Paltan trailer: Though technically sound, it lacks the punch one expects from a war film

JP Dutta is known for making war films like Border (1997) and LOC: Kargil (2003). After trying his hand at the romantic-drama genre with Umrao Jaan in 2006, he is back to the front with Paltan.

The film is based on the Nathu La and Cho La clashes between India and China in September-October of 1967. The two military forces were up in arms for the disputed land of Nathu La in the Chumbi Valley. The clashes occurred almost five years after India faced defeat in the 1962 Sino-India war.

The ensemble cast of Paltan includes Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Esha Gupta, Sonal Chauhan, Deepika Kakar, Abdul Quadir Amin, Siddhant Kapoor and Pulkit Samrat. The well known television actress, Monica Gill, who made her big screen debut with Firangi last year, also features in Paltan.

Going by the trailer, looks like Dutta has upgraded his filmmaking as far as the technical aspects of warfare is concerned. The scenes showing explosions and gunshots, and the production design of the film makes one feel that the director has used some modern techniques for this period film.

However, the trailer lacks the punch one expects from a war film. The raised pitches of the actors while delivering their dialogues and the repeated sloganeering irks the viewers and deflates the fervour of patriotism.

It is difficult to judge the performances of any of the artistes as none of them remain onscreen for long.

Paltan is all set to be released on 7 September.

Watch the trailer below: