Original subtitles

Sada-e-Sarhad.

The Prime Minister of India has embarked on a historic journey today.

This bus, brimming with goodwill,

is now heading toward the Attari-Wagah border.

Across the border,

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his entire cabinet

await the arrival of their Indian counterpart.

And here comes the historic moment.

The bus crosses into Pakistani territory.

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, welcomes Vajpayee ji.

The prime ministers of both nations will now receive the Guard of Honor.

The chiefs of Pakistan's armed forces were expected to attend,

but they appear to be absent from the event.

Sir, isn't this a bit unusual?

Sir, this is such a historic event,

and not one of Pakistan's chiefs from the Army, navy, or air force, is to be seen.

It is certainly unusual.

But that's expected out of them.

Do you know? In the Pakistan Army,

even a colonel gets five acres of land after retirement.

The country is starving,

and yet half their budget goes to the military.

When so much is at stake,

do you really think their army wants peace?

What is the meaning of this stunt?

If the three of you had any objections to the peace talks,

why didn't you tell me?

And, General Musharraf,

just weeks ago, you spoke of friendship between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

My intentions haven't changed, sir.

I'm only concerned about Kashmir.

And I am not?

Why do you think these peace talks are happening?

Why has Vajpayee sahib come here?

Vajpayee sahib is a poet, sir.

And poetic gatherings won't solve the issue of Kashmir.

Believe me, sir.

India will only understand the language of pressure, sir.

I made you Chief out of turn, General.

But I forgot that you have no understanding

of diplomacy or politics.

This evening, all three of you will be present at the Governor's House.

And you'll also accord Vajpayee sahib a full state salute.

Get that?

- Yes. - Yes.

That's settled, then.

You didn't call before coming...

If I had called, would you have let me come?

Madhavi, I told you,

I needed some time to talk to your parents--

Bala, they just weren't interested in talking!

My dad was showing me photos of four different guys every day.

"This one's in IT. That one's got an MBA."

If I hadn't run away,

they would have forced me to marry some random guy.

- Yes, I understand, but-- - You don't understand!

I've been telling you for six months that there's no option.

We have to elope.

That's why I packed everything and--

Landed up at my squadron?

What must all my seniors and colleagues be thinking?

The annual war exercise is going on. I'm already struggling.

I mean, you could've at least called before coming.

I'd have figured something out.

Madhavi.

Bala.

I left behind my home, parents, friends, my entire life in the middle of the night...

just for you.

And you're worried about what your colleagues will think?

Madhavi, I...

I...

Madhavi...

Madhavi!

Sangy, Goofy in position?

- Sangy in position. - Goofy in position.

Accelerating to 700.

Sangy, roger.

Goofy, roger.

Baldy, monitor?

Bala, do you love me or not?

Baldy, confirm monitored.

Seven hundred.

Baldy 700.

I left behind my home, parents, friends, my entire life in the middle of the night...

I've been telling you for six months that there's no other option.

We have to elope.

Bala, do you love me or not?

Will you run away with me and get married? Bala. Please understand.

Baldy, abort!

Are you okay?

Yeah, everything's okay. Let's focus on the formation.

Let's do it again.

- Sangy, Goofy, in position? - Sangy in position.

Goofy in position.

- Accelerating to 750 now. - Okay, 750.

Baldy, catch up. Stabilize.

- Let's stabilize at 700. - Negative.

Accelerate to 750.

- Don't accelerate. - Accelerate to 750.

Goofy, peel off. Sangy, aborting.

What are you doing, man, Sangy?

Sangy, don't abort on your own.

Look at him.

His body's gone stiff. He's drenched in sweat.

That is my complication. You focus on your wingman.

What's this "my wingman," "your wingman"?

Ultimately, we have to fly this formation together, right?

We've already done three rounds of chair-flying at 750.

Then we'll do more. And keep at it

until maintaining formation at higher speeds becomes muscle memory.

I hope you're listening, Baldy.

What's the point of doing it in this condition?

Tony and Ahuja sir are challenging us, Sangy.

Learn to take risks.

Dhali, risks should be calculated.

Otherwise accidents happen. You better understand this!

Look, I know what happened to your father.

