Pukar
- Director
- A. R. Rahman
- Studio
- S.K. Film Enterprises
- Release Date
- 5 February 2000
- Language
- Hindi
- Budget
- ₹17.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹25.07 Cr
Review
Rajkumar Santoshi's *Pukar* attempts an ambitious conspiracy thriller that plays with themes of betrayal, institutional mistrust, and the cost of patriotism—a genuinely compelling foundation that deserves recognition even as the film stumbles in execution. Ajay Devgn brings a measured intensity to Jai, anchoring the narrative with a performance that conveys wounded dignity more effectively than righteous anger. The setup itself is engaging: a soldier framed by the very system he served, caught between personal heartbreak and national conspiracy. However, the screenplay dilutes these strengths by juggling too many plot threads without sufficient coherence. The terrorist angle, the ministerial conspiracy, the romantic entanglement, and Anjali's manipulation form a crowded narrative that rarely achieves the taut momentum such material demands.
What works intermittently—Santoshi's command of military procedurals and some well-mounted action sequences—cannot fully compensate for the film's tonal inconsistencies and bloated runtime. Suniel Shetty makes an impression in brief scenes, though the supporting cast feels underutilized. The film's real failure lies in its inability to sustain the paranoia and moral ambiguity it introduces; instead, it defaults to conventional thriller beats that feel recycled rather than reinvented. There's a sincere attempt here at making intelligent cinema around institutional corruption, but ambition and execution don't align. *Pukar* remains a flawed
Storyline
Jai, a sharp Major in the Indian Army's Special Forces, gets caught between duty and deception when a government minister gets kidnapped by terrorists led by the ruthless Abhrush—and suspiciously rescued too easily. The operation leaves Jai questioning everything: Is the minister actually in league with the terrorists? Is there a mole in the ranks? When he's given a week off, he falls hard for the glamorous Pooja, completely overlooking his childhood friend Anjali, who's been quietly in love with him all along. Heartbroken and manipulated, Anjali becomes the unwitting pawn in a dangerous game when Mishra's assistant convinces her to steal classified military codes—promising it'll just get Jai suspended long enough to lose Pooja.
What Anjali doesn't realize is that the "code" she's stealing contains the exact route of Abhrush's prison transfer, and the moment she hands it over, everything spirals into chaos! Abhrush's men ambush the van, rescue their leader, and Jai finds himself arrested for treason with planted evidence stacking up against him. The man who dedicated his life to protecting the nation is now branded a traitor, suspended from the army, and abandoned by everyone—including Pooja, whose family wants nothing to do with a disgraced soldier. Jai's world crumbles as he realizes the conspiracy runs deeper than anyone imagined, and the woman he loved has unknowingly destroyed his life.
Jai must now navigate a minefield of betrayal and deception to expose the truth, clear his name, and bring down Abhrush once and for all! With Anjali finally understanding her terrible mistake, she becomes his unlikely ally in the fight for justice. The tension builds to an explosive climax where Jai uses his military brilliance to outsmart the terrorists, reclaim his honor, and prove that courage and integrity can't be bought or broken—no matter how deep the conspiracy runs!
