Uri : The Surgical Strike

‘A surgical strike is a military attack which is intended to damage only a legitimate military target, with no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, or the public infrastructure and utilities.’ – Wikipedia

On the 29th of September 2016 was the expiry day for the September 2016 contracts for the Indian Stock market. It’s a memory I cannot erase and has been etched in my brain as a significant impact was made on my trades as well as my mind. Around 11:00 am or so when the news channels flashed “Breaking news” in bold letters that the Indian Army had conducted a ‘Surgical Strike’ at Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK) at the LOC it was the first time that I had seen a systematic risk of this magnitude that was not foreseen and now was being reported. And what followed was a drop in the market like I had never seen before. The benchmark Index Nifty crashed over 200 points within an hour as the fall was being catalyzed by the high volatility this day is already characterized by. Till people googled what a ‘surgical strike’ meant and what were its probable implications, the markets with the entire country and the world went into a whirlpool mode triggering algorithm trades across the board, as the message understood was that India was going to war with Pakistan.

This was far from the truth, but the damage was done. As a surgical strike is designed to create maximum damage to the target but with minimum collateral damage, the news had a different impact in the short term. A strong message was sent to the world that India will not endure any further abuse of its tolerance that is for long being misunderstood as its weakness. And it certainly will not sit and watch anybody stripping it off its pride in the most cowardly way possible such as the Uri attack was. Pakistan had poked the sleeping bear and metamorphically that same quote was apt in the stock markets that day as well. It was a long time before the 8800 Nifty peak was crossed and until then was referred to as the surgical strike day high.

Starring the new boy on the block, Vicky Kaushal, Uri is the saga of the Surgical Strike that the Indian Army conducted in the early hours of 29th September 2016 post the horrific attacks of Uri at an army base camp. A tale of avenging the death of their brothers and the country’s heroes it is the story of one of the most successful coveted operations that has been carried out by the Indian army in the recent past.

At a running length of 138 minutes Uri is a sharp, crisp film doing the job perfectly for an audience that thronged to the halls to get a glimpse of how their elected government changed the image of their country overnight from a coy, docile country to a fearless nation that is unafraid to display its wrath if you take advantage of its patience.

Writer and Director Aditya Dhar has managed to infuse the young India’s vigor as well as its intellect in this masterpiece as the ‘Calculated Risk’ is fueled with the right amount of  aggression that is required to carry out such a specialized operation is flawlessly depicted on the big screen. A fabulous first film for the young director, Dhar has meticulously stuck to the core story line, not once drifting from the plot and keeping the regular Bollywood jazz out of it. Of course, nothing in the world can light a fire like when it does, when the fight becomes personal. A story told from the perspective of a soldier who loses his Brother in Law in the Uri attacks is trigger enough.

Actor Vicky Kaushal is without a doubt, the next big thing in Bollywood. With acting in his blood along with hard work and persistence that he possesses, the man is moving ahead strength to strength with each film. Thus, it is only a matter of time that he breaks into the top male actors’ club to become one of the most sought after talent that the Industry boasts about. Yami Gautam makes for a sharp officer keeping her skill to the point and clean, making her character that of an officer of the Indian Army that is on par with her male peers. Mohit Raina and Kirti Kulhari round up the officer’s clan each giving an honest and flawless performance that strikes a chord with your emotional side despite having minimum screen time.

What anchors the film is the performance by Paresh Rawal who plays the role of Govind Bhardwaj the man who heads the operation of 29th September 2016. A perfect casting, the actor brings a plethora of talent and years of experience to the team of young cast and director, allowing his skill to speak and make an impact on screen with a memorable performance. It is a delight to watch him do what he does best on the big screen, after a long time.

The background score of the film is bold and melodious, a deadly combination that is exactly the kind of tailwind that is required to sail this ship through the waters and give you those goosebumps and chills that a feature presentation of the genre absolutely must. Shashwat Sachdev has done the job impeccably with ‘Challa’ being my favorite track.

Overall, a very well-made film with a story that is personal to every Indian Uri has set the bar for 2019 making it the one you should not miss, at any cost. A saga of courage, pride, loss, grief, vengeance and vigor that this new India wishes to be known by and who will not be tacit when its most valuable asset, its protectors, are toyed with.