This is one of the best military movies of Major Ravi I have seen so far. The sentiments in the movie was really good. I liked the movie a lot.
7 Reviews
A good military movie
danieljames-dj6 November 2020
A close to the heart military movie with superlative performances
urztrulysooraj25 January 2015
Picket 43: A great friendship story studded with superlative performances.
Usually, the images of war, fight, shooting and some kinda rough stuff comes to our mind, when we think of an army movie. This is where Major Ravi makes a difference in our imagination with Picket 43, a simple and heart touching movie under the back drop of military.
The movie is all about the friendship between Hari, the Indian soldier at Picket 43, and his Pakistani counterpart. Iam not gonna reveal more as the movie is perfectly trimmed and revelation of anything more with destroy the thrill.
Coming to the making section, Major Ravi, the one who made path-breaking war films in Malayalam Industry, is back in great form. With Joemon T John as DOP, Major Ravi has offered novelty to most of the frames, a different kind of making actually. Scripting too requires applause, especially for the thrilling and crispy presentation of that storyline. The movie starts off slowly and proceeds slowly, only to gain speed in its latter parts. The initial half of movie passed off too simply without offering anything new, but as the movie proceeds, it got more interesting, and ended in an excellent way. Last 30 minutes of the movie was a scream, one really gets goosebumps in those emotional scenes. To be frank, I never expected such a brilliant making from Major Ravi. Kudos ji. This time, he also depicts various scenarios in Pakistan too. Both the lead roles were well balanced.
But, the show stealer was Prithviraj. What a performance man...! That dialogue delivery and performance in the climax sequences was superb.Hari will be a memorable role in his carrier,the actor who is banking on success, has yet another feather on his cap. His selection of characters too require applause. The other notable performance was from Javed Jaffery. Major has got the correct man for this role. Javed was perfect fit in his character. The duo of Javed nd Prithviraj was damn perfect. Renji Panicker is also seen in a good role. Harish Peradi's brief role was also impressive.
The other highlight factor in the film is Cinematography of Joemon T John. Frames were of top class. Even the lighter scenes had shots of great brilliancy. Kudos man. BG Score by Rex Vijayan offered novel approach and songs by Rateesh Vega were greatly impressive. Action sequences were perfect, neither too much nor too less.
The movie was good at its technical side too. Had a rich feel.
Though the family elements were presented well, that actress seemed so dumb. Except for. some forgettable slow pace in the first half, Picket 43 is an excellent movie, which touches the viewer's heart. I didn't know when ma eyes got tears. Damn effective the movie was. There was a huge applause when the movie finised. Mohanlal's narration was also good.
My Rating : 8/10 Don't miss visiting this Picket.
Venue: Prasad's IMAX, Hyderabad. Showtime: 9:45 am( 24/1/2015) Status: 40-45%
_Sooraj Pattazhy
Usually, the images of war, fight, shooting and some kinda rough stuff comes to our mind, when we think of an army movie. This is where Major Ravi makes a difference in our imagination with Picket 43, a simple and heart touching movie under the back drop of military.
The movie is all about the friendship between Hari, the Indian soldier at Picket 43, and his Pakistani counterpart. Iam not gonna reveal more as the movie is perfectly trimmed and revelation of anything more with destroy the thrill.
Coming to the making section, Major Ravi, the one who made path-breaking war films in Malayalam Industry, is back in great form. With Joemon T John as DOP, Major Ravi has offered novelty to most of the frames, a different kind of making actually. Scripting too requires applause, especially for the thrilling and crispy presentation of that storyline. The movie starts off slowly and proceeds slowly, only to gain speed in its latter parts. The initial half of movie passed off too simply without offering anything new, but as the movie proceeds, it got more interesting, and ended in an excellent way. Last 30 minutes of the movie was a scream, one really gets goosebumps in those emotional scenes. To be frank, I never expected such a brilliant making from Major Ravi. Kudos ji. This time, he also depicts various scenarios in Pakistan too. Both the lead roles were well balanced.
But, the show stealer was Prithviraj. What a performance man...! That dialogue delivery and performance in the climax sequences was superb.Hari will be a memorable role in his carrier,the actor who is banking on success, has yet another feather on his cap. His selection of characters too require applause. The other notable performance was from Javed Jaffery. Major has got the correct man for this role. Javed was perfect fit in his character. The duo of Javed nd Prithviraj was damn perfect. Renji Panicker is also seen in a good role. Harish Peradi's brief role was also impressive.
The other highlight factor in the film is Cinematography of Joemon T John. Frames were of top class. Even the lighter scenes had shots of great brilliancy. Kudos man. BG Score by Rex Vijayan offered novel approach and songs by Rateesh Vega were greatly impressive. Action sequences were perfect, neither too much nor too less.
The movie was good at its technical side too. Had a rich feel.
Though the family elements were presented well, that actress seemed so dumb. Except for. some forgettable slow pace in the first half, Picket 43 is an excellent movie, which touches the viewer's heart. I didn't know when ma eyes got tears. Damn effective the movie was. There was a huge applause when the movie finised. Mohanlal's narration was also good.
