Pippa review: Ishaan Khatter impresses in this coming-of-age war drama
Ishaan Khatter in 'PIPPA'
Raja Krishna Menon's new film Pippa grabs your attention from the first shot itself. It has the film's leading man Ishaan Khatter narrating briefly how the 1971 war between India and Pakistan panned out and how it led to the birth of Bangladesh. On-screen, the scenario of East and West Pakistan and why there was always a divide between the two right from the time of partition in 1947 is beautifully described in the form of illustrations while Ishaan's voice-overexplains the tussle between the two countries.
It then cuts to a college hostel in Dhaka where the Pakistan army guns down unarmed students for raising slogans of Bangladesh liberation. The film sets the mood right there in that gory scene as Rahman's invigorating song Rampage plays out. And while Pippa has the 1971 Indo-Pak war as its backdrop, it is also a coming-of-age story of Balli, aka Captain Balram Singh Mehta of India's 45 Cavalry regiment, who played a crucial role on the battlefield.
Balli (Khatter) is an outcast in his army family where his elder brother Ram (Priyanshu Painyulli) is a war hero and the de facto head of the family after their father's death. The two brothers don't seem to agree on anything, yet the call of duty binds them. Both are summoned to fight on the Eastern Front as tension between East and West Pakistan grows. The two also have a sister Radha (Mrunal Thakur), a final-year medical student who is brilliant at deciphering cryptography and is of use to intelligence agencies. The siblings may all be serving the nation in their own way but they always end up finding solace at home where their mother (Soni Razdan) plays the anchor in their lives.
In real life, Captain Balram Singh Mehta of the 45th Cavalry tank squadron was one of the heroes of the 1971 war. Pippa is based on his book The Burning Chaffees. Co-written by Menon, Ravinder Randhawa, and Tanmay Mohan, the film not only talks of Balli's personal conflicts but also of the covert operation that became the Battle of Garibpur. The operation played a key role in the liberation of East Pakistan.
The film's deft writing helps in creating a balance between Balli's familial tussles and his coming of age at the battlefield, where moments before an attack he and his seniors are seen cracking jokes of impending doom that looms large on them. The film also features India's first amphibious army tank PT-76 (Pippa in Punjabi) which is operated by the excited Balli. All of 26, he may not be quite sure why he joined the army (the forms were filled up by the elder brother) but Balli knows how to operate the tank and drive it to its full potential in times of crisis.
The film keeps the audience hooked mostly in its 2 hr 20 minutes run time.A taut screenplay, great performances by the cast and Rahman's brilliant background score enhance the film to a great extent. Thakur, Painyuli, and Razdan are all in top form but the film rests ably on Khatter's shoulders and the young actor delivers a very assured performance as the youngest in the family who comes on his own fighting for humanity. Khatter slips into his character effortlessly, making Balli charming and impulsive but a man who knows how to get his job done. It is a delight to watch Khatter and Painyuli's tense scenes - both actors field off each other and complement each other. Thakur, who this past year has proved her mettle in several films, is also equally credible as Radha, who finds her calling through the course of the film.
Pippa shines the most in the battle scenes where a young Balli exudes confidence and helps to keep his unit cool and manoeuvres the tank well.
The 1971 war has off-late become a topic of interest for many Indian filmmakers. Two weeks ago, Shyam Benegal's Mujib- a biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rehman - also narrated the history of Bangladesh and how it came into being. Then Meghana Gulzar's upcoming film Sam Bahadur- a biopic on the legendary Sam Manekshaw - with Vicky Kaushal playing the titular character will also focus on Manekshaw's role in the same war. Gadar 2 also had the 1971 war as its backdrop even though the story was more about Tara Singh and his son Jeete. I am not complaining though, it helps to recount an important chapter in history where India played a crucial role in helping a nation form and stood its ground against the atrocities that the West Pakistan army was pelting out on Bengalis of Bangladesh.
Pippa, in that sense, also serves as the perfect platform to glorify the Indian Army's might, its efforts in helping the neighbour and how it rose to the occasion. Balli's personal story of transforming from a rebellious boy to a man of honour just adds the human touch to a war story.Pippa is streaming on Amazon Prime.
