Fauja Movie Review: Small budget film ‘Fauja’ gave a big message, Pawan Malhotra’s acting showed a different style.

The movie ‘Fawja’ is a poignant story told in a simple manner. ‘Army’ means a person who could not join the army. Fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and seven generations before them sacrificed their lives to protect the country. If a son of such a family could not join the army due to physical disability, then this grief continues to haunt him throughout his life. Then he pins his hopes on his growing son. The son leaves the house in the morning to run away and goes to his friend’s house to sleep. Unhappy with his son, the father himself agreed to join the army. The son comes to his senses and decides to stop spending time with his friend and prepare himself to join the army. Along with this, the politics of the village is also going on. There is a greedy contractor who has his eye on the land where Fauja runs a tailoring shop. The son is fighting a war with enemies on the border. Standing under the statue of Father Gandhi, he is raising his voice against oppression.

In a way, Pawan Malhotra, the actor of the movie Fauja, has carried it on his strong shoulders from the beginning to the end. Pawan Malhotra, who is often confined to marginalized roles in Hindi cinema, has taken up strong roles these days. After playing a powerful role in the film ‘Saters’, he has made his acting debut in web series like ‘Grahan’ and then ‘Tabar’ in his second innings. In Fauja, he comes across as an encouraging grandfather, first a helpless father and then a father who trumpets his son’s success. His performance in the scene where he arrives to join the army in a shop-stitched uniform is heart-wrenching. The scene where he raises his voice against injustice under the Gandhi statue in front of the municipal office also shows another color of Pawan Malhotra’s acting. Pawan Malhotra’s saffron turbaned performance in Fauja seems to strengthen the line of his own acting journey.

Director Pramod Kumar has written a great story based on his imagination of Pravesh Rajput and Akash Singh. There is less emphasis on special effects and more on emotional effects. Pramod Kumar has undertaken to bring such a story to the screen in Haryanvi language, which has patriotism in its DNA. But, patriotism is not an excuse for dialogue here. Here, patriotism comes in the form of a dream for people for whom saluting in uniform in front of the tricolor is associated with their pride and dignity. The movie ‘Fawja’ is such a movie, which should be shown in every cinema hall of the country and if possible it should also be shown in schools. Such films empower the society. Encourages the youth to do something for the country and sustains that spirit, which is rarely noticed by the makers of movies, serials or web series. Producer Ajit Dalmiya deserves congratulations for making such a film.

Despite being a very small budget film, director Pramod Kumar has taken care of the cinematic sensibilities in the film Fauja. Two newcomers Karthik Dhamu and Aishwarya Singh have done a good job with the two newcomers as the lead characters. Hariom Kaushik, Naveen, Janhvi Singh Sangwan, Neeva Malik and Sandeep Sharma are also well established among local artists. And, famous Mumbai casting director Jogi Malang has a unique style as a village contractor. Fashion designer Manju Sharma and her associate Ashwini Prajapat, who designed the costumes for the film, have done a great job of creating harmony between the story and the characters in the costumes. And, Yug Bhusal, who composed the film’s music, has done a great job for a regional film as well. Small things make a big impact in regional films. Touching the father’s feet upon waking up in the morning is such a ritual, by showing which the director Pramod Kumar has directly connected the relationship of the film with its audience.