War (2019 film)
War is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films.Starring Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor, the film follows an Indian soldier assigned to eliminate his former mentor who has gone rogue. Principal photography for the film began in the second week of September 2018 and concluded in March 2019. Initially titled Fighters, the title was changed after the release of the official teaser in July 2019. It's music was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, with lyrics written by Kumaar, and released under the banner Yash Raj Films. War is the third installment of the YRF Spy Universe with the first being Ek Tha Tiger and the second being Tiger Zinda Hai.
| War | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Siddharth Anand |
| Produced by | Aditya Chopra |
| Written by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Benjamin Jasper |
| Edited by | Aarif Sheikh |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | YRF |
Release date |
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Running time | 153 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹150 crore[2] |
| Box office | ₹475.5crore |
Made on a budget of ₹150 crore (US$21 million), War was released worldwide in conventional, 4DX and MX4D cinemas on 2 October 2019, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.[3][4][5] Released simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu languages, the film mostly received positive reviews from critics, with praise from Hrithik and Tiger's performances, visual effects and action sequences, including the blockbuster song "Jai Jai Shivshankar" which saw both of these biggest action entertainers of the Indian cinema come together on the dance floor for the first time. Criticism was mostly aimed at the writing of the film. War set the record for the highest-opening day collection made by a Bollywood film in India.[6] With a worldwide gross of over ₹475.5 crore (US$67 million), the film emerged as a huge box office success, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019 and one of the highest-grossing Indian action films of all time.
Plot
A mysterious sniper is contacted by an aged secret agent, V.K. Naidu, based in Delhi, to kill a target, Farid Haqqani, from a distance. However, the sniper instead shoots Naidu, and escapes. He is revealed to be former RAW agent Kabir Dhaliwal, considered one of the agency's best who has now gone rogue.
Shortly after, Kabir's former boss and RAW joint secretary Colonel Sunil Luthra relays Kabir's betrayal to Defence Minister Sherna Patel, who calls for the agency to summon Khalid Rahmani, another RAW agent who was previously mentored by Kabir and is in complete awe of the former mentor. A flashback shows Khalid's introduction to Kabir, who questions Sunil about Khalid's loyalty to the nation, arguing that Khalid's late father, Abdul Rahmani, was a traitor to both the nation and to Kabir himself when he shot him. However, in full awe of Kabir, who he regards as a major inspiration, Khalid insists that he will serve his country, no matter what, and regain his family's honour.
After a successful mission in Tikrit, Iraq, Kabir takes Khalid to account after noticing that he has a blind spot in his right peripheral vision while aiming a weapon, to which Khalid explains that his father's reputation resulted in him as a child being injured in the right eye by school bullies which impaired his vision. Kabir, however, eventually accepts Khalid after seeing the love and affection he expresses for his mother Nafeesa, his country and for seeing how he has proven his worth. Kabir now inducts Khalid into his special forces team, which consists of fellow field agents Saurabh, Prateek, Muthu and Aditi. Kabir plans his next mission, which is targeted at criminal mastermind and terrorist- businessman Rizwan Illiyasi. The team captures Illiyasi, but he reveals to Kabir that there is a mole in his team who is fully loyal to his terrorist cause. Killing Prateek and Muthu, Saurabh reveals himself as the mole; blinded by greed, he had accepted Illiyasi's offer of nearly $100 million to betray his country. An enraged Khalid chases after Saurabh, leaving Kabir to deal with Illiyasi alone. Kabir, who nearly succeeds in recapturing Illiyasi, is shot unconscious by Illiyasi's men. He wakes up in hospital a week later to find a severely injured Khalid, also recovering, who tells Kabir that he has killed Saurabh.
In the present, Khalid struggles to find Kabir but fails. He is nearly taken off the mission when an army officer Lt. Col. Jimmy Shroff is murdered by Kabir, though he convinces Sunil and Sherna to give him one more chance. He manages to find Kabir and learns his next target is Dr. Utpal Biswas. Kabir is seen doting on a young girl named Ruhi Verma. He remembers about Ruhi's single mother Naina Verma, who he had started a relationship with in order to make her a perfect civilian asset. Upon learning of his true identity, Naina becomes mistrustful and hesitant to help Kabir but agrees to continue helping him for her daughter's sake. Naina is sent to spy on Illiyasi's associate Firoze Contractor. However, Kabir, who has been in touch with Aditi, learns from her that among Illiyasi's many contacts is a plastic surgeon, Dr. Mallika Singhal. Realizing that Contractor is actually Illiyasi, Kabir rushes to Naina's aid but is too late to save her life.
