Though not in par with Major Ravi's earlier two movies,'Kurukshetra' is also technically a better film that drags the viewer right into the eye of the storm and the heart of the action. He convincingly portrays the many shades of his character without making it overtly patriotic. His restraint but authentic performance is what holds, an otherwise disjointed product. 'Kurukshetra' wouldn't be in its present league, if it hadn't been Mohanlal on the helm of activity as colonel Mahadevan. The movie also showcases definite intentions to cash in the patriotic fervour, all along. Some great support acting from various leads are competently put-together to present the shades of some of the cliche's - but they're still cliche's- that we had seen in many war movies before, including 'Keerthychakra'. In the script side, Major Ravi spends some time developing his characters, but then gives them very little of interest to actually do. Hat's off major, for proving your brilliance in planning and execution of such a big project, which many of the other front line South Indian directors may resist from doing. But Major Ravi needs to be applauded for attempting such a strenuous project that he had completed in a surprisingly short span of 35 days. Though plot-wise, it's a turgid old war tale, told by the side that won lamenting about the need of such a war. It all makes for some seriously pointless viewing, at times with this ''Kerala'' battalion speaking Malayalam all the way, taking the lead in one battle sequences which merges into the next, with precious little in-between to give us a serious watch. Major Ravi seems to have identitfied the use of original lanugases as one prime reason of the downfall of his previous'' 'Mission90 Days''at the B O, and here we have every soldier speaking Malayalam in the hilly terians. Unfortunately, a wannabe exciting and thoughtful movie is spoiled by too much verbose meandering at times. There are a lot of references into the real incidents like missing goat stories, 'Dutt's '' Journo'' act reporting from Bunkers, to the infamous''coffin scandal''. What makes 'Kurukshrtra' stand out is its overwhelming concentration of information and its absence at times, thus allowing its director Major Ravi to make his drawn out points at some length, developing it from a nipping soundbite into a full-jawed mauling. Those who had followed the news closely will find little new here.
And in another half an hour arrive the colonel who is in charge to carry on the entire recapturing act.And thereafter the movie moves forward in an engaging pace, but through the eyes of protogonist. Also is 'Kurukshetra' which ends up as another "hero centric" movie woven around the deeds and activities of the protagonist colonel Mahadevan, who is valiantly piloting his troops at Kargil, The movie in its opening reels tries to introduce various characters and their hopes of joining their family and how they love their homeland. Granted, I would liked to have had an explanation about how the war got started and the gruesome details on what really got everyone to the point of arms, and how the Indians strategically retorted, but it wasn't necessarily told in the film.Īll movies about war tend to emphasize both the horror of war and the honor exhibited by certain participants. Though a portion of the movie is used to explore the feelings, fears and hopes of the soldiers involved, thereby recreating the manoeuvres and comment on the futility of war. The bulk of the movie is concerned with Colonal Mahadevan's (Mohanlal) Battalion's strategic operandi that led to the recapture of the hilly Kargil terrain. Planned as a fitting tribute to the lost souls who died in the combat recapturing the lost Indian land around LOC in Kargil, the movies emphasizes more on the irrelevance of war and the hypocrisy's behind these unwarranted ones. 'Kurukshetra' is intended as a hard hitting movie, with a very few stories of heroism to balance the anti - war message hammered relentlessly through out.