CultureCinema Uri: An Endeavour In Igniting Over-The-Top Nationalist Passions With Tired Clichés

Uri: An Endeavour In Igniting Over-The-Top Nationalist Passions With Tired Clichés

Uri: The Surgical Strike is the quintessential Bollywood army-drama. It has got everything the predictable Hindi cinema army-tale has – exaggerated male heroes, good sons, women who are plot devices, tired stereotypes, and misplaced nationalist pride in war.

Uri: The Surgical Strike is the quintessential Bollywood army-drama. It has got everything the predictable Hindi cinema army-tale has – exaggerated male heroes, good sons, women who are plot devices, tired stereotypes, and misplaced nationalist pride in war. Uri is 2 hours 18 minutes of propaganda and attempts to make money by igniting over-the-top nationalist passions in an audience that has misconceptions about war and believes it to be sacred, and in classic Bollywood-style, it does so with tired clichés.

The movie, which is based on the 2016 Uri attacks and the subsequent surgical strikes orchestrated by the Indian army in response, had the opportunity to be truly humane. But the movie is a predictable, dull, Bollywood-esque tale about an exaggerated hero, in an attempt to milk nationalist sentiments.

The movie brushes over the attack on the Uri base-camp rather swiftly, with a mere three scenes devoted to it, the rest is about making the aggravators bleed at the hands of our tough-guy hero. Major Vihaan Singh Shergill played by Vicky Kaushal wants to lead the surgical strikes in POK because his brother-in-law was martyred in Uri. The tough-guy brother tries to avenge the grief of his sad, pregnant, pitiful sister – classic Bollywood. The movie isn’t about terrorism and war, and the devastation it causes, it is about one man.

The women of Uri solely exist to be used as plot-devices. They have no real purpose. The three central female characters in Uri have precious little to do. Mansi Parekh, who plays Vicky Kaushal’s sister, only exists in the movie so that her grief over losing her husband in Uri can exacerbate Kaushal’s need to take action.

The movie isn’t about terrorism and war, and the devastation it causes, it is about one man.

Yami Gautam is a RAW agent. Pallavi Sharma doesn’t do much – she exists to hint at a possible romantic relationship between her character and Kaushal’s. Kriti Kulhari plays an IAF officer and at first, it might look like she may be the only female cast member with a real role to play, but we are left disappointed. Kulhari’s Seerat Kaur is enlisted by Kaushal’s character to aid with the surgical strikes, but all in all, this IAF officer is in three shots, at the most.

In most Bollywood films, Gautam and Kulhari’s characters would be clubbed to make one colleague/love interest character, but in Hindi cinema, upstanding men don’t hit on widows.

Uri, in an attempt to ignite nationalist sentiments – which would ultimately turn into revenue – resorts to tired cliches and stereotypes. It takes the approach of ‘we, the sanctimonious and they, the deprived’. Pakistani officials are portrayed as incompetent individuals who are sloppy, callous, and apparently, amateur sleuths. On the other hand, we have Indian officials who are exceedingly competent and righteous, upstanding men.

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In a scene featuring a Pakistani official at work, we see him constantly burping and speaking of his heartburn, even during an official call, with who is apparently a superior. In another shot we see a high-ranking official failing at golf. The asinine, incompetent official, whose incompetency translates to bad policy decisions is a common portrayal of Pakistan in Bollywood – while, Indian officials always have the Midas touch, as everything they touch turns to gold.

All this is in stark contrast to Vicky Kaushal’s last year release – Raazi, where he plays a Pakistani army officer. Everything Raazi did right, Uri did wrong. Raazi treated its characters with the same respect and humanity, their gender, nationality, and loyalties, notwithstanding. Raazi was raw, real, and human, whereas Uri is problematic, and ultimately bigoted.

While watching Kaushal blow up people on-screen in retaliation, we don’t see the real story of one of the world’s most densely militarised areas, where lives are endangered each day and soldiers are pawns in political conflict.

Uri focuses on making money by playing to the tune of our bigotry. The story of Uri is of loss and conflict, but the movie is about victory. Kaushal’s character, his bravery, and desire for revenge are the only thing that matter in the movie’s universe, the movie doesn’t much care about the causalities of the Uri attacks, or the cost of terrorism and political conflict.

