Commercial films that are only about propaganda and nothing else feel redundant. This genre has been done to death in the past few years, and there is no end to such content being put out there for people to consume and digest. Yodha is one such film that does not stop being ridiculous as the plot progresses. Yodha boasts good action sequences featuring the lead, who is temporarily suspended after a rescue mission goes wrong, and years later is allowed to salvage his image.
Spoilers Ahead
Who was Arun Katyal?
Arun Katyal was part of an elite task force called “Yodha” that included armed officers from the army, air force, and navy to take up several rescue missions across the country. Arun was the son of Maj. Surender Katyal, the founder of “Yodha,” who unfortunately died during one of the missions. His father’s brainchild, “Yodha,” was important to him, and he joined on as soon as he was given the chance.
Arun was inspired by his father’s valor and bravery and followed in his footsteps to become one of the most daring officers who never worried about the hierarchy or chain of command. Arun Katyal was sent to a mission on the Bangladesh border as a part of “Yodha”, which he barely managed to return from by completing the task assigned to him. Arun was married to Priyamvada Katyal, the additional secretary in the PMO’s office, and both have had a smooth marriage so far. Both are career-driven individuals who have everything going their way.
Why was Arun trying to save Anuj Nair?
As a member of the elite force, he was assigned to be the security officer of an Indian nuclear scientist who was on a flight headed out of the country that was hijacked by a terrorist organization. The government on the ground was made aware of the hijacking situation, which was becoming more intense as the night grew darker. As an army officer, he could see the flares that indicated the presence of the force that was sent to rescue them. Since the terrorists were not aware of Anuj Nair and the important position he held, the situation was under control until the terrorists demanded aviation fuel. Arun, on the other hand, was trying hard to distract the hijackers and move Anuj Nair to a safe space before his identity was exposed. To his horror, Anuj Nair’s VIP passport was a giveaway, and it escalated matters between Arun and the hijackers inside the halted aircraft. Arun shifted Anuj Nair to the luggage compartment of the aircraft, only to be followed by the terrorists. The young army man tried his best to get Anuj Nair to safety. The terrorists who learned they wouldn’t be given extra fuel took off after throwing Arun out of the flight.
Why did Priya file for divorce?
After the failure of the rescue mission at the Amritsar airport, the hijack situation was salvaged, but at the cost of Anuj Nair’s death. The entire team, “Yodha,” was under the scanner of the government and the media. An inquiry pointed to the fact that the government was in no mood to keep “Yodha” running after the failure, which caused them major embarrassment. Priya was also asked to testify, and she had to state the truth, which meant speaking up against her husband. The proceedings of the inquiry took a toll on Arun, who was hell-bent on keeping “Yodha” up and running for the sake of his father’s memory. He wasn’t being realistic about the team, which was financially suffering because of the pending inquiry and verdict. Arun’s constant rage against the system, which he feels wronged them, caused Priya to file for divorce because, as a couple, they could not keep their professional and private lives separate. Arun blamed her and distanced himself from her. This led to major friction, and Arun signed the divorce papers in a fit of anger.
What was Arun’s hitch about the hijacking?
A few years later, Arun was all set to travel as an air commando on a flight. He was receiving anonymous messages from a number with details about his flight. There was a change in his schedule, and soon he was moved to the Delhi-London flight as per the message he received, and made the move accordingly. Arun was not sure why he was being moved and who was messaging him. Things became further peculiar when he received more messages about hijacks and other names of the Pakistani men who needed to be rescued. These constant messages made him wonder if the fight was under threat, and he began his apprehensive search to look for the terrorist on board. The air traffic control handled by Arun’s old colleague was puzzled to find him on the flight to London and was under the impression that the man was up to something. Arun ends up accidentally injuring a man who later died, only to find the deceased man was the second air commando, who was strategically killed to make sure the flight could be hijacked.
Who was trying to trap Arun?
