Bollywood has long capitalized on readymade stories and it’s been quite some time since the audiences finally got a chance to experience something fresh and out of the box. Written and directed by Sarvesh Mevara, Tejas does wonders in gripping the audience with a story merely based on India’s indigenous aircraft - Tejas Mk-1A Fighter Jets.
The film does wonders with its camera angles and the background score which is nearly based on electronic music. However, Tejas falls short on several factors including the direction, plot, VFX, and some of the most irrelevant scenes. ALSO READ | Kangana Ranaut Becomes The First Woman To Perform 'Ravan Dahan' At Delhi's Red Fort On Dusshera 2023 - WATCH
Set around the extraordinary journey of Tejas Gill (Kangana Ranaut), an Air Force pilot, Tejas aims to inspire and instil a deep sense of pride as the female Air Force pilot pulls up her socks against terrorism.
What was thought to be a biopic, Tejas is a rather fictional setting with a non-linear plot. The film’s start appears dragged as the storyline pans its focus from Tejas Gill’s training period to her love story, with her boyfriend. The first half managed to be entertaining, but the repetitive songs in the midst of the tension or drama in the story were a total turn-off.
In the overview, Tejas looks more like a propaganda film as it tries to take inspiration from real-life events while adding a mix of India-Pakistan’s years-long skirmish. Sarvesh tried his best to rehash, the patriotic angle in the film and it merely makes any impact.
Nevertheless, Indian soldiers definitely deserved a much better tribute as Tejas tried to portray a failed narrative. Unfortunately, the director-writer’s attempt falls short owing to the creative liberty. Trying to be patriotic is quite understandable, but defying senior’s orders paints them in a bad light since Indian soldiers are known for their discipline.
Behind the scenes, the movie clearly had a feminist intent, and radical ideas of women's empowerment made the film’s dialogues a bit too difficult to digest. Heavy on the dialogues like, “Aab koi nahi bolega, ladko ko bhejna chahiye”. In an era when we are trying our best to attain gender equality, such dialogues force the moment to take a backstep.
Towards the second half, the film starts to appear irrelevant and unconnected owing to its action sequences and the plot. Topped with bad VFX, the film's aesthetics just don’t match up with the first half.
Overall, Kangana Ranaut looks quite overdramatic with her acting and honestly, she should have tried to skip on this opportunity. However, amid all the disappointing performances from the Queen actress, it was Ashish Vidyarthi who successfully managed to salvage the film from the abyss. ALSO READ | ‘Tejas’ NEW Song OUT: Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Dil Hai Ranjhana' Is A Melodious Anthem That Rightfully Captures Tejas Gill's Journey As An Air Force Pilot
Towards the end, the film gets preachy trying to evoke a sense of patriotism. With a runtime of approximately 140 minutes, the film can be easily passed off as a one-time watch and this no-brainer cinema could have been better if the makers added a bit of logic in the storyline.
RATINGS-2.5/5
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