Paltan (2018) User Reviews

In a journey to recreate Border it fails vaguely!

[MuviFan73 · 5/10 · 7 September 2018]

Tone, Script & Story: Apart from a few factors changed, this movie tries to create what team J.P.Dutta created with Border. It was story of 1971 war between India and Pakistan. This is the story of war between India and China for post called Nathula. It takes place in year 1967 five years after India lost to China in 1962.

What it has copied from Border are the scenes highlighting family life, scenes highlighting love life, lone soldier taking entire bunker, waiting for orders from high authority to take further action.

Now what new has been introduced here is Chinese keep being a pain by exploiting border regulations. A chief explains how in some book it is written tactics to demoralize your enemy and China is acting in the same way.

The melodrama here in this movie is reduced maybe because today's audience won't accept it. For me Border was a better movie. Paltan on the other hand despite being rated low by me does not hurt to watch.

Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: It was a story to be told and the director succeeded. Screenplay and Cinematography were justified.

Music: After giving such a good music in LOC Kargil and Border, I would say the Dutta team ended up on what I call less than average account. Acting: Acting was Justified.

Final Verdict: What should I say? In a journey to recreate Border it fails vaguely! Or Chichorapan handled well in this melodramatic patriotic deal.

was good. Could have been better.

[chinkun · 5/10 · 18 June 2020]

Okay so i was excited to watch this movie when i saw the trailer. as someone who has seen a lot of hollywood war movies, i wouldnt say it was bad but wasnt good either. the clash took place for 5 long days but here it shows everything ending in one single day. it would have been better had the movie taken this into account, like LOC Kargil and continued the battle sequence for atleast 3-4 days. The directors and producers need to see how hollywood made SAVING PVT RYAN in 1998 and still tops the hollywood war movies list. The emotional back story of the soldiers could have been less and more action could have been there. Finally JP Dutta sir forgot that a good war movie requires good actors who could deliver the movie in a better way. and a lot of money and research. because it was based upon real incidents, i loved to know about a forgotten and often neglected part of our history where we were victorious and should be proud of.

Gritty, Realistic, Simplistic

[rajabhattacharjee2005 · 6/10 · 9 September 2018]

Paltan is pretty slow, is simplistic in all moments apart from those at the border, where it comes to gritty and realistic life. The relentless jostling for position, the eerie quiet in the barren plateaus of Sikkim, the reverberating hammer, driving the stake to the ground, where inch by inch, India washed the demons of 1962. Its as if you are there, and watching the action. So, unlike a Bollywood movie, things happen slowly. Therefore it's not going to be a hit. Yet, if anyone needs to understand what's happening on the LAC day in and day out at Arunachal and Ladakh, this is a must see. JP Dutta uses his motifs of letters from loved ones, calls to them, and the mandatory flashbacks, yet he doesn't quite create the magic of the iconic 'Border'.

Extremely poorly made film

[arupghose · 3/10 · 6 January 2019]

Paltan is a very poorly made film. The first half is very slow and fails to grip you whatsoever. The acting is weak, the dialogues are awful and the screenplay average. The final was scene was marginally better but couldn't recreate the epic scenes from Border.

What made Border the film it is was it's performances. Sunil Shetty and Akshaye Khanna were at the start of their careers but were able to deliver career defining roles. Then add seniors like Jackie Shroff and Sunny Deol. Unfortunately in Paltan no one really steps up. I was extremely excited when I saw Gurmeet in the film but he lacked the power the role required. Arjun Rampal was ok. Sonu Sood a little disappointing. Harshvardan Rane actually impressed me so I'm surprised he hasn't done more films. Jackie Shroff has limited scope but delivers his role fine. Luv Sinha and Sidhanth Kapoor not worth talking about. On the whole the starcaste was not up to standards. I'm not saying you have to pick Sunny Deol to make a good war film but pick better actors!

Not sure what Anu Malik was thinking when he created the music. It's so bad!!! How amazing was the music in Border, Refugee etc but this is pathetic. Shame he used Sonu Nigam for 2 songs but they were extremely poorly created.