In the present, Khalid is unable to prevent Biswas from being killed by Kabir. Infuriated, he gives chase to Kabir who escapes again. After Khalid tries to convince Sunil to give him one final chance, he is fired.
Khalid traces Kabir through Ruhi and realizes that Kabir is actually targeting associates of Illiyasi, referred to as "Rook" (Naidu), "Knight" (Shroff), "Bishop" (Biswas) and an unknown "Pawn" and is on an undercover mission to recover a drive with a secret code that Illiyasi needs. In Kabir's hideout, both of them are attacked. They fight off the attackers and make it to Aditi's wedding in Kerala, whereupon they recover the drive with the secret code that Illiyasi needs. However, after Kabir hands over the drive to him, Khalid poisons him with TTX while sharing a drink with Kabir on his boat. A flashback to the chase between Khalid and Saurabh reveals Khalid being shot dead by Illiyasi, following which Saurabh undergoes plastic surgery to disguise himself as Khalid, just like how Illiyasi had transformed into Contractor. On the boat, Saurabh reveals himself as the "Pawn", as he throws the poisoned and helpless Kabir into the river.
Saurabh returns to Illiyasi, who bases himself on a heavily armed icebreaker ship. Illiyasi enters the code, containing the coordinates for an Indian military satellite monitoring the Indo-Pakistani border that supports communications for Indian military forces in remote areas. He launches an anti-satellite missile to destroy the satellite. Kabir, who was assumed dead by Saurabh, parachutes aboard, single-handedly assaults the ship and eliminates Illiyasi's army. He confronts Saurabh, revealing that he had known that the latter was not Khalid, having seen him aim and shoot in a way which Khalid couldn't do due to his impaired vision, and also for his choice to drink alcohol, which Khalid avoided due to religious beliefs. Hence, he put Aditi to spy on him and had also acquired an antidote for the poison in his drink. In addition, he had handed Saurabh the wrong coordinates, which turns the missile around in the air and back towards the ship. Deciding Illiyasi has become helpless, Saurabh shoots him dead in the confrontation and escapes. As the ship explodes from the returned missile, Kabir gives chase to Saurabh and overpowers him. After an intense and bloody fight in a derelict church, the church's dome collapses on Saurabh, crushing his face and killing him.
The intelligence agency honours Khalid posthumously for his sacrifice as he laid down his life in order to save his nation and team with Nafeesa receiving an award from the Prime Minister. Kabir, who is still believed by the agency to be a traitor, spends time with Ruhi, and continues with his next undercover mission after a brief conversation with Sunil.