It was quickly assumed that Arun Katyal was the terrorist, and the news about him was made public via news channels. The pilots in the cockpit could not trust him and had begun to dump the fuel. The main pilot was killed by the co-pilot, who revealed himself to be the real hijacker. They planted Arun as the terrorist to make sure the real conspirator and their team’s name never emerged. Arun tried to bring the flight under control with the help of another pilot of the same airline who was on the flight. After a lengthy altercation between the terrorist and Arun, the former was neutralized. Arun, along with the air hostess Laila and other passengers, tried to stabilize the flight. Laila turned out to be the next terrorist who was planted to make sure the hijacker’s plan was completed. The aircraft was struggling to communicate with any of the ATS in Pakistan as it had entered hostile territory. The communication routes were jammed because magnets were stuck to the communication devices by the hijackers to purposely place the blame on Arun.
What was the real target of the hijackers?
As Laila tried hard to sustain their plan, which was to avenge the Kashmir struggle, she revealed the bombs planted inside fire extinguishers, which were never checked by officials. Laila and the deceased hijacker jammed the plane to make it crash into the Prime Minister’s building in Islamabad, which was hosting the Indian PM and his delegation. The new Pakistan PM was sworn in, and the Indian PM’s surprise visit was intended to make sure there were peace talks on the first day of the tenure. The dejected Arun was shocked to know the target was the Prime Minister’s building and its surroundings in the city of Islamabad that could cause millions of casualties. The delegation on the ground was still under the impression that the terrorist was Arun, and that he was causing this attack to avenge the disbanding of “Yodha.” It was revealed that a minister from Pakistan’s new cabinet was the mastermind behind the attack.
Arun and the passenger, who was a trained pilot, were horrified upon realizing the plane would crash into the mosque, which would have the new leader of Pakistan offering his prayers after his swearing in. The death of the new leader would be a declaration of war and an escalation of diplomatic ties between the two sensitive nations.
Did Arun save Priya and the Indian prime minister?
Priyamvada, who was with the Indian delegation, was quick to find out that Arun was not the terrorist, and that two Pakistani agents who were pro-Kashmir separatists were on board. Meanwhile, Arun neutralized Laila but was far from salvaging the situation on board, as all of them could die at any moment and annihilate a city due to the explosion after the plane crash. Arun diffused the sulfur bomb inside the fire extinguisher canisters using the water pumps inside the aircraft. His years of experience in the army allowed him to remain calm in times of adversity. Arun was quick to fix the jammed landing gear of the flight, which could again be credited to his armed force experience and the fact that he was an air commando on many flights for years. The plane landed on a long strip of road just outside the Prime Minister’s building in Islamabad. As ludicrous as it sounds, the flight did not explode on landing; it was severely damaged, but the passengers survived.
Jalal reveals himself to be the leader of the group supporting the Kashmir separatist movement and a conspirator who killed everyone close to the new leader of his country. He took the Indian PM and Priya hostage. The man was adamant about his mission and wanted Arun to face the fact that he was about to brand Arun a traitor. Jalal hoped to kill the two important Indian people in the hope of receiving some retaliation and worsening the matter between the two countries.
Yodha ends with Priya revealing that she never signed the divorce papers, which makes them a married couple who are separated. Priya loved him too much to let him go, but her ego stopped her from being with him. They were a typical husband and wife; the only difference was that they were resolving their marital matters on enemy land. Arun and Jalal have a fight face-off with each other because both want to prove their might as trained men. Arun wanted to win to prove he was not a terrorist, and he never planned to avenge the error made in Amritsar several years ago. Jalal took advantage of the bitterness between Arun and the government over the Amritsar incident and used it to his benefit. The physical face-off ended with Jalal dying in the blast activated by Arun. The latter survived the ordeal because he was confident enough to make it through a situation that almost caused a war-like situation. The last of the movies had Arun and his team being reassigned to team “Yodha” as the elite force was reinstated to its previous glory, just like Arun wanted a few years ago. Arun’s dream came true as the PM of his nation gave the sanction for “Yodha” to be made official once again for missions.
