Uri, the Movie India Needed

… Minus the errors

A still from the tear-jerking funeral scene. However, why-o-why do officers of the same Para(SF) battalion belong to the Northern, Training and Southern Commands? Moreover, Para(SF) officers NEVER wear the ceremonial peak-cap which Vicky Kaushal is sporting here (right). Even if I was to excuse that, he is the only one doing so! (Image: Scroll, Uri, RSVP)

Let’s get the easy ones out of the way at the onset;

Does Uri lionize the Indian Army? A resounding yes.

And they need to be lionized. I see absolutely no reason why a special forces mission must include casualties, or show Indian soldiers, especially ones belonging to Para (Special Forces) as inept. Weren’t there enough casualties in the cowardly attacks on the Dogra convoy and the attack at Uri Base Camp?

Is Uri jingoistic? A resounding no.

Again, a lot of what Vicky Kaushal’s character, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, says, are meant for his brothers in arms — not the average civilian. It is not meant to be shouted in crowded town squares and it is not meant to be shouted in the Parliament. It is for soldiers by soldiers — before going into battle. Which average civilian is going into Kashmir to fight the terrorists or bust terror rings?

Does Uri need moral depth?

I don’t think so. Why does everyone want to see a soldier battling with moral ambiguity before deployment? We have had movies like these in the past — including the landmark, and evergreen, Lakshya which humanizes the soldier. Border and LoC had long sequences on what the soldier…