Cast
- Hrithik Roshan as Maj. Kabir Dhaliwal
- Tiger Shroff as Capt. Khalid Rahmani/Saurabh
- Vaani Kapoor as Naina Verma
- Ashutosh Rana as Col. Sunil Luthra
- Anupriya Goenka as Aditi Nahta
- Dipannita Sharma as Dr. Mallika Singhal
- Soni Razdan as Mrs. Nafeesa Rahmani, Khalid's mother
- Arif Zakaria as Dr. Utpal Biswas
- Mohit Chauhan as Vijay Kumar (V.K.) Naidu
- Swaroopa Ghosh as Sherna Patel, Defence Minister
- Dishita Sehgal as Roohi Verma, Naina's daughter
- Sanjeev Vasta as Rizwan Iliyasi
- Mashhoor Amrohi as Firoze Contractor
- Yash Raaj Singh as Saurabh
- Salmin Sheriff as Oslav
- Imran Ahemed as Saini
- Shahbaz Akhtar as Vishal
- Amit Gaur as Lt. Col. Jimmy Shroff
- Shrikant Dwivedi as Derrick
- Jessey Lever as Muthu
- Midhat Ullah Khan as Saeed Addam
- Ravi Awana as Basheer Hassib
- Abuzar Behzad as RAJ
- Bilal Hossein as Prateik
Production
Development
On Yash Chopra’s birth anniversary, Yash Raj Films announced a new action film starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff.[7] Vaani Kapoor was finalised to play the female lead.[8][9] Two international action choreographers from Hollywood and Korea were employed to design action sequences.[10]
The climax scene of the film was shot actually on the Arctic Circle, becoming the first ever Indian film to do so. Siddharth the director stated, "We want to push the benchmark of action movies that are made in our country. So, we are bringing two of the biggest action choreographers together to design some of the most outlandish and visually-spectacular sequences. On one hand, we have Andy R Armstrong from Hollywood and on the other, we have Mr SeaYoung Oh, who is an outstanding martial arts action choreographer from South Korea."[10]
Filming
Principal photography began in the second week of September 2018.[11] The film also has a dance off between the two stars.[12] The film schedule was wrapped up in the beginning of March 2019.[13] The film has been shot in multiple locations at Delhi, Uttrakhand, Kerala, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia and Georgia.[14]A bike chase sequence between the two stars was filmed in Portugal. The climax of the film was shot at the Arctic Circle.
Soundtrack
| War | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 30 September 2019[15] | ||||
| Recorded | 2018–19 | ||||
| Studio | Vishal and Shekhar Studio YRF Studios | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 14:24 | ||||
| Label | YRF Music | ||||
| Producer | Aditya Chopra | ||||
| Vishal–Shekhar chronology | |||||
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The music of the film is composed by Vishal–Shekhar, with lyrics written by Kumaar. All themes are composed by Sanchit Balhara.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ghungroo" | Arijit Singh, Shilpa Rao | 5:02 |
| 2. | "Jai Jai Shivshankar" | Vishal Dadlani, Benny Dayal | 3:50 |
| 3. | "War Theme" | Instrumental | 2:00 |
| 4. | "Kabir's Theme" | Instrumental | 1:39 |
| 5. | "Khalid's Theme" (Instrumental) | Vishal Dadlani | 1:53 |
| Total length: | 14:24 | ||
Marketing and release
The film was released on 2 October 2019, coinciding with the Gandhi Jayanti.[16]
Reception
Critical response
War received generally positive reviews from critics; on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 72% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[17]
Among positive reviews, a writer for Bollywood Hungama gave the film four stars out of five, and said "War is an action entertainer which has style as well as enough twists and turns to keep the viewers engrossed. At the box office, the extended weekend, dazzling action, stunning international locales and stylish execution will ensure mammoth footfalls for the film".[18] Republic World gave the film four and a half stars out of five, writing, "Epic action spectacle, rides on watertight script, worldclass action, fast-paced and thrilling screenplay. Hrithik Roshan's performance is iconic, Tiger Shroff delivers career best act. Siddhart's vision and direction is superlative".[19] Taran Adarsh gave it four stars out of five and called the film "[e]scapist cinema at its best".[20] Komal Nahta of Film Information opined, "The film could prove to be the starting of a new franchise for the Yash Raj Films banner".[21] Writing for India TV, Sonal gave the film three and a half stars out of five, writing, "Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff of Abbas Mustan kinda twists, turns, characters, situations,logic, gravity, physics,chemistry, and some Ekta Kapoor-esque tricks all tossed together to make a visually spectacular concoction".[22]
Rajeev Masand of News 18 gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, "Both Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff fully commit to the action, bringing swag to the big stylish sequences and a visceral energy to the one-on-one punch-ups in the movie."[23]
