Sky Force is a dramatic account of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, which weaves out a little-known tale of bravery in the Indian Air Force. We follow the story of Squadron Leader T.K. Vijaya, who goes by the name of “Tabby”, a very brave young pilot who goes out on a bold airstrike against Pakistan’s Sargodha base and then just vanishes. The story plays out over almost two decades, which sees Wing Commander K.O. Ahuja, also known as “Tiger”, at large for answers to what happened to Tabby. The film is based on true historical events, which makes it at once very emotional and a display of valour.

Direction & Screenplay

Directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, in Sky Force, we see a blend of war strategy with emotional story lines and dramatic tension. The film sets out in a dynamic note of military life that soon gives way to action-packed aerial battles and poignant scenes of personal loss. What we have is a narrative that peels back to present the truth at a measured pace, also in which it’s able to maintain a very present patriotic feel, which does not cross over into bombastic nationalism. Also, what is notable is that the film pays equal attention to technical air-based missions as it does to the silent suffering of the at-home families.

Visuals & Editing

Aerial cinematography is a film’s greatest asset. It takes off, and amid dogfights, the visuals present the scale of war in an immersive way. What we see is a mix of practical and CGI, which, for the most part, is very well balanced and which adds to the realness even in the high-action sequences. Edit work is smooth, which in turn gives us easy transition between timelines, and also the film’s emotional moments are given what they need in terms of play time, in the second half in particular.

Performances

Akshay Kumar does very well as Wing Commander Ahuja; he puts in a very balanced and emotional performance.

Veer Pahariya knocks it out of the park in his debut, which is that of Tabby, who puts in a very confident and brave performance as an officer, which is very idealistic.

Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur bring in deep emotion to their roles, although they are on screen for a short while.

Sharad Kelkar brings in weight even in his limited screen time.

Music & Background Score

In terms of score and music, they play a supportive yet powerful role. We see emotional songs which bring out issues of family and patriotism, also the background score, which during mission sequences heightens the tension. Also, we have a very standout moment, which is a soulful tribute to the spirit of sacrifice, which leaves a large impact.

Pros and Cons

Pros:
Strengths:

Strong performances with emotional depth

Unique to a real air combat experience.

Impressive air combat visuals and direction

Weaknesses:
Deficiencies:

Some VFX sequences appear slightly dated.

Supporting characters could have had more development.

Predicted war film elements.

Final Verdict

Sky Force is in the business of evoking emotion as much as in the presentation of its technical achievements, which it does very well. It goes beyond what one might expect of a film which is just about jets and air attacks, it also looks at issues of promise and loss. While the film may not be perfect, it is very much worth a watch for those into the genre of historical military drama.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Cast & Crew

Role Name

Directors Sandeep Kewlani, Abhishek Anil Kapur

Producers: Dinesh Vijan, Amar Kaushik, Jyoti Deshpande.

Writers of this piece were Sandeep Kewlani, Aamil Keeyan Khan, Carl Austin, and Niren Bhatt.

Cinematographer Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran

Editor A. Sreekar Prasad