My Rating : 8/10 Don't miss visiting this Picket.
Venue: Prasad's IMAX, Hyderabad. Showtime: 9:45 am( 24/1/2015) Status: 40-45%
_Sooraj Pattazhy
It's not just a military movie.
arun_mr10 January 2018
The film does not have the usual style of making India and Pakistani as enemies only. Pictor 43 is the story of a friendly friendship with soldiers from enemy countries on the border.
Ranji Panikkar, who has been in the forefront of the camera from the movie, has done well.
The Hindi dialogue is mostly used in many parts of the film. This may be a bit difficult for some.
The best military movie in the world
VishnuprasadKmenon16 May 2019
Pritviraj is again showed his skill of acting. Actually pritviraj deserve a colonel position in army. It's not only a military movie it shows romance, friendship,family etc. The best point this movie is not like the worst military movies of mohanlal.If Indian army persons saw the movie the taken the Lt.colonel position from mohanlal and given to pritviraj.Also Major Ravi deserve appreciation for such a great direction.
Reeks Of Patriotism. ♦ 33%
nairtejas4 April 2015
If I ever want to hatch an example of bad directing, I'd recommend Major Ravi's second feature film Mission 90 Days (2007). So much for its plot about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, the film has zero emotion or substance. More than half a decade since that debacle, he has continued to advocate his undying love for the country. But, at the receiving end are we, the hapless audience who turn in our beds having nightmares about his movies. Picket-43, although qualifies in a category above that, it is still a boring drama.
Hari (Prithviraj) is a cowardly soldier who is assigned to guard one of the most dangerous posts at the India-Pakistan border. He finds comfort in a dog, who is his only companion at the post. As the plot drags forward, he shares comfort with a Pakistani soldier (Jaffrey). And eventually, Hari's heart aches for this soldier, obviously sympathized by his family who is waiting for him. The biggest problem with the storyline is that it only has a single perspective: that of the protagonist's. The writer's intention of conveying the message about the two rival countries and their deep, ancient friendship can be lauded, not because it is strong, but because it is the only thing that makes sense.
While the whole setup reminds of two recent Bollywood films: Filmistan (2014) & Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014), Picket-43 is nowhere near these competent films, even though they were directed by newbies. The practice/rehearsal that went behind the making of this film is also below satisfactory. Prithviraj clearly cannot handle a rifle, nor can he capture the pain of solidarity, which surprises me for I considered him a good actor, with lots of inheritance from his parentage. A little firing here, a little firing there is all that happens when people are not talking. As a result, success in wearying its audience comes easy. There are no major action sequences, either.
Major Ravi should keep to majoring, if he still can. A bad screenplay and an overly- patriotic plot to evince the plight of soldiers (in general) doesn't do much when it comes to entertainment. Yes, had it been a documentary about some real life hero, then Picket-43 would have been lauded. But do you think it would have made so much money then?
Roping in Mohanlal to narrate the message is the most pretentious thing I have seen this year. Only the non-linear narrative works for the film, but even that falters in the middle, as drama turns to melodrama turns to fiction.
BOTTOM LINE: If you are way too patriotic and consider the Wagah border closing as your single-best source of joy and entertainment, then Picket-43 will mesmerize you. Avoid if you are a regular cinephile who digs real drama. 3/10.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Hari (Prithviraj) is a cowardly soldier who is assigned to guard one of the most dangerous posts at the India-Pakistan border. He finds comfort in a dog, who is his only companion at the post. As the plot drags forward, he shares comfort with a Pakistani soldier (Jaffrey). And eventually, Hari's heart aches for this soldier, obviously sympathized by his family who is waiting for him. The biggest problem with the storyline is that it only has a single perspective: that of the protagonist's. The writer's intention of conveying the message about the two rival countries and their deep, ancient friendship can be lauded, not because it is strong, but because it is the only thing that makes sense.
While the whole setup reminds of two recent Bollywood films: Filmistan (2014) & Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014), Picket-43 is nowhere near these competent films, even though they were directed by newbies. The practice/rehearsal that went behind the making of this film is also below satisfactory. Prithviraj clearly cannot handle a rifle, nor can he capture the pain of solidarity, which surprises me for I considered him a good actor, with lots of inheritance from his parentage. A little firing here, a little firing there is all that happens when people are not talking. As a result, success in wearying its audience comes easy. There are no major action sequences, either.
Major Ravi should keep to majoring, if he still can. A bad screenplay and an overly- patriotic plot to evince the plight of soldiers (in general) doesn't do much when it comes to entertainment. Yes, had it been a documentary about some real life hero, then Picket-43 would have been lauded. But do you think it would have made so much money then?
Roping in Mohanlal to narrate the message is the most pretentious thing I have seen this year. Only the non-linear narrative works for the film, but even that falters in the middle, as drama turns to melodrama turns to fiction.
BOTTOM LINE: If you are way too patriotic and consider the Wagah border closing as your single-best source of joy and entertainment, then Picket-43 will mesmerize you. Avoid if you are a regular cinephile who digs real drama. 3/10.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Borderline
sesht1 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
One more example this year of intent completely trumping execution, not at all in a bad way either.
