Ranneeti : Balakot and Beyond follows the story behind the planning and execution of a series of strikes(some off the battlefields too) following the Pulwama attack. If you have been familiar with the the media reports back in 2019, then you would realise that this is a fictionalized documentation of the turn of events following the Pulwama attack. The story here did run the risk of being labeled as jingoistic but thankfully the writers Sudeep Nigam, Maitreyi Bajpai, Ramiz and Anuriddha Guha steer clear of this sentiment, often taking the route of the technicalities that were prevalent behind the scenes. This cerebral approach is rather understated and makes for a fresh perspective which is a far cry from the mainstream depiction of the event that we were used to viewing on celluloid. My minor criticism does lie with its meandering screenplay standing at 9 episodes ranging from 30 odd minutes to 50 odd minutes that were compelling nevertheless but they felt a tad too long, particularly towards the backend of the drama. 

The drama does begin bang on with the Pulwama attack before briefly shifting the proceedings to a past timeline wherein you aee introduced to the protagonist, a righteous man grounded by the authorities for a previously leading a failed mission years ago. The tongue in cheek humour is prevalent initially with the protagonist dismissing a film on the armed forces, something that he felt too dramatic. As a parallel and a more important plot point, there is an intel about a possible attack, something that transpires in the form of Pulwama, only for the Indian authorities to assemble a team to strike back against the neighbours. And the story here is a beat by beat documentation covering the multiple turn of events in the form of the Balakot strikes to the arrest and release of Wing Commander Abhinandan(the character’s name is Abhimanyu here) to eventually a game of one upmanship between the two countries. 

As tried and tested as this subject might have been, the proceedings are pretty engaging given how articulate the planning of the events transpires on the show. The planning is indeed meticulous often revolving around the possibility of the opponent’s next move at various junctures, only to frequently outwit them by being two steps ahead. So while I was familiar and slightly fatigued with the main plot of how the attacks eventually were carried out, the writing did draw me in with its planning which was intrinsic and understated while depicting the geo-political backdrop and the escalating tensions between the two nations pretty well. A parallel track involving the presence of spies across the border did add the much needed urgency in the drama as well resulting in several tense moments. 

My only criticism with the drama particularly in its final act was that it did get slightly more meandering as opposed to a crisper finish which would have ensured a better impact for the show. There was a minor continuity issue too wherein an episode featuring a subplot was abandoned until 2 episodes later, thereby only delaying the proceedings. Amidst this though, the geo-political equations between all the major stakeholders who were only indirectly involved, is shown quite well. All of this culminates in a verbal shootout between the two nations eventually resulting in triumph while briefly setting things for its next season, quite effectively by borrowing a thread from the past timeline. Overall, the screenplay is well written and makes for an engaging watch.