Operation Valentine Movie Review

Shakti Pratap Singh Hada’s directorial debut, Operation Valentine, has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. The film, which features Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar in the lead roles, was initially supposed to release in December last year, but was postponed to February 2024. It was further postponed, and finally hit the silver screens today, March 1st. Needless to say, there is surreal hype surrounding the film. But does it live up to it? Let’s find out!

Plot of Operation Valentine

Operation Valentine is based on the Pulwama Terrorist attack and the consequent Balakot Air Strikes in 2019 by the Indian Air Force. The film primarily follows Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar’s characters, as they carry out the plans drawn out by the Air Force. Further, there is also a romantic angle between the characters, who have been dating for a while. Varun Tej plays a reckless hero, notorious for taking actions based on his emotions alone, something that has had grave consequences in the past as well. In comparison, Manushi Chillar’s character Aahna Gill is much more composed, with the ability to separate her emotions from professionalism. How the Air Force reacts to the Pulwama attacks and executes the Balakot air strikes forms the crux of the story.

What works in Operation Valentine

Operation Valentine’s structure and the characterizations created by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada help to make each individual stand out, having their own importance in the course of the film. Further, rather than keeping it a simple aerial action, he has attempted to incorporate the emotional side of the characters as well, which helps bind the audience to the story as well.

The cinematography by Hari K Vedantam, as well as Navin Nooli’s editing deserves praise as well, perfectly capturing the emotions that the director wishes to convey. However, the main factor that aids in evoking the emotional and sentimental connect in the audience is the music by Mickey J Meyer. The musician has perfectly placed the music in the film, perfectly complementing each scene, never overshadowing it. Sai Madhav Burra’s clever dialogues, despite its flaws,  often act as a breather in the film as well.

Check out the film’s trailer below:

What does not work in Operation Valentine

The biggest factor that acted as a buzzkill in the film was its VFX and CGI. The VFX often seemed like video games, something that hinders the viewing experience of an emotionally charged patriotic story that is based on real life events. Although the apparent visibility of VFX reduces over time, or rather, can more easily be ignored due to the engaging story, it still acts as a pebble in one’s shoes. 

Further, the non-syncing dubbing can also be something that takes away the audience's attention from the action on screen. There were several scenes where dialogues could be heard, even after the character had stopped speaking. Apart from taking the audience’s attention away, the non-syncing dubbing also made the dialogues seem unnatural and forced, making it prominent that they were written, rather than the characters speaking it. 

The romantic angle between Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar’s characters seems to taper off towards the end as well. Their love story starts off well, however, there seems to be no evident payoff, leaving the audience wanting for more. While the filmmaker did not completely abandon the romantic angle, it seems to taper off, seeming to be something more platonic towards the end. 

Finally, one small nitpick that one might have is the slight lag that the film has in the first half, building up to the Pulwama attacks. The Hitchcockian-bomb theory has been stretched for too long that one tends to lose their attention at a point of time. The film could have afforded to be 10-15 minutes shorter, which would have made it more crisp as well. 

Performances in Operation Valentine

Undeniably, the factor that stands out the most in Operation Valentine is the performances, especially that of Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the duo have delivered their career best performances as well.

Apart from the two lead actors, most of the supporting actors have done an excellent job in essaying the characters. The actors essayed their characters to perfection, carrying out their roles in the film.

However, there were certain characters who seemed to have overdone their parts, making them look rather cartoonish in a highly patriotic film. Nonetheless, it does not hinder the viewing experience of the audience.

Verdict of Operation Valentine

Despite its flaws, there is no denying that Operation Valentine is a successful aerial entertainer. The film has its moments where it manages to generate goosebumps, but also has buzzkills that carry on throughout the film. Everything said, Operation Valentine does guarantee a fun, enjoyable watch that one could catch with their friends or family.