Among the reviewers who granted the film mixed to negative reviews, The Times of India rated it three stars out of five and felt the film had "lot of style, stunts and show, but lacking a solid storyline".[24] India Today rated it two and a half stars out of five and wrote, "War is a crowd-puller, but it isn't meant to further the cause of cinema".[25] Daily News and Analysis gave three stars out of five and wrote, "War seems more like a Hrithik Roshan and YRF come back than anything else".[26] Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta granted the film two stars out of five, stating, "The chief trouble with War is that all the space is divvied up between Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, that the poor baddies don't really get a chance".[27] Writing for Firstpost, Anna M. M. Vetticad gave two stars out of five, opining that the film "could have been a suspenseful, eyecatching, entertaining ride. But for its politics... [it] is a painfully condescending ode to Muslim loyalty to our vatan, an ode that is particularly cynical and offensive".[28] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film one and a half stars out of five and stated, "Powered by two loose-limbed and resolutely stone-faced male leads, Hrithik and Tiger, War is all style and no substance".[29]
Box office
War opened with collection of ₹53.35 crore on its first day. It is the highest opening day collection for Bollywood films.[6] On the second day it collected ₹24.35 crore, On the third day it collected ₹22.45 crore, taking its total collection to ₹100.15 crore.[30] War has already created six new records as the film reaches to 100 crore mark at the box-office.[31] The film entered the 100 Crore Club in three days of its release.[32] The extended opening weekend collection of the film at ₹166.25 crore is the highest opening weekend collection for any 2019 Bollywood film.[33] The film by crossing ₹200 crore in its opening week has become the fastest Bollywood film of 2019 to achieve the feat.[34]
As of 28 November 2019, with gross of ₹378.46 crore from India and ₹97.04 crore from overseas, the film has grossed ₹475.5 crore worldwide,[35] and has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019.[32][36]
Accolades
| Award[lower-alpha 1] | Date of ceremony[lower-alpha 2] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 15 February 2020 | Best Film | War | Nominated | [37] [38] [39] [40] |
| Best Director | Siddharth Anand | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao ("Ghunghroo") | Won | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar ("Jai Jai Shiv Shankar") | Nominated | |||
| Bosco–Caesar & Tushar Kalia ("Ghunghroo") | Nominated | ||||
| Best Action | Paul Jennings Oh Sea Young Parvez Shaikh Franz Spilhaus |
Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | Sherry Bharda Vishal Anand For YFX |
Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 27–29 November 2020 | Best Music Director | Vishal–Shekhar | Pending | [41] [42] |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Arijit Singh ("Ghunghroo") | Pending | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao ("Ghunghroo") | Pending | |||
| Sound Mixing | Anuj Mathur – YRF Studios Pritam Das |
Won | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar & Tushar Kalia ("Ghunghroo") | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | YFX (YRF Studios) | Won | |||
| Mirchi Music Awards | 19 February 2020 | Song of The Year | "Ghungroo" | Nominated | [43] |
| Female Vocalist of The Year | Shilpa Rao ("Ghunghroo") | Nominated | |||
| Song Engineer – Recording & Mixing | Abhay Rumde & Vijay Dayal ("Ghunghroo") | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | 8 December 2019 | Best Film | War | Nominated | [44] |
| Best Director | Siddharth Anand | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Hrithik Roshan | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Vaani Kapoor | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar Tushar Kalia ("Ghunghroo") |
Won | |||
| Best Action | Paul Jennings Oh Sea Young Parvez Shaikh Franz Spilhaus |
Won | |||
| Best Editing | Aarif Sheikh | Won | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | 13 March 2020 | Best Action | Paul Jennings Oh Sea Young Parvez Shaikh Franz Spilhaus |
Won | [45] |
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar ("Jai Jai Shiv Shankar") | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | YFX (YRF Studios) | Won | |||
Future
At a launch party for War, Anand confirmed that he was working on the script of its sequel War 2 and had plans to convert the film into a franchise, depending on the audience response to the film; War 2 will release in 2023.[46] YRF is developing a Spy Universe which consists of Hrithik Roshan as Kabir, Salman Khan as Tiger, and Shah Rukh Khan as Pathan.[47]
Notes
- Awards, festivals and organizations are in Alphabetical order.
- Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
References
- "WAR (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- "War Economics: Yash Raj Films makes a whopping 170 cr. as profits; approx. 100 cr. share for Hrithik Roshan". Bollywood Hungama. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- Hungama, Bollywood (21 October 2019). "War Economics: Yash Raj Films makes a whopping 170 cr. as profits; approx. 100 cr. share for Hrithik Roshan :Bollywood Box Office – Bollywood Hungama".
