Pippa Movie REVIEW: Ishaan, Mrunal Thakur, Priyanshu Painyuli starrer is a decent watch, it captivates you in bits and parts

Film:
Pippa Movie Review

Director: Raja Krishna Menon

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Star cast: Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur, Priyanshu Painyuli, Soni Razdan

Pippa Movie Review

Pippa starring Ishaan Khatter is a biographical film on Captain Balram Singh Mehta. It is an adaptation of real-life events that happened during the Battle of Garibpur in 1971. The movie is about a young man Balram Singh who becomes a captain after Major Narag falls. It is a story about Balram Singh who leads the 45 cavalry to victory at Garibpur. Moreover, it is also about the PT-76 tank that was lovingly named Pippa in Punjab as it could float on the water like a ‘ghee da dabba’.

Story:

PIPPA tells the story of Captain Balram Singh Mehta of India’s 45 Cavalry regiment who, along with his siblings, fought on the eastern front during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. Named after the Russian amphibious war tank “PT-76”, which floats on water like an empty ‘Pippa’ (tin) of ghee, the film traces Mehta’s coming-of-age as he steps up to prove himself in a war to liberate Bangladesh.

What’s good about Pippa

Cinematography: Raja Krishna Menon has done a great job of capturing the essence of the 1970s. Right from its setting to the costume, he ensures to make it as authentic as needed.

Story: The first half of the story builds by introducing the character and how Bangladesh was in a dire state. However, it then cuts to the chase and comes straight to the point and how ‘Pippa’ becomes an important party on the battlefield. It slowly and steadily builds interest in the story and you are invested to know how the battle turns out to be. It eventually grows on you.

What didn’t work for Pippa

Screenplay: However, the story fails to impact you in bits and parts. There are a few scenes where the story fails to hold your attention. It needs to be a little more cohesive and crispier I feel. Apart from that, the story also confuses a little and doesn’t give a clear view of the story.

Additional scenes: Moreover, it is a war drama which is based on a real-life character and it was quite odd to see a dance number in it. Yes, army officers have all the right to dance and enjoy; however, it was quite absurd to see a fully choreographed song in the movie. That actually makes you feel that you’re watching a fictional movie and not a biographical movie. I feel it was not needed in a war movie like this.

VFX: Since it is a war movie, a lot of CGI and VFX are used to create war scenes. However, the special effects used in this looks quite tacky. They needed more work on it.

Star performance

Ishaan Khatter who plays the role of Captain Balram Mehta in Pippa is a good actor; however, it was different this time. He wasn’t as impactful with his performance as he usually was in his previous movies. It was a little difficult for me to accept him as an army officer or a captain. Ishaan wasn’t bad in the movie, but the character’s intensity doesn’t hit you hard.

Mrunal Thakur plays the role of Radha, the sister of Captain Balram and she delivers a fair job. Her character has the potential to contribute to the story but sadly that seems limited in Pippa. Mrunal as Radha looks beautiful and gives a good performance.

Priyanshu Painyuli plays the role of the army officer and the elder brother of Balram. He also delivers a decent performance as an army officer in his limited screen space.

Soni Razdan plays the mother of all three characters and she is so relatable. She is genuine and heartwarming. Even though she is seen for some time, Soni Razdan plays her part with utmost honesty.

Conclusion

Concluding the Pippa movie review, Ishaan Khatter starrer is a decent movie to watch. The film will surely evoke a sense of patriotism as it showcases a soldier’s life. Though the story is intriguing, it will still make you feel a little lost in bits and parts. The film could have been delivered in a shorter runtime.

Watch the Pippa trailer after the review

Also read: Aankh Micholi Review: Nothing funny about Abhimanyu Dassani & Mrunal Thakur’s comedy of errors