On the whole Paltan is an extremely weak film which fails to tell an epic war story well to its audiences. JP Dutta hasn't made a good film for a very long so perhaps he needs to reconsider his strategy.

One of the worst war movie in bollywood

[Sovik_Das · 2/10 · 5 October 2018]

Too lengthy script with not much of substance in it. Lead actors were not up to the mark. Over dramatization of the scenarios lead to the failure of the film.

It's not bad.

[chandan-17014 · 7/10 · 10 September 2018]

One spends money on so many useless things today. So, just buy the ticket, try to watch it, its not that bad and if you don't like it, come out. But do promote patriotic movies.

Poor story with very pathetic acting and dialogue

[rahuldevsingh-33417 · 1/10 · 7 September 2018]

J P Dutta has completely lost it...he is no longer able to produce patriotic movies. All actors except Arjun Rampal acted worse than Salman Khan.

I think there is a problem with people

[faisalfaves · 8/10 · 14 November 2018]

People nowadays watch stupid movies like Bombay Valvet more than these movies, at least cinema owners and media think about promoting these movies. Simple movies, no stupid love stories, no stupid songs, just simple movies like this people always miss. Highly Recommended!

Must watch !!!

[yudhvir-80050 · 10 September 2018]

Its a no nonsense movie with actual facts and incidents of the battle and not scuffle as most of Indians tag it.

i read some critics talking about the weaknesses and problems with movie but such as Langer from Indian express and i will not blame them because for them movies such as Tiger Zinda ... are actual war movies. There were problems back than with China and there are ongoing issue as we see this movie. Knowing some of the people who were there on that day of the incidents, I can tell you that this is exactly what happened on that day.

Its low budget, no fancy stuff but honest movie. Must watch i would say

Could have been an excellent TV or Web Series

[saketsaurav-21387 · 6/10 · 8 September 2018]

A pure war film is a thing of past now. The movie is highly descriptive and at the same time is high on drama too. Mr. J P Dutta tried to recreate something we have already scene in his magnum opus Border and succeeded at places. However repititive dialogues, flat acting, over enthusiastic expressions, heavy background score, and slow narration makes this movie a tough one to watch in a single go. Still the Indo-China conflict of 1967 is something every Indian should know and be proud of. The movie could have worked wonders as a TV or Web Series.

Bad story...

[krukgabani · 1/10 · 3 January 2019]

Only say that the story is poor and movie is even worse than that.

My ideas on how to make a better war movie

[Vineet_MishraPrayagraj_Dibiyapur · 10/10 · 8 September 2018]

This movie is good but it would have been better if the emotional drama part was reduced a little, also, today's audience doesn't like to sit for long on emotional drama or songs. Well , anyway what was best about this movie was, that ,it was inspired from real incidence , so audience was actually believing , what they were watching. So that's why I say that every Indian must watch this movie, to know the reality of every soldier who stands on the border protecting our country. Movies like this should be encouraged more and more. But, trust me JP DUTTA Sir, whatever you will earn from the movie is not MUCH because of your skills as a director or Sonu Nigam or Any actor of the movie, but it would be majorly because of those real heroes, whose names are still mentioned in the legend of Nathu La. Try watching Hollywood movies on war, don't try to replicate Border movie all the time. It was great movie 20 years back , both because of story and strong acting by all it's actor. But today it's not going to work, please change with time. My rating will be 100% on BMS and 10 on IMDb and I will try to make more and more people watch this, as movies like these need encouragement but, Please, Directors also need to work hard in terms of R&D, especially, in terms of audience psychology etc.

Tried giving justice to Maj general Sagat singh, but failed

[rggala · 6/10 · 26 January 2021]

This story is rarely known, because none of the history books cover even a smallest part of the story. Story was very good, but 2 and a half hrs are too less to prtray it. It woild have been better if it was prtrayed through a web series. Also, connection with pakistan from 1965, and many other things are missing in the movie.

Its a huge let down. Watch with no expectations...

