‘I
eagerly
await
the
day
when
we
can
experience
a
truly
great
Bollywood
movie
rooted
in
pure
historical
facts,
one
that
authentically
showcases
the
essence
of
our
armed
forces
for
Indian
audiences,’
notes
Air
Commodore
Nitin
Sathe
(retd).
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Akshay
Kumar/X
As
an
aviation
enthusiast
and
someone
who
has
spent
over
three
decades
flying
planes
in
the
Indian
Air
Force,
I
can
never
resist
the
allure
of
a
movie
about
our
brave
men
in
uniform.
So,
when
I
heard
about
Sky
Force,
starring
Akshay
Kumar
and
centered
around
the
1965
War
with
Pakistan,
my
excitement
was
palpable.
The
film
delves
into
the
air
operations
of
that
war,
focusing
on
the
daring
raid
on
Pakistan’s
Sargodha
airbase
on
the
morning
of
7th
September
1965.
It
pays
homage
to
Squadron
Leader
Ajjamada
Boppayya
‘Tubby’
Devayya,
who
epitomised
the
mettle
of
IAF
pilots
by
engaging
in
a
dogfight
with
a
superior
Pakistani
aircraft
and
shooting
it
down.
Sadly,
his
aircraft
was
crippled
in
the
fight,
and
it
is
believed
to
have
crashed
in
the
hills
near
Sargodha,
taking
his
life.
Sky
Force
had
been
making
waves
in
the
news,
but
perhaps
more
for
its
marketing
blitz
than
anything
else.
Despite
the
fanfare,
the
turnout
at
the
theatre
in
Pune
was
underwhelming.
Just
15
to
20
people
for
a
weekend
evening
show
on
the
first
day
of
its
release?
Maybe
the
public’s
appetite
for
patriotic
cinema
has
been
overindulged
lately.
As
I
settled
into
my
seat
with
some
masala
popcorn,
I
hoped
to
witness
a
well-crafted,
realistic
portrayal
of
historical
events
and
the
bravery
of
our
armed
forces.
What
I
got,
however,
was
a
mixed
bag
—
a
lot
of
masala
without
the
popcorn
that
churned
my
stomach,
and
enough
cigarette
smoke
on-screen
to
asphyxiate
a
chain
smoker.
I
couldnt
help
but
wonder
if
the
movie
was
sponsored
by
a
tobacco
company;
nearly
every
character
seemed
to
have
a
cigarette
glued
to
their
fingers
in
almost
every
scene.
If
the
smoke
didnt
suffocate
you,
the
incessant
roar
of
fighter
jets
zipping
across
the
screen
surely
would.
While
I’m
all
for
thrilling
action,
some
of
the
sequences
had
me
holding
my
ears
in
disbelief.
Accuracy
and
realism
seemed
to
have
taken
a
backseat.
Now,
let’s
talk
about
the
technical
details.
With
today’s
AI,
computer
graphics
and
technology
and
expertise
available,
I
expected
far
more
convincing
air
combat
scenes.
Instead,
I
was
treated
to
glaring
inaccuracies
that
made
me
cringe.
Can
future
movie
makers
take
cognisance
of
this
please?
-
One
line
mission
briefings
with
theatrics
to
up
the
josh?
Real?
NO! -
Air
combat
training
being
controlled
from
the
Air
Traffic
Control?
Not
happening. -
Jets
flying
with
their
afterburners
on
all
the
time?
That’s
not
just
impractical;
it’s
laughable. -
Pilots
wearing
parachutes
in
backpacks?
Really?
The
aircraft
flown
for
the
mission
had
ejection
seats
and
did
not
require
parachutes
to
be
worn
on
the
back. -
Driving
a
jeep
onto
the
runway
with
a
torch
to
aid
fighters
in
poor
visibility?
Not
done!
Creative
license
stretched
too
far. -
Shooting
at
falling
dropping
fuel
tanks
from
the
aircraft
to
create
a
fireball?
That’s
not
ingenuity;
it’s
absurdity. -
Officers
riding
their
bikes
sans
their
helmets
chucking
half
smoked
cigarettes
on
the
roadside?
Surely
not
an
‘officer-like
quality! -
The
CO
of
the
unit
—
Akshay
Kumar
gyrating
at
a
formal
function
in
the
mess
hanging
onto
a
chandelier!
Woah!
No
please
NO!
I
could
go
on,
but
you
get
the
gist.