In case you were wondering, the other example of the same this year is the overwhelmingly overrated P.K. My review on that should be on here somewhere, in case you wanted to check it for that.
In a nutshell, this one's a character story of 2 soldiers, one each from the camp opposite to the other, dealing with their feelings of loneliness, duty, honor, alienation, trust and the like. Locally, I have not seen this aspect examined to the extent this one does, and that itself is a very good, and positive sign, and hopefully its success prompt many others to follow suit and hopefully better this effort, since this one's a middling one, with many areas left unexplored, and few others that could have been done way better, but that's fodder for covering later.
The locations are simple and decent, and most of the performances match the written word in terms of characterisation.
The score was pretty decent too, and much better than most of the other works in this genre.
Now, for the negatives: - There's quite a bit of OTT (Over-the-top) acting in this one, that feels inorganic and unnatural, taking one out of the scenes where they occur. - The action choreography doesn't give one a sense of location, or proportion, and though they're not as badly setup as the gravity-defying set-pieces populating the populist marketplace, they're (shudder!) probably the next worst thing to those. - The clichés could have all been eschewed, especially in the flashback sequences. On the other hand, real-life people also seem to love being clichés, so who knows if the makers were in fact commenting on that aspect of what makes us a society. If that is the case, I can honestly say that the effort is appreciated. But somehow I don't think this one's as self-aware. - The Wagah border sequence. Thematically relevant, but goes on and on, and then for some more time. Yawn. - Lt. Col. (Insert famous name here>. Why? I thought Prithviraj Sukumaran could open a movie on his own, and that's why he was cast (not just because he can actually act). One of those mysteries, I suppose. Completely unnecessary. Detracts from both the prologue and the epilogue. The editor could've been more strict on that. How many cameos have not been excised in the service of the plot. The Ruth Wilson segments from 'A walk among the tombstones' springs to mind (though I feel she's an integral character to what makes Scudder, well, him - but I digress). - The absence of a real malicious presence in terms of a true villain, in spite of all the available options. - The potential, of this one to be a fantastic mind-game between the stock leads was never utilized, and that IS a pity, considering the potential of both actors involved. - The potential, and setup, for a very nice harmonica score. Completely wasted. - The mystery behind one of the main characters waiting across the stream for the other, for, well, a really long time, and considering the elements, some change in the character's aspect was warranted, but here's some suspension-of-disbelief schtick for you. Digest!!!
Well, I love the plot, and the (noble?) intent nevertheless, and all the points for this one stem from those aspects. Worth watching, especially on the big screen.
In case you were wondering, the other example of the same this year is the overwhelmingly overrated P.K. My review on that should be on here somewhere, in case you wanted to check it for that.
In a nutshell, this one's a character story of 2 soldiers, one each from the camp opposite to the other, dealing with their feelings of loneliness, duty, honor, alienation, trust and the like. Locally, I have not seen this aspect examined to the extent this one does, and that itself is a very good, and positive sign, and hopefully its success prompt many others to follow suit and hopefully better this effort, since this one's a middling one, with many areas left unexplored, and few others that could have been done way better, but that's fodder for covering later.
The locations are simple and decent, and most of the performances match the written word in terms of characterisation.
The score was pretty decent too, and much better than most of the other works in this genre.
Now, for the negatives: - There's quite a bit of OTT (Over-the-top) acting in this one, that feels inorganic and unnatural, taking one out of the scenes where they occur. - The action choreography doesn't give one a sense of location, or proportion, and though they're not as badly setup as the gravity-defying set-pieces populating the populist marketplace, they're (shudder!) probably the next worst thing to those. - The clichés could have all been eschewed, especially in the flashback sequences. On the other hand, real-life people also seem to love being clichés, so who knows if the makers were in fact commenting on that aspect of what makes us a society. If that is the case, I can honestly say that the effort is appreciated. But somehow I don't think this one's as self-aware. - The Wagah border sequence. Thematically relevant, but goes on and on, and then for some more time. Yawn. - Lt. Col. (Insert famous name here>. Why? I thought Prithviraj Sukumaran could open a movie on his own, and that's why he was cast (not just because he can actually act). One of those mysteries, I suppose. Completely unnecessary. Detracts from both the prologue and the epilogue. The editor could've been more strict on that. How many cameos have not been excised in the service of the plot. The Ruth Wilson segments from 'A walk among the tombstones' springs to mind (though I feel she's an integral character to what makes Scudder, well, him - but I digress). - The absence of a real malicious presence in terms of a true villain, in spite of all the available options. - The potential, of this one to be a fantastic mind-game between the stock leads was never utilized, and that IS a pity, considering the potential of both actors involved. - The potential, and setup, for a very nice harmonica score. Completely wasted. - The mystery behind one of the main characters waiting across the stream for the other, for, well, a really long time, and considering the elements, some change in the character's aspect was warranted, but here's some suspension-of-disbelief schtick for you. Digest!!!
Well, I love the plot, and the (noble?) intent nevertheless, and all the points for this one stem from those aspects. Worth watching, especially on the big screen.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
