Fighter Soars in the Skies, but Falters in the Script

While watching Siddharth Anand''s near three hours aerial action drama called Fighter, I was pondering over its origin and how this movie was cooked up by Anand and team. I believe I could crack the formula by the end of it.

Take Tom Cruise's Top Gun (1986) plus its recent sequel Maverick (2022). Cast Hrithik Roshan as our desi Cruise. Pair up the ravishing Deepika as his love interest. Mix in the anti- Pakistan jingoism from Gadar (2001), which is suddenly in vogue after its sequel broke box office records last year. Pack in some real life references from the 2019 Pulwama attack and India's Balakot airstrike.

Fighter is a mix of all the above ingredients, garnished with staple Bollywood elements like gender equality, pop secularism and over the top nationalism. All of this at a sluggish pace!!

Frankly, I found the movie an okey dokey one time watch on Republic day afternoon show at the almost full Starcity Cinema, Matunga. To be fair, the first half is breezy and pre-interval aerial action is wonderfully shot. The second half is where the film truly drags and dithers till it finally gets to its climactic action vaction.

Hrithik Roshan looks a million bucks, acts just as good and literally carries Fighter on his able shoulders. He perfectly suits this character just like the one he played in Siddharth Anand's previous War (2019). Deepika Padukone strikes a sizzling chemistry with Hrithik, though their love angle isn't developed optimally.

Anil Kapoor as the Group Captain, is impressive as ever. Karan Singh Grover leaves a mighty mark in a small role. So does Sanjeeda Sheikh playing his on-screen wife. On the other hand, newcomer Rishabh Sawhney looks more like a roadside goon than a dreaded terrorist.

Expectedly, the production values are top notch and the aerial sequences become the film's highlight. The 3D effects are sparse. You can get your money's worth in 2D as well. A couple of songs pop up but surprisingly, aren't really whistle-worthy. The dialogues belong to 'Gadar" zone - loud and over the top. You enjoy them with Sunny Deol but not Hrithik Roshan!!

Finally, coming to the obvious question, is Fighter worth a trip to the theatres?

Well, I would say toss a coin. If it's head, then head to your nearest cinema. If it's tail, sit back home and watch Top Gun again. Happy movie watching weekend!!

Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 3/5
2. Direction : 3/5
3. Music : 2/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2/5
5. Cinematography : 4/5
6. Editing : 2/5
7. Costume Design : 3.5/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : 4/5
9. Action : 4/5
10. Production Quality : 4/5

#SNRating for #Fighter : 3 stars (just about) out of 5.

- Sumeet Nadkarni

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* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Endurable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

2024 SNRatings. 

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