LOC: Kargil

I have come to the conclusion that Bollywood does not know how to make War Films. A plain vanilla Documentary would have made more justice to the Martyr's of the kargil. The movie is agonsingly long, too many charecters that hoover over a lost script, a technical disaster and repetious to the core. The filmmaker has tried his best to lend auntheticity by using the real terrain but after an hour of the movie it is like Dejavue. The problem I see is Amateur consultants and dialogue that dilutes the theme and reduces the content to a mear childrens play. Bollywood is the leader when it comes to Musical but when it comes to aunthenticity in depicting a war and special effects the two Movies that come close are "The Hero" and "Gadar-Ek Prem Katha". This movie is an unmitigated disaster even though the Producers intentions were laudable and Patriotic.

LOC could have been a very well made movie on how the Kargil war was fought; it had the locations, the budget, and the skill to have been India's "Saving Private Ryan" or "Black Hawk Down". Instead it come across as a bloated, 4 hour bore of trying to meld the war move with the masala movie. Even the war scenes were terribly executed, using the same hill in all their battle scenes, and spending unnecessary time on casual talk. Instead of trying to appeal to the indian public, a better movie would have been a to-the-book account of what happened at Kargil (like "Black Hawk Down") or even spending time on the militant point of view (like "Tora, Tora, Tora"). Even better, it could have used a competent director like Ram Gopal Verma to write, direct and edit the film. Until then, I'd like to see some one re-edit this film, with only the pertinent portions included; it would make the movie more watchable.

The long hyped LOC Kargil movie turned out to be a load of crap, once again, much to the disappointment of eager viewers. When it comes to movies like these, the director should concentrate most on the battle scenes but those are the most flawed portions of the film. Basically ever single battle is the same where two groups of soldiers keep shooting each other until the Indians finally bring a Carl Gustav Rocket launcher and blow up the enemy position. The fight sequences are corny and poorly done. One wonders why they did'nt do that in the first place? Next, the Indian airforce is hardly ever seen. Next, there are long and pointless and crappy songs. Next, there is no story nor any subplots nor any satisfaction of seeing any objectives achieved by the soldiers. Watch it on TV or DVD but I would'nt waste my time in the theatre. Watch it for the witty dialog and some amusing scenes. If you want to watch an Indian war movie, go watch Lakshya instead.

This movie could have been so much better but the director looks like he gave it his best. Many of the props including the uniforms, badges, weapons, artillery, helicopters etc etc were all authentic to the core. There are lot of good things in this movie but the battle scenes are just too cheesy, unreal and overly patriotic to make sense. Why do they always have to use that slow-motion death sequence routine again and again? It is not touching. Its embarrassing.

While the actors could er.."act" well...they were'nt too convincing as fighting soldiers, starting from how the stormed an enemy post, to their stance. The intensity of the battles comes out through excellent use of sound and men shouting but the tracer bullets flying and the flamebursts from the weapons are simply not to be found. Thus when a soldier is supposed to fire a weapon, it does'nt really show. Also, the explosions from mortar, grenades and shells seem extremely impotent as the radius of the blast is extremely small and unconvincing.

The dialog however, is brilliant. Totally outstanding, perhaps worth the entire movie. There are enough swears in this movie on the lines of "motherfer" and "sisterfer" to give Pulp Fiction a run for its money. But since they are also used on the battlefield under pressure, it does not seem as wanton as in other movies. It is a real fact however, that such swears were used on the Kargil battlefield. Talk about attention to detail! The pressure on the soldiers did show, although the fighting did not. The actors did a great job at what they were told to do. If they were trained better and the action sequences better written and choreographed to make them a tiny bit realistic, they movie could have been a real winner. I did shed a few tears here and there though. Even though the action sequences are so flawed, the actors give it all their energy and the unbelievable sacrifices that the soldiers made were no doubt the driving force behind. This movie is worth watching if you keep an open mind. It is at least a good attempt at an honest tribute, even if at times, it can be embarrassing.

LOC is one of the most moving movies ever made. The movie is based on the war that actually happened in Kargil between India and Pakistan. LOC is a tribute, a homage to our brave and selfless soldiers who have laid down their lives to safeguard ours. This movie has made me realize the extent of sacrifice a soldier makes to protect us scores of civilians most of whom he does not even know. It has made me see them in a completely different light and i cannot help but appreciate the effort of a film maker who has tried to immortalize their sacrifice on the celluloid.

The movie is long. But that is because the script demands it. The movie has an amazing cast and everyone has given outstanding performances. It is an emotional journey and a saga of unseen bravery and unimaginable strength of character.

The film's characters represent the Kargil martyrs and the other brave soldiers of the Indian Army. So you have Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain Vikram Batra, Lieutenant Manoj Pandey, Lieutenant Colonel Y K Joshi and many of the other brave men who authored the script that made India the winner in the Kargil war. It captures their valor in the field of battle, shows how they dealt with each new challenge and each new hardship with renewed vigor, how they motivated the soldiers under their command under the most pressured conditions and how they destroyed their enemies. It encapsulates the soldier's quest for victory in extremely hostile conditions.

LOC Kargil is based on authentic research and gives you the events as they took place. A lot of care has been taken to see that the film is accurate even in its minutest detail. The background score and dialogs are gripping. The songs too, are pretty intense and have been extremely well written and composed. The lyrics motivate you, move you and also wrench your heart out.

LOC tries to tell the story of the soldiers and their families. It tells you about the sacrifice that a soldier makes for his country and the loss that his family suffers in the process. As the trailers said..."every bullet in a war finds its mark... into a woman's heart". A lot of soldiers died in the Kargil war and this movie makes an effort to show their sacrifice before we forget it. It is a must watch, especially for every Indian in the world.