The audience was thrilled to see the aggravators bleed, while all the while conveniently forgetting we are bleeding, too. When toxic nationalism is brought into a theatre while viewing a film like Uri, it can be easy to forget – there are no real victors in war. War leaves behind destruction, loss, grief, and pain. War is not sacred, but we often make it out to be. We push for wars and victories overseas, while conveniently forgetting the human cost of war, in terms of soldiers, civilians, and everyone left behind in the wake of its destruction.

While watching Kaushal blow up people on-screen in retaliation, we don’t see the real story of one of the world’s most densely militarised areas, where lives are endangered each day and soldiers are pawns in political conflict. While remaining in the comfort of our conflict-free realities, miles away, it can be easy to forget the cost we pay each day.

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When the Uri attacks originally occurred, many people insisted on war, because we were never taught war isn’t sacred, and these people went to theatres with the same fallacies, and with glee at watching Pakistan bleed. The surgical strikes must have been necessary military action, but as a people, it is time we start seeking a resolution, instead of more conflict. It is easy to celebrate war when you’re an audience to it, but it is a whole different ball game when you are a casualty of war.


Featured Image Source: Entertaining Creatures

Comments:

  1. pran says:

    Thanx. Try writing comedy plot. You are good In it.

  2. Arnav says:

    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and therefore I will not criticise your article in any way. I will also avoid talking about the gender issues you had with the film as it would be a futile debate with everyone having different opinions. However, I will bring into the spotlight the few factors in this article which I felt to be wrong.
    1) The movie, which you feel is a propaganda instrument using nationalism to make money is actually a much needed film which has and will continue to uplift the morale of our soldiers and the citizens of this proud nation. 2) The movie mainly revolves around one man, the protagonist because it is easier to relate with one man’s personal grief and his desire for retribution. The movie was not made with the centre plot being the casualties of the Uri attack, cost of terrorism or political conflict because we already knew about these topics. What we wanted to know was what had been done to avenge the casualties of the Uri attack. This great film is based on the retaliation in the form of the surgical strikes and motivation of the participating soldiers and the army due to their fallen comrades. 3) War is hell and the casualties of war are forever hurt physically or emotionally. However when you say it is time to seek resolution and not more conflict do you realise that India is a country which has believed in never starting a war or engaging it’s enemy states first and I do believe it has stood firm by these prinicipals. Depite all these peace talks and cease fires , Indian soldiers die every month because of terrorism and other combat action. Do you expect the military forces to remain quiet while enemies of the Indian state attack Indian soldiers and civilians and to not retaliate. Peace is the ultimate goal of the military forces but fatal action is necessary quite a few times for them to secure this goal. It has rightly been said, ‘If you want peace, prepare for war’.

  3. It would be pretty cool if you’d take a look at my rebuttal of sorts to your take of Uri:

    https://orangefalcon.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/uri-the-surgical-strike-a-study-of-jingoistic-nationalism/

    🙂

  4. Sulabh says:

    Pretty scathing and irraional isn’t it ? your point of view, as a rational unbiased non left wing, non right wing person, i would like to ask you one thing, when has fighting for our country become “not glorious” ? when did it became wrong to be a nationalist and defend our country against an enemy who wants to destroy our harmony and annhilate our very existense. I know that these dumb devoid of logic sanghis has brought the worst out of people even people of all different ideoligies but please be rational in your demeanour when your talking about soliders going to wars, to defend us, this is coming from a guy who crticises indians and india in general and who kinda sort of hate india and its bigots, patriarchical society, casteism, its attitude towards women of lower social status, atrocities against people who are (low caste as per that dumb book Manusmriti) and its attitude towards Woman in general,honour killings, love jihad, our dumb media like Zee tv and NDTV but despite all this rage with the issues of this country, i still care deeply and owe a lot of gratitude to soliders of this country who protects us at huge personal cost and the dedication and love towards our country beautiful country called india. Don’t stoop down to these brainwashed bhakths levels and become left wing Nazis, be logical and don’t cross the line like these Sanghis, be loyal to people and to your moral compass, rather than adhering to a particular party or ideology. That is my humble request to all the left wingers. Please find the middle ground and don’t support majority or minority, caste or religion because only you people have retained a bit of sense, RSS Sanghis are hopeless cause, beyond redemption but certainly are reprehensible and deserve to retributed for all their heinous acts towards minorites.

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