Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Tejas review: Bogus
What: Tejas – starring Kangana Ranaut is a bogus chalava in the name of deshbahkti by Sarvesh Meraswa.
Tejas movie synopsis
It’s a story of dare devil IAF officer Tejas Gill (Kangana Ranaut) who goes on a mission named Tejas, riding the fighter plane named Tejas (Tejas has a triple role – yippe yeah make hay while Tejas shines) to rescue an Indian RAW agent from Pakistan played by Vishak Nair (remember Sunny Deol’s Gadar series, but here it’s a raw agent and not biwi or bachaa, aacha toh yeh hai deshbhakth ek dum saacha?- you will come to know soon.
So, boom boom it’s that doomed 26/112008 Mumbai jaha Tejas has lost everything from her life – her parents, her younger brother and her singer lover played by Varun Mitra.
Its personal, says Tejas as she begs for heading the rescue operation after being seriously charged of disobeying her seniors’ orders – yes for good obviously. Tejas along with her co fighter pilot Afia (Anshul Chauhan) – Hindu Muslim bhai bhai Bollywood ki age old kripa hum par bani rehti gurudev ki nayi disobeys her senior’s orders to abort the mission and brings back an Indian Air Force soldier safely back from some unknown tribals from an island somewhere. No the tribals are not the Osages from Martin Scorsce’s Killers of the Flower Moon ( it’s still playing in my mind)… faya kun faya kun.. matlab its Kangana Ranaut’s urf Tejas ka junoon.
Tejas is a multitasker, she decodes those messages send by those blinking eyes by the Indian Raw agent kidnapped by the militants while the whole Indian defence machinery is unable to do so. Her jazbaa (passion) for the nation is welcomed by not only the seniors but by the Pradhan Mantri – our Prime Minister played by Mohan Aghase. Now that’s quick.
So, Tejas and her surprisingly comic but fun co-pilot Afia go on a rescue mission and what happens in the end will shake you up.
Tejas is not based on reality, it’s a fiction and its strange, stranger and worrisome. Designed as a patriotic suitcase keeping Kangana Ranaut’s stardom (which is nosediving like the fighter plane in the climax) in mind, writer director Sarvesh Mevara’s Tejas is a bogus chest beating cry for fake nationalisim.
The screenplay is a patriotic suitcase but inside its empty and lacks the colour, flavour and organic pride a good movie on such genre should achieve.
Though the reported inclusion of an IAF officer gives us authentic look of the aircraft and dress code but its superficial and utterly filmy handling creates unintentional humour. Aifa’s character is fun and she gives us some relief from this dull uninspiring chest beating deshbhakti showcase.
There is this illusion thing in the movie where Tejas and Aifa fool the inefficient Pakistani officials who are not able to detect two Indian fighter planes parked in their runway. The crowd may love it but I was not convinced at all. I want Pak to be beaten in every game but this is so juvenile.
Tejas emerges a winner, rescues the raw agent, saves the newly built Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya and then comes this surprise shocking nose dive… suicide.
Performance
Kangana Ranaut tries hard and this time it is clearly visible. The daring and refined actress who has made her name this time shockingly seems struggling and not natural at times. The scene where she burst out into laughter after finding out that Afia is caught two timing is fake. Kangana is a brilliant actress and finding her effortlessness getting reduced to such low is a cause of worry.
Anshul Chauhan as Afia is endearing, she has her own moments where she shines bright even in the presence of Kangana Ranaut.
Varun Mitra is very good.
Ashish Vidyarthi is routine.
Vishak Nair makes his presence felt.
Tejas – final words
All said and endured, should Tejas be recommended for die hard Kangana fans and/or audience in general who pardon all glitches for stardom and/or nationalism?, I would humbly ask to watch URI instead dobaara, Tejas also gives tribute to the Vicky Kaushal starrer by repeating its dialogue ‘guss ke maareinge’ but alas, if you ask honestly ‘how is the josh’ after watching Tejas, the answer is very ‘dry’ sir.
Going with one and a half star
Half each for the aircraft, half for Anshul and half for Kangana ( in generosity)
A child born from life & fed by cinema. A filmi keeda from child & a film journalist for the last fifteen years. a father, seeker, foodie who loves crooning bollywood melodies twitter.com/cineblues More By vishal verma