SKY Movie Review
Indian Cinema always makes a movie on Republic Day and 15th August which is dedicated to the Indian Force. Last year, Bollywood’s Republic Day gift was Fighter. The movie ticked all the patriotic boxes: brave Indian fighter pilots showing courage and teamwork while taking on their common enemy, Pakistan.
Sky Force is a medium-yield but high-potential movie that fictionalizes real events from the 1965 India-Pakistan war. It focuses on two war heroes and dramatizes the story for maximum impact. However, the movie’s execution works only in parts. It neither soars to great heights as a war film nor lands with the impact expected from a movie of this scale. Despite this, it has just enough substance to avoid being labeled a failure.
The movie, directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, truly finds its footing only in the second half. This part focuses on a squadron of fighter pilots and their daring missions. While their actions are thrilling, the intense background score and the constant roar of fighter jets often overpower the scenes, making it hard to fully appreciate the drama and dialogue.
The first half of Sky Force, however, feels cluttered and loses sight of the core story. It is filled with too many computer-generated air combat scenes that are either blurry or unnecessarily loud. This overwhelming stretch makes it difficult to connect with the narrative and the characters.
The script of Sky Force touches on the mentor-protégé relationship between an ambitious Indian Air Force officer, Om Ahuja (Akshay Kumar), and a young, passionate fighter pilot, T. Krishna Vijaya (played by debutant Veer Pahariya). Krishna often follows his heart instead of listening to orders, leading to a clash of personalities and differing views on duty. However, the film does not explore this dynamic deeply.
Instead, the focus shifts to less important aspects, such as the exaggerated style of the two characters. The human side of the story, including the families of the two pilots, is given minimal attention. It only comes to the forefront when one pilot’s pregnant wife confronts the harsh realities of war.
Written by Kewlani, Aamil Keeyan Khan, and Niren Bhatt, Sky Force spends the first half on loud action sequences that fail to generate true excitement. The intensity of the aerial combat is undermined by a lack of emotional depth and sharper storytelling.
In the latter half, the film turns to the disappearance of a young pilot during a critical Indian Air Force mission in 1965. The operation, aimed at crippling Pakistan’s air power, brings the narrative back to life as it pieces together the fallout of the mission.
The film Sky Force has a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Akshay Kumar is clearly the central figure around whom the rest of the cast is built. While the acting is decent, the storytelling quality is uneven.
On the positive side, the movie ends on a high note. At just 125 minutes, it’s shorter than most action films, which is a relief. However, its shorter runtime isn’t the only reason to watch and recommend this film to others.
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