[hrhkalways · 3/10 · 2 November 2018]

I am personally a huge fan of war movies and it takes a lot for me to rate it lower. But this movie is made on the border template. Without application of thought. Same type of character building, same style of back story. And just when the tempo would get exciting, they cut the tempo with flashback or some song. Sad editing. It could have been fast and furious. But alas. All my loyalty could not make me like it.

A flabby and avoidable movie; Border copy-paste template

[jaunty_jatin · 2/10 · 7 September 2018]

To start with, the search for an 'epic' war movie is still on. While Border invoked a feeling of pride amongst kids and a lot of ethnocentric Indians. I still enjoy watching that movie. It's good even after all these years. However, those who have watched movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket, etc., we can safely opine that we have a long way to go to rub shoulders with Hollywood standards of storytelling. There's nothing wrong with itsy-bitsy songs in between because hey, that's how unnecessary music is interjected rudely from a commercial point of view. The average Indian movie buff is immune to this and we don't mind zoning out for the duration of the song. The trailer is just a ruse. The movie lacks a lot of punch and over the edge action. It even doesn't deliver the emotional content that we usually love. There is no retribution of martyred soldiers either.

After having watched Border, LOC and now Paltan, the template of every JP Dutta goes something like this:

1) A wheezing, blood-coughing and salivating hero who makes the ultimate sacrifice with an explosive (Maa Shakti Maa anyone?)

2) You'll see at least one actress meeting her fiancé in the field. Add Sugarcane, flowers, sarso fields to the mix. Voila. Brimming with Desi vibes. The rest of the fauji wives are all desi girls. Nothing wrong with that portrayal but a bit of diversity helps.

3) There will be a situation in which Jackie Shroff has to wait for an approval and watch his 'Paltan' get decimated. Reminds me of the MIG scene in the movie, Border.

4) An Indian fauji (won't give away spoilers) detonates five grenades in a bunker to take down the enemy with him, the body of the slain Indian solider still does not disintegrate. Defying physics because why not?

5) Strong foreshadowing scenes before a soldier's death.

The opening scene after the skirmish and battle will really set you off. We all deal with grief differently. Some cry, some stay shocked and speechless until it sinks in. However, it's the first time I have seen synchronized bawling at 5am in the morning when the postman delivers telegrams to the families of the martyred soldiers of the 1962 battle. How can you expect all family members to be awake in the morning? And whatever happened to people experiencing shock and trauma? But no - incessant forced crying and yelling will make the audience glued to their seats. No sir!

To be fair, the trailer seemed very promising despite lacking a solid cast. It is the kind of content that we dig: a patriotic and thumping movie that seemed to have struck a chord with everyone. Although Border was fraught with plot holes and some awkward scenes (The way Jackie Shroff gives a thumbs-up to Sunny Deol despite being 2000 feet in the air had transcended into meme content once we snapped out of our childhood hangover dose of patriotism).

In this review, I'll try to be as objective as possible without spilling spoilers along the way. Even if you do come across any spoilers in any other reviews, there is nothing to lose.

This movie could have been so much better. After all, the recent Doklam stand-off was fresh in our minds and if anyone did read up on the battles, we know that Indians emerged victorious against Chinese incursions. Nathula was one of the battles in which our brave soldiers paid the price in blood to save Sikkim from getting annexed. What really has flummoxed me is the sheer lack of loose plot. JP Dutta has weaved the plot around true battle stories. Screenplay is really awful and the acting is not out of the ordinary either. There is one particular dialogue in the movie that invokes a feeling of awkwardness when Gurprit Singh and his beau are having some implied and pun-intended dirty talking where jaggery is used as a metaphor by the actress as ahem ahem. Stay classy, JP Dutta! It seemed crass and funny.

While Indian cinema and filmmaking is certainly take the right strides (Anurag Kashyap is a welcome change), this is the final nail on the coffin for JP Dutta to produce another war movie. If you thought LoC was not up to the mark, Paltan is bereft of any superlative at all. There is no 'wow' moment in the movie ever. Vapid is the word.

