Movie Review: 1971

We watched Amit Sagar's debut film, "1971" last night and loved it.

The story is about Indian POW's from the India-Pakistan war of 1971, who in 1977 should have been released. Yet, they were detained in Pakistan and forgotten. This film follows their escape from imprisonment to India.

It's smart and realistic. As military men, they were good at planning and strategizing, as well as combat. The elements of a good action were definitely woven into the film. Again, this is a sample of the new class of films coming from India - side stepping the traditional Bollywood masala. Also, they made an effort to show a balance of positive and negative impressions of Pakistan -- there are people who want to help them.

I liked seeing the diversity of the Indian army. It's made of Indians - Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Chrisitans. Each soldier mentioned his home, scattered throughout India, indicating the diverse communities. Yet, their love for their country was the strongest. The characters are human and credible.

The heartbreaking part is to recognize POW's are still not home. They said there were 54 Indian POW's in Pakistan who were last seen alive in 1988.

My husband's family has suffered the loss of one member who was in the Indian military. He died on a mission and was duly granted the Indian Air Force's Vayu Sena medal of honor in 1968. For us, the ache of military life comes close to home. To know that a family member is alive and is unjustedly imprisoned would be unbearable.

At the end of the movie, they list the POW's who have not returned home. While the rest of the movie may have been fictionalized, it is moving to put real names and faces to the story.