Major Movie Review: Adivi Sesh’s Heartfelt Tribute To A War Hero Shows Us What It Means To Be A Soldier

Story

Major
opens
with
the
fateful
night
of
28/11
where
NSG
commando,
Major
Sandeep
Unnikrishnan
(Adivi
Sesh)stares
death
in
the
face.

Through
a
series
of
flashback,
the
film
then
gives
us
a
peek
into
the
making
of
this
war
hero
with
the
help
of
a
few
chapters
from
his
childhood
and
adolescent
years.
As
a
kid,
Sandeep
is
home-grown
on
a
staple
of
Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s
action
flicks,
but
when
it
comes
to
his
real
life
‘Commando’,
the
boy
looks
up
to
his
father.

A
outing
to
a
Navy
Day
celebration
changes
the
direction
of
a
young
Sandeep’s
life,
and
he
soon
discovers
his
true
calling.
The
film
then
takes
us
through
his
high-school
days
where
a
chance
encounter
with
a
Delhi-born
newbie
Isha
(Saiee
Manjrekar)
in
the
boys’
washroom
leads
to
a
frothy
teenaged
romance
between
the
two.

While
Sandeep’s
parents
want
him
to
take
up
medicine
or
engineering
after
completing
his
schooling,
the
former
expresses
his
wish
to
serve
the
country
instead.
Initially
reluctant,
they
soon
give
in
to
his
choice.
After
years
of
grueling
military
training,
Sandeep
is
appointed
as
a
training
officer
in
the
elite
51
Special
Action
Group
of
the
National
Security
Guards
(NSG).

Years
pass
by.
Besides
fighting
wars,
the
soldier
now
finds
himself
struggling
on
the
domestic
front,
trying
to
make
amends
with
his
now-wife
Isha.
And
then,
the
dreadful
night
of
26/11
arrives..

Direction

Director
Sashi
Kiran
Tikka,
known
for
helming
films
like

Goodachari
and

Areyrey,
executes
the
bravura
story
of
a
real-life
hero
in
an
engaging
way.
Adivi
Sesh
who
is
credited
for
the
story
and
the
screenplay,
makes
sure
that
your
eyes
stay
glued
to
the
screen
despite
the
fact
that
Major
Unnikrishnan’s
story
of
martyrdom
is
known
to
all.

With
a
few
cinematic
liberties,
he
picks
up
a
few
chapters
from
the
brief
life
of
Major
Sandeep
Unnikrishnan
besides
the
26/11
Mumbai
attacks
episode.
While
the
portion
involving
Sandeep’s
equation
with
his
parents
involves
a
few
tear-jerking
moments,
the
soldier’s
love
life
engages
you
in
bits
and
pieces.
One
wished
that
this
track
was
penned
in
a
better
way.

What
starts
as
a
cute
budding
love
story
later
gets
repetitive
and
boring.
To
add
insult
to
the
injury,
Saiee
Manjrekar’s
inability
to
have
a
strong
grip
when
it
comes
to
enacting
emotional
scenes,
takes
away
some
points
from
the
film.

Performances

Adivi
Sesh
who
makes
his
Hindi
film
debut
with
Major,
appears
confident
on
screen.
He
has
it
in
him
what
it
takes
to
flesh
out
a
real-life
martyr
on
screen.
At
the
same
time,
he
is
convincing
when
it
comes
to
bringing
the
vulnerability,
innocence
and
resolute
in
the
childhood
and
teenaged
chapters
of
Major
Unnikrishnan.

Saiee
Manjrekar
is
one
of
the
weakest
links
in
Major.
Though
she
starts
off
well,
it
barely
lasts
for
long.
The
actress
really
needs
to
up
her
game
when
it
comes
to
dialogue
delivery
and
emotional
scenes.

Prakash
Raj
and
Revathy
prove
yet
again
why
they
are
known
to
be
distinguished
actors
when
it
comes
to
reel.
Both
of
them
gets
some
really
solid
moments
where
they
shine.
Murali
Sharma
and
Sobhita
Dhulipala
are
effective
in
their
respective
brief
roles.

Technical
Aspects

One
of
the
major
highlights
of
this
Adivi
Sesh-starrer
is
its
well-crafted
action
sequences
which
keep
you
glued
to
your
seats.
Be
it
on
land
or
in
water,
there
are
moments
where
you
hold
your
breath.
Vamsi
Patchipulusu’s
cinematography
captures
the
blood,
war,
emotions
and
tension
in
a
gripping
way.

Vinay
Kumar
Sirigineedi
and
Kodati
Pavan
Kalyan’s
editing
falters
in
a
few
tricky
places,
but
works
fine
in
totality.

Music

Unlike
last
year’s
release,
Siddharth
Malhotra-Kiara
Advani
starrer

Shershaah,
Major
fails
to
hit
the
target
when
it
comes
to
giving
songs
with
recall
value.
Thankfully,
the
makers
keep
them
bare
minimum.
Sricharan
Pakala’s
music
has
nothing
new
to
offer.

Verdict

“Uske
liye
accha
beta
banne
se
jyaada,
ek
accha
pati
banne
se
jyaada,
kahin
jyaada
zaroor
thha
ek
soldier
banna,”
recalls
the
slained
war
hero’s
father
K
Unnikrishnan
(Prakash
Raj)
while
addressing
a
crowd
at
the
26/11
memorial.

Adivi
Sesh’s

Major
largely
focuses
on
this
sentiment
as
it
depicts
the
tragedy
of
a
life
cut
short
by
an
unfortunate
event.
At
the
same
time,
it
also
reminds
us
that
the
sacrifices
made
by
soldiers
ain’t
just
limited
to
the
battlefield.