Vidyut Jammwal gives a restrained performance in this patriotic actioner – more brains over brawn this time, and it works!
Read Full IB71 Movie Review –
Rating: 3/5
Director: Sankalp Reddy
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Anupam Kher, Vishal Jethwa
Runtime: 1hr 57 mins
Storyline:
IB71 is based on true events surrounding a highly-classified mission undertaken by India, which ultimately helped it win the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Vidyut stars as Intelligence Burea agent Dev in this patriotic spy thriller. When the agency receives information about Pakistan and China planning an attack on India, Dev comes up with the idea to block Pakistan from the airspace to curb the impending attack.
Dev and IB Chief (Anupam Kher) fabricate an elaborate plan – to let an Indian plane of their choosing be hijacked and landed in Lahore. So that Pakistan can be framed for an act of war with the hijacking, and subsequently be denied airspace permission. 30 agents board the flight disguised as regular passengers, plus one accidental actual civilian.
The duo behind the hijacking – Qasim Qureshi (Vishal Jethwa) and Ashfaq Qureshi (Faizan Khan) are budding terrorists believing themselves to be a part of the Azad Kashmir movement. They unwittingly fall right for the bait set by India’s Intelligence Bureau.
Watch IB71 to see how the Indian agents accomplish this thrilling, confidential mission on a tight deadline.
What Do We Think:
IB71 is nearly 2 hours long but it is tightly packed, fast-paced and there’s never a dull moment in this spy thriller.
Vidyut Jammwal who’s usually in dishoom-dishoom mode, is more brains over brawn in IB71. He has given a commendably restrained performance and the action sequences in this movie too are thrilling, realistic and refreshingly non-over-the-top. Vidyut excels as the calculative, quick-thinking spy in IB71.
Vishal Jethwa is another young star to watch out for – he nails the act of a brainwashed, overzealous, fanatical youth spiralling down the path of terrorism. Anupam Kher shines in his limited screen time. The 1st half feels a little confusing but things are cleared up till the interval block.
Some conflict feels a bit contrived and the climax feels a tad bit underwhelming though. But overall, IB71 is an intriguing watch! There is absolutely no filler fluff or diversions – the storytelling sticks dedicatedly to the covert mission at hand.
Hit Or Miss:
Definitely worth watching on the big screen! Go catch IB71 in the theatres near you –
