Operation Valentine review: Doesn’t pack enough punch for the runtime

It’s hard to keep a count of hyper-patriotic Indian movies in recent times. These films often tell stories (real or fictional) that celebrate the bravery of our officers and the idea of loving your nation above everything else. While some of them have found success and others have failed, all of them have proved that there is only so much a film can do if its goal is to pander to the spirit of nationalism. From a filmmaking perspective, what else can an artist bring to this genre that isn't already served? Not much, as Operation Valentine so glaringly proves.

Director: Shakti Pratap Singh Hada

Cast: Varun Tej, Manushi Chhillar, Shataf Figar, Abhinava Gomatam, Mir Sarwar

Directed by Shakti Pratap Singh, Operation Valentine is based on the true events of the Pulwama attack that occurred in February 2019 and the Balakot air strike retaliation that was followed by the Indian Air Force. Arjun (Varun Tej) is a test pilot with a past trauma and a reputation that precedes him, while his wife and wing commander Aahna Gill (Manushi Chhillar) is his professional companion too.

After a slow takeoff, the film unexpectedly jumps into action around the midpoint, diving into the central point of the story—the Balakot air strike. Since you are not even halfway into the film, you wonder if they are planning to centre their entire second half around aerial action sequences, which seems like a considerable risk.

Sadly, the makers make up for their risk-taking with the exaggerated portrayal of ‘the other side,’ which borders on caricature. You want to take Operation Valentine seriously, but it’s hard not to chuckle when the makers show a rival officer playing Candycrush on their phone while being on patrol duty, or when the background score literally screams ‘Jihaad’ in a parodically menacing tone every time an evil Pakistani character appears on screen. It’s not to say one expects diligent nuances from a film based on events whose authenticity remains ambiguous at best. But when an Indian senior rank official (Shataf Figar) refers to his officers as ‘Vaanar Sena’, it’s hard not to wince at the religious connotations.

There is no subtlety on display here, which is a shame because there are a few fleeting moments when it feels like director Shakti Pratap Singh Hada is genuinely interested in the technical aspects of the film. In the second half, some moments of aerial action hold your attention by creating high tension. In those few moments, Operation Valentine promises to stand apart from generic hyper-nationalistic films that follow the same formula.

Part of Operation Valentine’s problem is that it doesn’t have enough meat in the script to make for an engaging two-hour action affair. The makers try their best but the writing doesn’t have the novelty to grab our attention. The tropes are mostly worn out: a rebellious yet genius outlier, a traumatic past that needs to be overcome, the stereotypical visual of native Kashmiris as these innocent rose-selling victims. There is a friend (Paresh Pahuja) who flirts with every woman, to add humour. His scenes are so awkwardly placed that it feels like the makers are trying to make up for the lack of wholesome content in the film. There is also a haggard attempt at establishing the personal relationship between our two protagonists Arjun and Aahna, but it leaves no emotional imprint on us.

As for the performances, there is something very discomforting about the way Varun Tej approaches this role. His character is someone who is haunted by his past. Even though the character has potential to build upon, Varun Tej decides to scowl and just rely on that sole expression to do all the work. Be it rage, curiosity, or disappointment, it’s hard to tell what’s going on in Arjun’s mind at any point. In contrast, Manushi Chhillar, despite a half-heartedly written character, adds a certain understated intensity. For me, the most telling moment was when Arjun, in a moment of raging desperation, decided to attack the Pakistan Air Force jets. He is so uncontrollable that he cannot even listen to Aahna, who is relentlessly instructing him from the ground to not disobey any further instructions. Varun is that zoned out due to his intensity, we are told. You hope for the character to break out of the mould and do something unexpected, you want the narrative to surprise you but it doesn't.

And yet, when a senior rank official takes charge and screams at him, Arjun gets a hold of his senses. In that one moment, Arjun’s character falls apart for us, as we realise there’s only so much rebelling he is capable of, only certain forces he can assert his dominance over. In that moment, Arjun becomes the perfect symbolic representation of the nation he is fighting for.

It’s hard here, to care for the personal, or root for the political - that’s Operation Valentine for you in a nutshell.