Bhuj: The Pride Of India | No Rating Movie Review | Ajay Devgn | Sanjay Dutt

• Directed and co-written by debutante Abhishek Dudhaiya, Bhuj: The Pride Of India, is a majorly fictionalised tale of an episode from the India-Pakistan war of 1971 when the Bhuj airbase was completely destroyed in deadly airstrikes by Pakistani forces. It highlights the heroic tale of soldiers and 300 female civilians from a local village Madhapar, who got together to rebuild a bombed-out runway in just 72 hours. The entire mission is led by IAF squadron leader Vijay Karnik played by Ajay Devgn. The first half of the film is a tad over the top but it redeems itself in the second half and especially the last 40 minutes - where flight lieutenant Vikram Singh (Ammy Virk) is trying to land the plane on the reconstructed runway while Col RK Nair (Sharad Kelkar) and Indian Army scout Pagi (Sanjay Dutt) are battling it out with Pakistani forces on ground. Among the ladies, Sonakshi Sinha as Gujarat ki Sherni Sunderben and Nora Fatehi as Hindustan ki beti Heema Rehman, also a secret agent in Pakistan are fiery in their heroic avatars. But I feel bad for Pranita Subhash as Ajay Devgan's onscreen wife, who didn't have a single dialogue in the film. Bhuj pays a tribute to war heroes and Indian Air Force and all those locals who contributed towards winning this war. Nationalism or jingoism, as long as the story strikes a chord with the audiences, who are we to complain? So, don't overthink and go watch the film on this Independence Day weekend. Bhuj: The Pride of India is now streaming on Disney + Hotstar