this was a true story underwraps right until the final frame when the family of the protagonist was brought in. It was a heartfelt and bittersweet finale that summed up a well written screenplay given the restrained budget and a demanding runtime.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are well restrained and not over the top at all. My only gripe with it was the excessive use of the word ‘Janaab’. Can we please move past it?? The music is melodious and adds to the softer moments of the drama. The BGM adds the much needed vibe of patriotism to the proceedings without really making it jingoistic in any way. The cinematography and editing were fine within the limitations of the budget. Director Akshay Choubey does a fine job in creating a compelling drama with several heartfelt moments. The direction was pretty good.
Performances
The performances are quite good here. Guneet Singh Sodhi, Shaant Manu and Umar Sharif are terrific in their respective roles. Rama Krishna Dixit as Fardeen has a good screen presence in a job well done. Vikas Shukla as Ashraf excels despite a limited screentime, as does Krishna Solgama. Mohit Chauhan and Mrinal Kulkarni deliver dignified performances as the protagonist’s parents. Mrinal Navell as the sister of the protagonist impresses as well. Kanika Mann is wonderful to watch contributing to the tender moments of the film. Varun Mitra as Lt. Triveni Singh is outstanding right from his body language to his mannerisms. His assertiveness is infectious and it was a towering act by a very talented actor.
Conclusion
Rakshak India’s Braves is a fitting tribute to an unsung hero that makes for a compelling watch. Available on Amazon MiniTV.
