Operation Valentine REVIEW: Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar starrer is a decent watch but lacks potential

Film:
Operation Valentine Review

Director: Shakti Pratap Singh

Writers: Aamir Nahid Khan, Siddharth Raj Kumar, Shakti Pratap Singh

Star cast: Varun Tej, Manushi Chhillar, Ruhani Sharma, Paresh Pahuja

Runtime: 2 hours 12 mins

Platform: Theatre

Operation Valentine Review

Operation Valentine starring Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar has been released today. Though the movie is not based on any true events, it directly hints at certain events that occurred in the country. The movie strikes a balance between being too patriotic and an action flick. Operation Valentine is a decent movie but lacks impact. The film is bound to get compared to Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter but the only difference both had is the level of execution. Fighter was more intense with the right amount of commerciality. Whereas Operation Valentine was less impactful with zero commercialism. Despite the difference, Operation Valentine becomes a decent film to watch, read the review.

Story

A patriotic, edge-of-the-seat entertainer showcases Air Force heroes on the front lines and the challenges they faced as they fought one of the biggest, fiercest aerial attacks that India has ever seen.

Highlights of Operation Valentine

Aerial action: Fighter has shown us some stunning aerial action that kept us on the edge of the seat. However, Operation Valentine didn’t take us on a thriller ride but it did put up a great fight. The action sequences were well-choreographed and nicely executed.

Air Force technicalities: When talking about technicalities, Operation Valentine shows what tension and strategies go on the ground. Yes, there’s a battle going on in the air but a lot goes on the ground and the movie shows the tension effectively. Moreover, Shakti Pratap Singh attempted to make everything authentic and kudos to him. For instance, when the actors were seen sitting in the cockpit. It is a minute detail but the way they were even tilting their heads inside the cockpit the moment they drifted the aircraft looked real and natural.

Drawbacks of Operation Valentine

Screenplay: In the first half, Shakti Pratap Singh tries to build up the story and establish its characters but seems overstretched. With limited time, he tries to bring everything from showing his past trauma to his romance with his wife Manushi Chhillar. During the course, the first half seemed like a drag. However, the second part is more engaging and thrilling as it is bombarded with back-to-back action. There’s no twist nor does it have highs and lows as the movie runs at the space tone.

VFX: For such movies, they are heavy on VFX but it looked pretty patchy in some places. It would have been better if the ‘on-ground’ scenes were shot in real instead of a green background. Those were not a pleasant sight to watch. Even the aerial actions were not as visually appealing as it was supposed to be. It is a letdown for sure.

Star performances

Telugu star Varun Tej marks his debut in Hindi cinema and plays Wing Commander Arjun Dev who is carefree and loves to take risks at any given point. He delivers a decent performance. In emotional scenes, Varun somehow underplays his character which doesn’t leave a good impression.

Manushi Chhillar plays Wing Commander Ahana Gill who is strong-headed and leaves emotions at the bay. Manushi also gives a fair performance in this meaty role. However, it was refreshing to see Manushi’s acting skills as she was seen doing some action unlike in previous films Samrat Prithviraj and The Great Indian Family. Manushi is fine in the movie but we see potential in her.

Ruhani Sharma and Paresh Pahuja are seen as the supporting roles of Tanya Sharma and Yash Sharma respectively. And interestingly, both have done a great job of supporting the story with their performances.

Conclusion

Concluding the review, Operation Valentine is a decent movie to watch but unfortunately, it is neither high on patriotism nor action. You will not feel the hearthrobing emotions after seeing the Indian army defeating the rivals. The rush and emotions don’t come out and that’s what the movie lacks.

Watch the trailer of Operation Valentine after the review

Also read: Dange REVIEW: Harshvardhan Rane and Ehan Bhat starrer is a convoluted drama that leaves no impact