The thriller draws inspiration from the milestone decision of 2016 when the Indian Air Force welcomed women into combat positions. The movie’s protagonist, Tejas Gill (Kangana Ranaut), is one such pilot who storms the male bastion, eager to fly a fighter plane and serve the nation. Sharp and brave, she persuades her seniors to send her on a mission to rescue a hostage, along with her co-pilot Afia (Anshul Chauhan). The film is about Tejas’s derring-do, love for the country, and whether she succeeds in her effort. Seeing two women in the thick of things instead of traditional roles is refreshing. Their brains and bravery are their weapons; seeing them in action will convince you they can pull off this feat. Writer-director Sarvesh Mewara has turned the tables as men have only supporting roles as the love interest or dudes in distress whom Tejas rescues. While a welcome change, the narrative, and Tejas’s bravura go overboard. Instances like the tug-of-war with a male pilot, bashing up a goon, and being attacked by Aboriginal tribals seem forced and excessive. Keeping track of the timelines gets challenging as the narrative switches between the past and the present. As the story builds up, sequences seem abrupt, and one wishes for a more cohesive screenplay. That being said, things turn thrilling once the main rescue operation begins, and the movie offers some high-octane action scenes. However, a parallel track of an impending terrorist attack proves to be distracting. Director of Photography Hari K Vedantam presents a visually appealing fare and efficiently captures the airstrikes, flights, and fight sequences in the deserts. The movie scores high in the action department, which Kangana Ranaut pulls off with elan. The actress looks every bit like a fighter pilot and performs action as effortlessly as emotional scenes. Anshul Chauhan, as her loud but supportive and loyal co-pilot, is impressive. Shashwat Sachdev’s music is a highlight, especially Jaan Da rendered by Arijit Singh, the energetic Ranjhana, and the victory anthem, Aag Udi. Tejas may appeal to fans of patriotic movies and defence dramas. But a better story and a tighter screenplay would have made the movie more impactful.Read more

Unlike Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Kangana Ranaut’s Tejas is not based on a real character. The movie takes time to pick up and it actually does in the second half and that too gradually. Kangana’s performance is gripping and she has mastered the tough drills of an air force officer with perfection. Tejas clearly shows right from the beginning, that those who are brave enough to disregard rules can do well in life. Not just that, if you are sure of your abilities, you really don’t need to toe what your seniors have to say to be successful in a mission or to make a project successful. Abiding by the rules can probably help in your promotions and being a ‘yes man’ is a diplomatic play, but to succeed in a mission you just need to follow your heart and be thorough in your subject. And be so good at your subject, that your seniors will bow down and say, ‘This is the man’ and in the case of Tejas movie, ‘This is the woman’. As the film pickups, we see Tejas (Kangana Ranaut) goes on a mission to recue an Indian spy. Again she was not the first choice, though it was she who was able to track down the location of the spy, who happened to be her academy friend. When she was rejected from this mission on the grounds of being a woman considering it was a dangerous terrain, she didn’t give up. She fought for it and was able to convince her seniors and the mission was named ‘Mission Tejas’. Tejas is every woman’s story, who struggles every single day to prove her worth. Tejas (Kangana Ranaut) is not only a brilliant fighter pilot, but a true patriotic officer who has mastered the skills of detecting clues which even the Indian intelligence agencies were unable to catch. The film shows Pakistani army officials to be extremely foolish, which gets a little unrealistic. The movie has all the Bollywood masala required for a successful theatrical release, but in a much toned down manner. Nobody can ignore the presence of Kangana on screen. Brilliant at her craft and a dedicated actress, she knows her work well. And not just Kangana, Tejas’s co-pilot Afia played by Anshul Chauhan needs a mention too. She brings out the fun side of her character when the film is moving towards a serious turn. Now, what didn’t work for the film is that it lacked research and fine technicalities. When you are attempting a movie on Indian armed forces, one needs to be slightly more careful. Most of the fighter plane drills and the air- fight visuals looked like a poorly made video game. And that’s when I felt like calling out, ‘Come on Bollywood Indian Air Force deserves more’!Read more