The
film’s
potential
to
inspire
and
educate
was
overshadowed
by
these
technical
flaws
and
a
reliance
on
over-the-top
dramatics.
Come
on,
Mr
Directors,
with
your
expertise
and
resources,
surely
you
could
have
done
better.
Sky
Force
is
a
noble
attempt
to
showcase
the
courage
and
sacrifice
of
our
IAF
pilots,
but
it’s
bogged
down
by
unnecessary
embellishments
and
technical
inaccuracies.
While
it
might
evoke
a
sense
of
patriotism,
it
left
this
aviation
enthusiast
squirming
in
his
seat
for
all
the
wrong
reasons.
As
we
get
past
the
halfway
mark,
mission
Sargodha
is
ready
for
takeoff
—
Akshay
Kumar
aka
Wing
Commander
K
O
Ahuja
in
the
lead.
The
Tubby
Devayya
character
—
Squadron
Leader
T
Krishna
Vijaya
(played
by
debutant
Veer
Pahariya)
—
the
most
daring,
but
undisciplined
pilot
with
a
pregnant
wife
(played
by
Sara
Ali
Khan)
is
asked
to
stay
back
at
base
as
a
‘stand-by’,
something
that
hurts
this
patriotic
pilot’s
sentiments.
Vijaya,
as
expected,
manages
to
steal
an
aeroplane,
(that
is
grounded
due
to
multiple
bullet
hits
in
the
previous
mission
—
UFF
UFF!)
and
follows
the
formation
into
Pakistan,
never
to
return.
Did
it
happen
that
way?
Well,
the
historians
will
deny
this
for
sure.
Maybe,
this
was
done
for
the
‘Ooh
effect;
and
therefore,
the
directors
are
granted
a
pardon
for
this
one
absurdity.
Oh,
I
should
have
let
you
into
a
secret
right
at
the
beginning.
A
captured
Pakistani
pilot
(played
rather
well
by
Sharad
Kelkar)
interrogated
by
Akshay
Kumar
commences
the
narrative
which
then
takes
you
back
in
time.
Mission
successful,
and
we
move
into
the
present
and
into
the
1980s.
The
texture
and
flow
of
the
film
now
changes;
we
see
less
of
the
IAF
and
more
of
a
retired
Group
Captain
Akshay
Kumar
trying
to
solve
the
riddle
of
the
missing
presumed
dead
comrade
Vijaya.
Thanks
to
his
investigative
skills
and
helped
by
none
other
than
the
men
who
flew
on
the
mission,
Vijaya
is
awarded
a
posthumous
Mahavir
Chakra.
And
this
is
a
fact.
Tubby
Devayya
indeed
received
the
MVC
posthumously
23
years
after
the
event,
in
1988.
The
movie
is
centered
around
Akshay
Kumar,
Akshay
Kumar
and
Akshay
Kumar.
Reminded
me
of
similar
themes
in
earlier
military
movies
which
hit
the
screens
(and
flopped)
in
the
past
few
years.
Overall,
not
much
of
acting
talent
is
required
in
this
action
movie;
and
the
supporting
actors
have
done
a
decent
job
delivering
their
dialogues
besides
the
bombs
of
course.
Akshay
Kumar
looks
fit
and
officer-like,
and
carries
the
can
as
only
he
can.
I
was
particularly
impressed
by
the
small
roles
played
by
Nimrat
Kaur
as
the
commanding
officer’s
wife
and
the
Chief
of
the
Air
Staff
played
by
Mohit
Kumar.
Overall
entertainment
value
3/5,
Sky
Force
lacks
force
and
is
not
as
much
about
the
skies
as
I
would
have
liked
it
to
be.
You
could
go
there
to
rekindle
your
patriotic
feelings
this
Republic
Day
week
and
help
the
producers
get
back
their
160
crores.
PS:
I
eagerly
await
the
day
when
we
can
experience
a
truly
great
Bollywood
movie
rooted
in
pure
historical
facts,
one
that
authentically
showcases
the
essence
of
our
armed
forces
for
Indian
audiences.
Sky
Force
Review
Rediff
Rating:
IAF
Veteran
Air
Commodore
Nitin
Sathe
is
a
rediffGuru
and
you
can
ask
him
questions
about
careers
in
the
defence
services
here.
A
helicopter
pilot
who
served
the
IAF
for
35
years,
he
is
also
a
frequent
contributor
to
Rediff.com
and
you
can
read
his
earlier
articles
here.
Feature
Presentation:
Aslam
Hunani/Rediff.com