Please, try to put it out of your mind for a little while.

- All right-- - Don't drag my father into this.

- You're getting me wrong again. - No, man. He--

Don't get personal with me.

- I don't want to understand. - Not getting personal--

Enough, guys!

At higher speeds, I struggle to maintain focus

on both formation and instruments.

And now Madhavi is also here. You all know this!

And please,

let me deal with my problems on my own.

Those who make their home atop piles of weapons,

With peace on their lips And bombs by their side

A circle of deception

Tell those merchants of death Loud and clear

Tell those merchants of death Loud and clear

The world now knows their true face

May their tricks succeed

We will not let them

We won't let war happen.

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Fasih Bokhari sahib.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pervaiz Mehdi sahib.

Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf sahib.

How long have you two known each other?

We... used to live in the same building.

Then we went to the same school...

went to the same computer classes, same tuition classes.

Then he came to the Air Force.

And I also... followed him here.

Now let's see where it goes from here.

Did you two have a fight?

Does Baldy have a sortie tomorrow?

No idea.

We Air Force wives have an unspoken rule.

We don't fight with our husbands before a sortie.

Why?

You know,

a MiG-21 flies at around 900 to 1,000 kilometers an hour.

Sometimes even faster.

And there are over 200 controls in that cockpit.

So, processing all these controls and their combinations,

they have to take split-second decisons.

In these moments, their brains...

can't have room for fighting and conflict, can they?

That's why the unsaid rule is "no fight before a sortie."

So, that means...

So, my feelings will now revolve around Baldy's sortie schedule?

Everyone has their own way of coping.

Like mine, for instance...

I make a list.

And...

on days when Ajay doesn't have a sortie,

I collate my issues and argue with him in one go,

sometimes I even throw in a few extras.

Thank you.

All I remember is his Crime Master Gogo impersonation.

- Yeah. - What was that line again?

"I'll pluck out your eyes and play marbles with them."

People were rolling with laughter.

No, I was talking about you.

Sardar Mogambo.

My Sardar Mogambo was way better than his Gogo.

Come on, Alka. Come on.

- Both were bad. - Come on, Alka, stop it.

What are you saying, ma'am? He forced me into it.

I forced you?

I showed up dressed as Baazigar. You looked at my costume and said,

"You look like Crime Master Gogo." Ruined it.

- I do a good Shah Rukh, no? - I'm so glad you two made it here.

Otherwise, in the forces,

transfer orders arrive just as friendships begin.

I completely agree.

Thank you, Tony.

You're welcome.

- Yes, Sanjeev? - Sir, I told him you're busy, but...

It's okay, Sanjeev.

Good morning, sir. Good morning, ma'am.

- Good morning. - So sorry to disturb you.

Come.

Join us.

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Tony sir, I wanted to discuss something with you.

Go ahead, Baldy.

Sir, ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a helicopter pilot.

There was this stupid movie,

where I saw the villain bring down a helicopter with a lasso.

That was the day I told my parents

that I wanted to become a pilot and I'd never let a plane crash.

And I did become one, sir.

A fighter pilot.

But still, sir...

I don't feel complete, sir.

And for that, I...

I need Madhavi.

Sir, whenever I fly, all I think about is Madhavi.

And when I am with Madhavi, all I think about is flying--

Baldy, are you talking about leaving the Air Force?

No, sir.

Tony sir...

please transfer me to a Transport Squadron.

It's less risky. Maybe her parents will then accept me.

Baldy, let's do this...

We'll talk about this later.

Sir, I don't want my colleagues to suffer because of me.

Specially, in the middle of--

Baldy, sir said he'll look into it. That'll be all.

Sir.

Mian sahib, first of all, congratulations.

To you too.

The bus trip has been a great success.

My trip succeeded the moment I met actor Dev Anand.

Yes, Dev sahib was telling me

you once dreamed of becoming an actor yourself.

Just a passing fancy.

Jaswant sahib, we were thinking

we should set a timeline for the Kashmir dialogue.

As a starting point, we'd like to propose the Chenab Formula.

The Chenab River divides

the religious populations of India and Pakistan almost equally.

That's why we believe it's the ideal resolution to the conflict.

