It has been a long waiting for JP Dutta's LOC KARGIL, but every second of it has now been worthy. LOC KARGIL is a fantastic way to wrap up 2003 and Bollywood shows every sign of a well-crafted theme and script getting appreciated. JP Dutta has attempted to draw another histrionic after BORDER and REFUGEE and has managed to find a room in the hearts of people. LOC KARGIL has started with a bang and it has everyone in que to watch the movie.

LOC KARGIL doesn't have one story to speak about. LOC KARGIL is the story of Indian soldiers fighting in Kargil and being remembered by their family. There is Vikram Batra (Abhishek Bachchan), a daredevil soldier who won Param Vir Chakra for his bravery. Manoj Pandey (Ajay Devgan), a poet by nature laid his live and was served with Param Vir Chakra too. The toughest of all the soldiers was Lt. Balwant Singh (Akshaye Khanna) awarded the Mahaveer Chakra.

Major Deepak Rampal (Sanjay Kapoor) was on leave when the call for war came. He was the backbone of the unit, awarded VIR CHAKRA. Lt. Col. Y. K. Joshi (Sanjay Dutt), a daredevil soldier too was awarded VIR CHAKRA. Captain Anuj Nayyar (Saif Ali Khan) for whom death was just another game lived his life and was awarded with Mahaveer Chakra.

A few reasons as to why the movie LOC KARGIL should work. First and foremost would be the viewers getting an account of the harsh realities that the Indian soldiers had to face during the Kargil war. The film evokes pathos of the bereaved family and gives an account of the landscapes and terrains that were an unknown identity to us.

Performance wise, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgan and Manoj Bajpai are cut above the rest. Abhishek has produced another mettle after ZAMEER. Saif is getting better with each movie and Ajay Devgan proves, as why he should have been in BORDER. Ajay repeats the same feat, as Sunny Deol did it in BORDER. Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana share a great camaraderie.

The actresses didn't have much skin show, but they have managed to put forward a brilliant show. Kareena Kapoor stands tall with her performance, as does Rani Mukherjee. Esha Deol, Kim Sharma, Preity Jhangiani and Mahima could thank their stars for being a member of the film.

JP Dutta's movies music has always been a delight to the masses especially when one remembers the BORDER track (Sandese Aate Hai...) by Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod, but it's tough to pinpoint one track in LOC KARGIL. Main Kahi Bhi Rahoo.. by Sonu Nigam does well. Still from LOC KARGIL

Take a bow Bhiku Verma, action master; LOC KARGIL required excellent war sequences and Bhiku has put us in the midst of an inferno twisted metals, shrieking shells and human trauma. Cinematography (Karim Khatri) is A rated and dialogues (JP Dutta) are amazing.

Perhaps there is one area where the movie could suffer and i.e., is post interval. The romantic track doesn't do any good also the length of the movie (4 hours) is too much. It will be a question, since its tough to keep viewers grasped to their seats for such a long duration. However, we have to bear in mind that there are not one or two stories discussed here, but a dozen. Also JP Dutta has not turned any stones unturned, be it the technical department or on editing side.

JP Dutta has proved once again that he is a master storyteller and his excellence in war movies is beyond any doubt. LOC KARGIL by history of the Kargil war and the emotions conveyed by the man in combat makes it a movie worth viewable. In a nutshell, every Indian should get a slice of LOC KARGIL. ... More ... Collapse

Beat the drums, blow the bugle and roll the red carpet for J.P. Dutta and his heroic team of L.O.C. The year 2003 may not have started on a promising note, but it does end on a magnificent note with L.O.C.

So, what's the 'story' like? L.O.C. has no 'story' as such ? in fact, it encompasses the facts and presents it in 4 concise hours for the viewer to comprehend the heroic win of our Jawans.

Director J.P. Dutta has tackled various genres in the past, in the form of GHULAMI, YATEEM, HATHYAAR, BATWARA, KSHATRIYA, BORDER and REFUGEE. But he seems most comfortable attempting a war film. L.O.C. more than proves it!

In a nutshell, the war epic sweeps you completely off your feet!

L.O.C. is based on a number of true stories from the Kargil war. What intrigues you is the way the Jawans fought the war, so that the nation could eat, live and sleep in peace. When they [Jawans] became heroes, it wasn't because they wanted to be one, it was because they were thinking of the motherland, India. The Jawans who freed India from the enemies were a bunch of ordinary mortals, who have been immortalised by J.P. Dutta in this flick.

For those of us who never went to war and learned of its horrors only through the reports, L.O.C. reveals the brutal reality, hurling the viewer into the midst of an inferno of twisted metal, shrieking shells and human agony. It is probably the most vivid and visceral war film ever witnessed on the Indian screen.

One has to consider L.O.C. from at least two points of view, that of history and specifically of the history of the Kargil war and from the audience's point of view. L.O.C. is both a remarkable technical achievement and a horrifying reminder of the consequences of going to war.

The viewer is not soothed or manipulated by song-dance items here, but instead we hear the sounds of bullets hitting metal and bone, skin being ripped apart and burned. There are only life-sized, vulnerable men, being forced to be either victims or heroes ? or both.

L.O.C. works primarily because it shows the world the harsh reality without pulling any punches. The story about our soldiers is told with competency. The story manages to move us through all sorts of different landscapes and scenarios, giving us an unforgettable glimpse of a world unknown to most of us.

Undeniably a brilliant director, amongst the best cinematic storytellers of our times, J.P.'s latest work is embellished with razor-edged dialogues [O.P. Dutta], amazing cinematography [Karim Khatri], well executed war sequences [Bhiku Verma] and effective background score [Aadesh Shrivastava]. In short, L.O.C. is a demonstration of his cinematographic skills.

Directorially, J.P. knows how to convey his feelings about men in combat, and he has the tools, the money and the collaborators to make it possible. His cinematographer brings a newsreel feel to a lot of the footage. And that's a big compliment!

Anu Malik's music gels well with the mood of the film, but it lacks that one patriotic song that remains with you even after years ['Kar Chale Hum Fida Jaan-o-tan Saathiyon' and 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' sound fresh even today!].

Any hiccups? Yes!

The film can do without the romantic track of some principal characters towards the second half. The track comes as a major hindrance and the song that follows ['Pyaar Bhara Geet Koi'] takes the graph downwards.

Actually, this track gives an impression that since the director has roped in so many actors, he wanted to do justice to each of them.

Now to the performances!

With a massive cast like the one assembled in this film, it is rather difficult to pinpoint every actor and talk about their on-screen work. But, must add, after years of watching screen heroes go through an extended adolescence, it's a pleasure to encounter the same names act as grown-up men this time around.

The performances that stand out in this war epic are [in this order] ? Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Manoj Bajpai.

Ajay gets into the skin of the role and delivers a performance that's sure to win accolades. Saif is getting better with every film. He manages to stand out despite the heavy line-up. Abhishek Bachchan is extremely likeable. This is amongst his superior performances. Manoj Bajpai is controlled and the camaraderie he shares with Ashutosh Rana is fantastic.

Sanjay Dutt's role doesn't have much meat, while Suniel Shetty is relegated to the backseat. Akshaye Khanna is alright.

The leading ladies don't get much scope. Yet, Kareena Kapoor stands out of the crowd, followed by Esha Deol.

On the whole, L.O.C. is a powerful experience. It has power-packed direction and power-packed sequences that remain etched in your memory even after the show has concluded. More than anything else, L.O.C. is a triumph for the master film-maker who has the guts and the vision to make a film of this magnitude! ... More ... Collapse