On that note, I wish I wouldn't have had to write this negative review because a part of me still wanted this movie to do exceedingly well. But it has failed to deliver. With the kind of storytelling we have seen in few movies and a particular Indian show (Go figure!), I'm positive that our version of an epic war movie can certainly take-off in the future. But for now, we all wait with baited breath for that pivotal moment!

Left the movie theater during the interval

[madhumita1991 · 3/10 · 18 October 2020]

Expecting an action movie based on history, I was extremely disappointed when the movie couldn't even convey the feelings of patriotism to me. Whatever I watched had hardly any action, just the Chinese troops trying to encroach upon the border, the Indian army stopping them, and the truce being resumed with a cry of "Hindi-Chini, Bhai Bhai!" That's all that happened aside from a sprinkling of romantic masala in the first half. I usually even sit through extremely abominable movies, but this time, it just felt that not only had I lost my $12, it was also sucking out the 2+ hours of my life when I'd rather be doing something more productive. So, for the first and last time so far in my life, I walked out of the theater halfway through. Would not recommend this movie to anyone, even those who prefer the historic/patriotic genre. No hate for the actors though.

Slow screen play!!!!

[aayaz108 · 1/10 · 17 November 2018]

This is not enough and too good movie. bad script and there have no good stories. producer and director want they can improve this story. I thought this is good when i watch trailer but when i saw full movie then i thought they can improve script. true story based but sometime can add twist. hope for the best.

thanks for this. hope we will get more interest and nice true story based movie.

Best movie. Salute to our brave soldiers n thier family.

[toranbiotech · 10/10 · 8 September 2018]

Vry nice movie. Nvr seen this type of movie before. Best movie in theaters. The movie had a sense n tell about our brave soldiers. I salute to our brave soldiers n makers of this movie. Our country is the best. N we can do anything if we are determined. Jai hind Jai bharat.

Stale performance, terrible dialogues, worst acting and unbearable casting

[yashpatil-30713 · 1/10 · 16 December 2018]

Watched this movie with lot of hope since it has patriotic theme and of course Dutta's direction. What a let down. No wonder it went completely unnoticed. Here's my two cents on the movie 1. I don't know if JP Dutta was just bored sitting home all these years but I feel like there was absolutely no effort put into writing dialogues or casting characters. 2. Bunch of new faces who recite dialogues as if they are reading it in rehearsals. 3. Veteran actors like Jackie and Others are absolutely terrible with dialogue deliveries. 4. The whole family/romance melodrama doesn't fit into a movie. Also not sure who casted these bunch of new actresses but wow...it's a mess All and all, total dud

Who says it's a bad movie? Trust me it's great

[sohil8701 · 10/10 · 8 November 2018]

It's slow, but it's a great movie. Everything shown in this movie about border issues Indo-China is true.... Loved watching this movie.

Unnecessary drama

[suryanarayanpadhi · 1/10 · 9 September 2018]

Lacks authentic feel of a real war movie. Typical Bollywood masala stuff devoid of technicalities and details of a war movie.

Not upto mark

[kishankumarsajan · 2/10 · 23 November 2018]

True sad.. story to tik hi lea tha.. but screenplay sahi ni hua. JP jee se

Not what was expected.

[iSatchit · 4/10 · 10 November 2018]

I watched this movie because I like war films & i expected something like border from JP Dutta, but he disappointed me. Nothing great not even an average movie according to me. Performance of the actors were below average. I don't know what made JP cast Arjun for this movie, he was not even average. I don't think he is even made for such kind of movies. Jackie , Sonu Sood were ok Direction was poor. Guys just don't waste your money and time.

J P DUTTA stop making films now!!

[rohitkrmehta · 1/10 · 7 September 2018]

We should be proud of our history and sacrifices by our army but why repeat everything that you keep on doing in every war movies. This time a lesser number of star cast to tell the story so there is less time duration for the movie 2and half hour to be precise. The movie is just waste of time and money.

Patriotic movie

[shashwat-69266 · 10/10 · 9 September 2018]

You should must watch this movie in order to know the history....