Sartaj sahib,

before we tackle the bigger issues, we need to take smaller steps first.

Vajpayee sahib sincerely wants to help Pakistan through its economic crisis.

As a gesture of goodwill,

Vajpayee ji would like to offer Pakistan

a loan of 100 crore rupees and 40 lakh tons of wheat.

Wheat?

If India doesn't want to discuss the Kashmir issue,

then say so openly.

Vajpayee sahib has expressed his views on the Kashmir issue many times.

As long as the Line of Control...

remains a hotbed of terrorist activity,

no meaningful dialogue on Kashmir can take place.

Let's set the Chenab Formula aside.

Tell us this instead.

What is India's proposal on the Kashmir issue?

Surely you have a plan.

We can establish a timeline for dialogue on Kashmir.

- But this can't be rushed. - That means there's no thought.

In India's mind,

this issue carries no weight.

Nawaz...

We invited you here in good faith, treated you as our honored guests...

And you're talking about loaning us wheat?

Sometimes I think you forget why I pleaded with Jilani sahib

to induct you into politics in the first place.

You and I

entered politics to protect the business interests

of the Ittefaq Group of industries.

For you and me,

politics is still a business.

Your economy is sinking.

You're facing corruption allegations.

You need American dollars.

And America needs you to improve relations with your neighbor.

Even after everything?

Yes, Nawaz.

Even after everything.

You will sign the Lahore Declaration.

You'll do it with a smile.

Just look at it like this...

your unrealized dream of acting in films

will finally come in handy.

Today, Vajpayee ji and Nawaz Sharif signed the historic Lahore Declaration.

Under the declaration, both countries agreed to peaceful dialogue,

exercise nuclear restraint, and respect the Line of Control.

in accordance with the Simla Agreement.

Just few days left before we take off.

It's the war game finals. Where's Baldy?

We haven't nailed the formation even once.

Not even in chair flying.

How's it going, boys?

Just waiting for Baldy, sir.

What do you mean, waiting?

Go find him.

Did you check the library?

No, sir.

I... I'll go check.

- Sir. - Yeah?

If I may, sir.

Go ahead.

Sir, we're not waiting for Baldy.

Actually, we can't find him.

Don't get me wrong, sir, but...

I think we should replace Baldy in the finals.

Is that what you think?

Sir, it's a tough call.

I agree.

But I'm speaking in the best interests of the squadron, sir.

I don't think he is in the right frame of mind for it.

19:30 hours.

Training ground.

Bring your bikes, boys.

And Baldy too.

Sir.

Sir, I've managed to get through to Skardu Army Base.

General Musharraf is on the line.

Long live Pakistan, sir.

Sir, I hope

the peace talks amounted to more than just a recital of Vajpayee sahib's poetry.

General Musharraf. What am I to do with you?

I only asked for a salute.

Sir, while I was standing in the salute line,

I realized something about myself.

That, I am a simple soldier, sir.

And I only know how to fight wars.

Why? You don't believe in peace?

No, sir.

And what has trusting in peace gotten you, sir?

Wheat?

I told you before, sir,

India will not understand the language of peace.

And I'm sorry, but I can't keep lying any longer.

So, I'd rather adopt a path

that sits right with my conscience.

And what is that path?

I want to revive Mujahideen operations

across the Kashmir Valley on a much larger scale.

Without my permission?

Sir, you are the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Who am I? The entire Army is yours.

I have only one request, sir. Come up to the mountains.

The fresh air up here will be good for your heart

and your mind.

Mian sahib?

Okay.

I'll come with the ISI chief.

Sir, you should first

see the operation for yourself and judge it on its merits.

After that, whether it's the ISI Chief or me,

we'll all be at your command, sir.

Sir, tomorrow morning at ten,

the Pakistan Army will be waiting for you at the helipad.

Sir.

Will you tell him everything?

General Tauqir, you wanted the PM's approval for Stinger missiles.

- Yes. - That time has come.

- General Hassan. - Sir.

Mark all captured posts on the map.

Right, sir.

But keep one thing in mind.

The Line of Control should not be marked.

- Right, sir. - Right?

Arrows, line up your bikes in formation.

