'Amaran' by Rajkumar Periasamy: A Powerful Depiction Of Ground-Level Military Action in Kashmir

A soldier forbids his wife from shedding tears in case he picks injury, gets amputated or paralysed or achieves martyrdom. She insists on crying while he is still around while promising to hold back in case her worst fears came true. Tears that arise out of uncertainty, out of the dread that something bad might befall upon the soldier at any point of time- an operation gone wrong, an ambush, some raid upon the army camp, or any accident- take a lot of toll upon his near and dear ones.

In death, a soldier releases his family from this constant dread of the unmentionable and unknown. In death, he suffuses them with patriotic pride and the lifelong lament of ‘what could have been’. Your soul-mate is only as far from you as sea is from horizon. The wife is locked in a long-distance relationship with her dead husband for eternity. A brave warrior’s martyrdom is to be celebrated and not mourned, but the loss of a husband or a father is a sad realty for the wife and child left behind.

If Amaran was only a film about love and loss, it would have been a great film. But it goes far and beyond, and captures various army operations in South Kashmir in great detail, thus reaching the level of a masterpiece, a veritable tour-de-force.  Attention paid to training, troop deployment, mob mobilization, intel cultivation and development, battle tactics, weaponry, as well as cross-border interference, elevate the film to the next level.

This is the story of Major Mukund Vardarajan( Ashok Chakra (posthumously)) as well as of the Counter Assault Team belonging to the 44 Rashtriya Rifles. Mukund originally came from 17^th Rajput but had been selected by the 44^th  to serve in its CAT (Counter Assault Team).

The Major, along with Sepoy Vikram Singh, had neutralized Altaf Wani, a dreaded jihadi and commander-in-charge of Jaish in South Kashmir, in an audacious raid in Doodhpathri in Budgam district on April 25, 2014. Wani had laid ambush to a polling party returning after successfully conducting Lok Sabha polls, and mercilessly killed its members.

On receiving a tip that Wani was cooped up in a house where militants had taken locals as hostages and planted unknown explosives, the CAT laid seize to it.  The Commanding Officer viewed the situation as too dangerous to enter the house and engage, but Mukund and Vikram persisted and took the chance. Although Wani was neutralized by the duo, both the Major and the Sepoy also lost their lives.

Marvellous camerawork and sound lift the battle sequences – when Kashmir’s Most Wanted Altaf Baba is neutralized, a Kashmiri soldier working in CAT abducted by Wani is rescued, as well as when the CAT is ambushed by Wani as revenge for Baba’s killing.

Major Mukund’s story is narrated by Indu Anna Verghese, his widow, as she flies to Delhi to receive the decoration on behalf of her late husband. She begins her recollections from Madras Christian College where they had met for the first time and fell in love after some cute exchanges.

From the very beginning he is Mukunde or Chetta for her, while he calls her Mammootty for some reason. Overcoming his mother’s opposition to his intent of joining the army and to her family’s objections over their marriage, Mukund and Indu do eventually get hitched and have a daughter.

The film is well-served by immaculate casting and tight editing. Sai Pallavi and Sivakarthikeyan have given stupendous natural performances while romancing, mourning or taking on the terrorists. Sai Pallavi’s magic emanates from twinkle in her eyes. When the glow in her eyes fuses with the wide, shining smile, she represents a complete woman – embodiment of Shakti and Samriddhi; a teacher or a student; daughter, wife and mother. Here is an actress who can play an activist, a mute teacher, a doctor or a courtesan with equal conviction.

Siva as the Major seems like a man possessed. You cannot help being moved by his sincerity and conviction. He has deftly handled weapons and action sequences. The rigorous training he must have undergone to play the Major has borne fruit.

Rahul Bose, as usual, lends aura and grace to the role of Colonel Amit Singh Dabas, Commanding Officer of the CAT. It is a pity that Rahul is so sparsely used in Hindi cinema.

Bhuvan Arora shines as Sepoy Vikram Singh, adding another good entry in his CV after Chandu Champion. The film is based upon India’s Most Fearless, penned by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. Amaran duly fulfils the objective of commemorating the legacy of Major Mukund Vardrajan, and it does more. It raises the bar for anyone who wants to make a film on army operations.