War films are not new for JP Dutta. There was Border that released in 1997 and then LOC Kargil in 2003. Paltan continues the trend. This one is also bristling with pride and deshbhakti but the real horror of this film is unleashed on us - the poor unsuspecting viewers . The landmine of cinematic misdemeanours, pitched in an unbearably shrill manner, Paltan wreaks havoc.
Indo-China border tension and our fight for Nathu La pass is reduced to cringeworthy dialogues and jarring patriotism. We witness everything , fist fights, stone pelting , even some ironic “Hindi Chini bhai bhai” thrown in until blazing bullets and bombs go off on screen, leading to ultimate chaos.
But JP Dutta’s desh prem shouldn’t be questioned . He gives our paltan the best looking men. Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Harshvardhan Rane and Gurmeet Singh. Their Chinese paltan has overweight caricatured men with funny dentures . So we definitely win in the looks department! As for acting, their paltan had little scope and our paltan did what they could! They strained their neck muscles and shouted every dialogue. With tightly clenched jaws, they stared the enemy in the eye. They said “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” a dozen times . How much more could the poor souls do? Also our paltan “is humanised, there are wives and fiancées waiting for the bravehearts to return. So, Dipika Kakkar and Monica Gill also get one scene each. Their Chinese counterparts are conspicuously absent!
Wars are truly futile and this film captures that essence in its entirety. Paltan is excruciatingly painful and absolutely no fun!
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