Plot
A
young
Gunjan
Saxena
(Riva
Arora)
is
sky-struck
when
she
steps
in
the
cockpit
for
the
first
time
while
travelling
on
a
flight.
"Dada,
mujhe
pilot
banna
hain", she
tells
her
elder
brother
who
dismisses
her
ambition
and
tells
her
to
become
an
air-hostess
instead.
Thankfully,
Gunjan
has
a
supportive
father,
Lieutenant
Colonel
Anup
Saxena
(Pankaj
Tripathi)
who
understands
her
romance
with
planes.
After
crossing
several
hurdles
in
her
path,
Gunjan
shatters
the
glass
ceiling
and
joins
the
Indian
Air
Force.
But
who
says
the
journey
is
going
to
be
easy?
From
being
constantly
denied
flying
hours
to
facing
a
bunch
of
men
who
cannot
deal
with
a
woman
in
their
base,
Gunjan
battles
several
biases
and
soars
high
in
the
sky.
Direction
Sharan
Sharma
makes
a
promising
directorial
debut
with
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl.
He
has
a
tight
hold
on
the
directorial
reins
on
this
coming-of-age
drama.
While
the
film
is
a
dramatized
account
of
Gunjan
Saxena,
India's
first
female
Air
Force
Officer
to
fly
in
a
combat
zone
during
the
1999
Kargil
War,
Sharma
doesn't
add
unnecessary
sub-plots
to
divert
your
attention
from
the
purpose
of
the
film.
Not
once
does
he
resort
to
jingoism
to
show
the
patriotic
streak
in
his
characters
and
that
deserves
a
brownie
point.
On
the
flip
side,
most
of
the
male
characters
in
the
film
are
uni-dimensional.
The
film
tries
too
hard
to
make
villains
out
of
them
and
that's
where
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl
loses
its
control
a
bit.
Also,
a
little
more
detailing
in
the
story
would
have
made
it
even
more
intriguing.
Performances
Janhvi
Kapoor
is
still
work-in-progress
when
it
comes
to
her
acting
chops.
While
she
excels
in
the
scenes
where
she
is
a
starry-eyed
girl,
the
actress
struggles
to
stay
steady
when
it
comes
to
the
emotional
scenes.
However,
her
scenes
with
her
on-screen
father
Pankaj
Tripathi
strike
a
chord.
Pankaj
Tripathi
exudes
warmth
right
from
the
first
frame.
His
portrayal
of
Gunjan
Saxena's
supportive
father
is
on
point.
He
is
one
of
the
reasons
why
your
eyes
stay
glued
to
the
screen.
Watch
out
for
his
potentially
confrontational
scene
between
him
and
his
son
(Angad
Bedi)
when
the
latter
objects
to
Gunjan
being
a
pilot.
The
actor
hits
the
ball
straight
out
of
the
park
for
a
six.
Angad
Bedi
as
the
casually
sexist
brother
is
perfectly
in
tune
with
what
the
script
demands
him
to
do.
Vineet
Kumar
Raina
pulls
off
an
effective
performance
despite
his
one-note
role.
Manav
Vij
as
the
commanding
officer
who
discovers
the
spark
in
Gunjan
Saxena,
is
convincing.
Technical
Aspects
R
Dee's
camerawork
especially
the
aerial
shots
adds
thrill
to
Janhvi
Kapoor's
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl.
Aarif
Sheikh's
taut
editing
doesn't
keep
any
loose
strings
to
let
your
mind
wander
off.
Music
'Aasmaan
Di
Pari',
'Dori
Tutt
Gaiyaan'
and
'Mann
Ki
Dori'
are
our
picks
from
the
music
album.
Rekha
Bhardwaj's
uplights
'Dori
Tutt
Gaiyaan'
with
her
sublime
vocals.
'Mann
Ki
Dori'
is
pleasant
to
the
ears.
Verdict
"Jo
log
mehnat
ka
saath
nahi
chodte
kismat
kabhi
unka
saath
nahi
chodti," says
Pankaj
Tripathi's
character
to
a
dejected
Gunjan
Saxena,
when
the
latter
is
almost
on
the
verge
of
giving
up
on
her
dream.
With
its
honest
performances
and
stirring
story,
this
Janhvi
Kapoor-starrer
has
its
heart
in
the
right
place.
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl
is
a
fitting
tribute
to
every
'Bharat
Ki
Beti'
who
dares
to
dream
and
fly
high
in
the
sky.
We
give
3.5
stars
out
of
5
for
Janhvi
Kapoor's
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl.