‘Sky Force’ review: Thrilling dogfights and dull catfights

Between giving Akshay Kumar yet another opportunity to speechify on patriotism, launching the latest Bollywood hopeful Veer Pahariya and celebrating the Indian Air Force, Sky Force has a lot going on. The movie takes on added responsibility by chasing two targets rather than one: recreating an IAF squadron’s blitz on an airbase in Sargodha in Pakistan in 1965 and commemorating IAF pilot and Maha Vir Chakra awardee AB Devayya.

Directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur and written by Paul Austin, Sandeep Kelwani and Aamil Keeyan Khan, Sky Force fictionalises Devayya as well as other members of his IAF unit. In Sky Force, Devayya is Vijaya (Veer Pahariya), a brilliant but reckless pilot who pushes his luck in the same manner as Maverick from the Top Gun movies.

Vijaya’s impatience earns him official reprimands from his commanding officer Ahuja (Akshay Kumar) but also Ahuja’s unofficial admiration. When Vijaya is presumed dead during the Sargodha attack, Ahuja takes it upon himself to find out what happened to his favourite protege, turning the film into something of a murder mystery.

The events that precede the Sargodha strike and the attack itself are reduced to a bunch of fast-paced dogfights and fiery tableaux. At least on this score, the 125-minute movie delivers, with the smoothly…

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