Operation Valentine

Did go to the movie without knowing the story. It started slow but the pace picked up slowly. By interval, you are in the edge of your seat. The direction, acting, music and VFX were just in enough dose. Congrats to the entire team for making this movie. Though the star cast is not well known, they have pulled it off nicely. Definitely a good watch for the weekend. I didn't expect the VFX. To be so good. It really elevated the aerial fight scenes. Almost to the Hollywood standards. Screenplay had played a very good part to keep the flow. No unnecessary songs that kept the movie going. Finally, the photography did great justice to the gorgeous locations in kashmir.

Aerial action movies are being explored by filmmakers recently, and it's not easy to execute them as they require high budgets and extensive research.

This movie depicts an aerial attack that India has never faced before, and our decorated officers must give their all to save the nation from catastrophe.

We have seen many stories in this vein, mostly centered on the Indian army. As a result, the story lacks uniqueness. Even the use of real-time incidents or sequences is not well established, making everything seem too fictional. There are multiple sequences that are absurd and funny, as even a common person can tell that the IAF doesn't operate the way it is portrayed.

Varun Tej, as the central lead, has the persona to carry such roles, but his limited expressions dampen the whole viewing experience. The same goes for the leading lady, Manushi Chillar, who looks beautiful but needs to work on her acting chops. Their chemistry also does not work in their favor.

The graphics are amateurish, and you can tell that people have acted in front of a green screen, though a few scenes in the sky are brilliant and well-captured. Movies like this should evoke a patriotic feeling, but this one does not, as you know you are watching a fictional tale. In one scene, a missile lands in a terrorist camp with the text 'Happy Valentine's Day' on it. This shows how much the filmmakers got carried away.

Cinematic liberties are fine, but they should elevate the experience, not make you laugh at its absurdity. The dialogues are good, though, and pack a punch. Credit can be given for trying something new, but it turned out to be a below-average affair.

#pranureviews #OperationValentine #OperationValentineReview.

Anyone who knows the technical details and exact events that happened in real life, will appreciate this movie. This movie correctly depicts almost everything that happened in the Balakot air strike.

Comparing this to "Fighter" movie which was made with 5x times more budget than Operation Valentine got almost every detail wrong. "Fighter" movie over powered the enemy and under powered the protagonist, not only that they got all Fighter Jets used in the operation wrong. They added dance numbers and made it a commercial movie, which is why it did more numbers.

"Operation Valentine" on the other hand correctly depicted almost all variants of fighter jets used in the operation, along with getting all events true to real life. To Finish off, It doesn't just get the technical details right, it is also a good entertainer. But if you're looking for dance numbers, you should look elsewhere. I could only imagine what they could've done with a budget similar to big budget movies.

Firstly, I don't watch films purely using Hollywood features as a benchmark. Every country, culture, possess their own angles and approaches toward visual story telling. For a military/heroism type of film, this is a non-hollywood one that I find entertaining, and without sourcing for information regarding their production value, I can see it is done with the budget that is sensible to the Indian filmmakers.

There's nothing 'wrong' with the story/plot of this film, the premise is fine. Though, the dialogue/scenes can take a little more work, to make it more sophisticated - however it isn't that bad or 'cringy' like various films that I have seen - including big budgeted ones from Hollywood.

The VFX, and depiction of the aircraft are good enough to not make it look 'dodgy'. I believed the types of fighter jets, i.e. The Mirages, the MIGs, depicted are accurate with reference to India Air Force.

As a non-Indian, I am aware of the trend in Indian films (aka 'Bollywood' in my side of the world) to include pop or dance music. The featured music/songs are quite decent to me - melodiously. I wouldn't mind listening to them again, even though I don't understand the language.

The acting style of the actors is, in my opinion, culturally Indian. Just like in Japanese films which the Japanese actors' style is culturally tied to Japanese behavior and way their of life. I'm fine with it.

As a whole, this film is entertaining to me. However, if you are looking for Hollywood style/grade type of films, then don't bother watching this or any other films from other countries. This film will cater to those who want some action/military type entertainment, some interest in military hardware, perhaps over a relaxing weekend.

The plot meandered aimlessly, relying on tired tropes and predictable plot points. The opening scene, while attempting to be explosive, felt rushed and lacked the necessary punch to set the stage for a thrilling adventure. Attempts at humour landed flat, and the supposed emotional moments felt unearned. The "big reveal" near the end felt like a desperate attempt to inject some excitement into a narrative that had long lost its momentum. The cardboard-cutout characters felt like rejects from a discount romantic comedy bin. Come on guys, we all know the tea was fantastic. Can we please stop making propaganda movies with low budget VFX? The concept is getting old and monotonous.