War film expert JP Dutta's latest movie Paltan released on Friday. Although Dutta is known to be a veteran in making war films, initial reviews from the critics suggest that he missed to hit the bull's eye this time.
Paltan has an ensemble cast of Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Harshvardhan Rane, Siddhanth Kapoor, Esha Gupta, Sonali Chauhan among others.
Based on Nathu La and Cho La clashes in 1967 along the Sikkim border post 1962 Sino-Indian War, Paltan reportedly fails to recreate the magic of Border. Some of the critics have given their verdict, which did not go in favour of the makers of the film.
Check some of the critics' reviews on Paltan:
Gulf News: Paltanis a dangerously bland film with limited action. Watch this if only if you are a fan of conflict-driven films, otherwise the casualty could be your patience. (1.5/5)
Khaleej Times: The film tries too hard to recreate the magic of Border. But don't go to the theatres expecting another Border, as even JP Dutta cannot recreate his classic. (2/5)
Times of India: Shot in real locations, Paltan recreates the 1965 setting, but not the corresponding tension. Director JP Dutta who is also the screenplay and story writer, stays quite rooted to his original style of storytelling. But he uses repetitive conflicts and half-baked backstories that add more to the runtime than the narrative. Bromance between the jawans lacks emotional depth and conviction. All of this collectively blunts much of the desired impact of what could have been a riveting war film. However, Paltan manages to undo some of the damage in its final moments that are truly action packed. Director JP Dutta fires all his ammo in a rousing climax for a bitter sweet victory. (3/5)
Filmfare: All-in-all, the film might be a little melodramatic at times but its heart certainly is in the right place. We need to tell more such stories about small and big victories to boost the morale of our overworked troops. (3/5)
Firstpost: For a large part, we see the two sides engaged in petty skirmishes and shows of one-upmanship. At one point it appeared like Singh and Singh would adopt some smart war tactic, but alas, it simpered into finger-pointing and playground provocation. Finally, Paltan is more testosterone and male ego than strategy or drama and, surprisingly, it's tentative even in its jingoism. (1.5/5)
DNA: Paltan is definitely worth a watch as it relives India's 1967 triumph over China and rouses our patriotic feelings. (3/5)
Hindustan Times: It is clear Dutta has nothing new to say after his 1997 hit, Border, which took a few stars and made them look good in uniform. For the record, I'd still gladly salute and take orders from Shroff, a relic of the old film who is largely wasted here. There is a lot to be said about the futility of war, and now Dutta has made his case for the futility of the war movie. (1.5/5)