- "Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer War to be screened in 4DX: Latest Bollywood News". The Prime Time.
- "War Releasing in India in MX4D". Digital Cinema Report. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- "War Box Office Collection Day 1: Hrithik-Tiger Film Becomes Highest Opener Ever, Earns Rs 53.35 Crore". News18. 3 October 2019.
- "BREAKING: Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff to star in Yash Raj Films' Next". Bollywood Hungama. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "I Don't Think Anyone Will Look at Me: Vaani Kapoor on Doing a Film with Hrithik Rohan, Tiger Shroff". News 18. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- "Vaani Kapoor on dance-off with Tiger and Hrithik: I stand no chance". Indian Express. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- "Two international action choreographers roped in for Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff's action film". DNA. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Pathak, Vedanshi (5 September 2018). "Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan begin shooting for their venture with YRF". Filmfare. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- "Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan dance-off in next film: Confirmed". India Today. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- "Hrithik Roshan And Tiger Shroff Wrap Schedule For Siddharth Anand's Film. See Pics". NDTV. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "War (Hindi)". Amazon Prime. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- "War – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jio Saavn.
- "Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff's action film to release on October 2, 2019". Hindustan Times. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "WAR". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- "Movie Review: War". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- World, Republic. "War – first-day movie reviews: Here are initial reactions from viewers". Republic World. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- adarsh, taran (2 October 2019). "#OneWordReview... #War: BLOCKBUSTER. Escapist cinema at its best... Aces: Hrithik and Tiger's power-packed act and chemistry + dazzling action pieces + stunning visual appeal + ample thrills, twists, suspense... Dear BO, get ready for the typhoon. #WarReviewpic.twitter.com/iHGtaSk8cl". @taran_adarsh. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- Information, Film. "'WAR' | 2 October 2019 – Film Information". Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- "War movie review: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff's film is a flawed spectacle". IndiaTV.
- Masand, Rajeev (3 October 2019). "War Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff Film Gives You Your Money's Worth". News18.
- "War Movie Review {3/5}: Lot of style, stunts and show, but lacks a solid storyline" – via timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
- DelhiOctober 2, Nairita Mukherjee New; October 2, 2019UPDATED; Ist, 2019 15:59. "War Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff film is 154 minutes of only action". India Today.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "'WAR' Review: Hrithik Roshan treats Tiger Shroff as collateral damage". DNAIndia. 2 October 2019.
- "War movie review: Hrithik Roshan starrer is flashy but familiar". TheIndianExpress. 4 October 2019.
- "War movie review: Hrithik-Tiger starrer runs a loyalty test for Muslims under cover of an exciting action drama". Firstpost. 2 October 2019.
- "War Movie Review: Strictly For Fans Of Hrithik Roshan And Tiger Shroff". NDTV.
- "War Second Day Business – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com.
- "'War' box office: Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer creates 6 new records as it inches closer to 100-crore mark – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- "War box office collection Day 5: Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff film earns Rs 166.25 crore". India Today. 7 October 2019.
- "'War' box office collection Day 7: The Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan starrer checks into the 200-crore club". Times of India. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- "War Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- Hungama, Bollywood (7 October 2019). "War Box Office Day 5 Collections: The Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer goes on rampage on Sunday, records huge collections :Bollywood Box Office – Bollywood Hungama". Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- "NOMINATIONS FOR 65TH AMAZON FILMFARE AWARDS 2020". Filmfare. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
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- "Technical Nominations for the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020". Filmfare. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "65th Amazon Filmfare Award 2020 Technical and Short Film award winners". Filmfare. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "IIFA Awards 2020: Here are the nominations!". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "IIFA Technical Awards 2020: All the Winners!". International Indian Film Academy Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "Nominations for the 12th Smule Mirchi Music Awards 2020". Mirchi Music Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "Screen Awards 2019 full winners list". India Today. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- "Zee Cine Awards 2020 Winners List". ABP News. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "War is Not Over Yet, Director Siddharth Anand Reveals a Sequel is in Works". 6 October 2019.
- "YRF's 'Spy Universe' to Bring Together Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif?". 2 December 2020.