Dhali and Sangy, up front.

Teekay, Goofy, flank.

And, Baldy, center.

And, Max, rear.

Take this rope. Tie all the bikes together.

Let's go.

Come on. Come on.

There should be no slack in the rope.

Keep the rope tight.

The mission is simple, boys.

This is your starting point.

Take the turn from here

and complete one lap of the ground in six-formation.

But the rope must not break.

If even one rope snaps, you come back here, tie it again,

and start all over.

The rope should not break.

Keep it ready, boys. We'll take it nice and easy.

- Good. - Sangy, we're going too fast.

Stay with me, stick together!

- Max! - Sangy sir!

- Not that way! - Turn right!

Sangy, what are you doing?

Man!

- Baldy, catch up! - I'm doing it, Sangy!

Baldy, you are getting ahead, match the speed.

Oh, man!

Dhali, take it easy. Match 30. 30! 30!

Hey, Dhali, look, man!

Too much wobble.

Sangy, let's do it at 40, come on.

Hey, no. No, hey!

Why are you increasing speed suddenly?

How's it sudden? We'll have more control at 40.

- Thirty is too slow. - The start should be slow, right?

That's how we get to 40. Can't you see?

We've got to get comfortable with the pace.

Yeah, but you can't be the only one getting comfortable, we all have to.

I told him before pushing it to 40.

If he's not able to get comfortable--

This squadron will win the war game final?

If you can't hold a bike formation on the ground...

how are you going to hold flight formation in the air?

And you...

...do you think a childhood dream is enough to make you a fighter pilot?

Do one thing, Baldy...

Forget the transfer application and submit your resignation.

And get out of here.

The Air Force doesn't need you.

Any of you.

People who give up this easily should have no place in the Air Force

or anywhere in the defence forces.

In fact, just forget about it. The lot of you.

I'll let Tony sir know.

That this squadron doesn't have what it takes.

These Arrows are not fighters, just a bunch of quitters.

We won't give up.

- Yes? - Yes.

Let's do this.

Come on, boys! Steady!

Yes, boys!

Guys, stop! Stop!

I just can't do this!

Guys, leave me out. I'm the problem.

Please.

Why are you thinking like this, Baldy?

You didn't build your life on empty dreams.

You spent three years at National Defence Academy.

Then a year at the Air Force Academy. You've chased this dream your whole life.

And you earned every bit of it yourself, Baldy.

So nobody else gets to decide whether you're a fighter or not.

Sangy, you don't get it. Because of me--

Baldy, listen.

Look, we all know you've got a lot going on in your life.

But this bike doesn't know that.

So, give the next ten minutes, just ten minutes,

to all of us and this bike.

Ten minutes. That's all.

Without you, there is no formation, Baldy.

Let's do it at 40.

Now that's a fighter's spirit. Boys, 40 it is.

- Come on. - Yes. Let's go!

That was a good warm-up, boys.

Cover your speedometers.

Anyone can do it while looking at the speedometer.

Now do it without looking.

What's wrong?

Too tough?

Can't do it?

- Dhali? - We'll do it, sir.

We'll do it.

Arrows, we'll become each other's speedometers.

We'll look at each other, and we'll ride on feel.

Well done, boys.

Close formation isn't about fighter jets,

it's about fighters.

And, Baldy,

it is our dreams that define us.

Never stop dreaming.

And yes...

The date for the war game finals has been announced.

But this time,

Tony sir and I will fly with you.

Make us proud in the air, boys.

- Jai Hind, Arrows. - Jai Hind, sir.

- Long live Pakistan, sir. - Long live Pakistan.

Long Live Pakistan, sir.

- I hope you had a good trip. - It was very pleasant.

Sir.

Our brave soldiers have established...

eight posts through sheer grit and hard work.

As you can see.

From here, the Indian NH1 is in our direct line of sight.

And, sir, look at that, sir.

The highest post in this area.

No one has ever dared capture it before, sir.

And we've named it "Sharif Post", sir.

In your honor.

Thank you.

Exploiting this strategy,

if we infiltrate Mujahideen into the Valley,

and equip them with advanced weapons, India will come under immense pressure.

But this is what India's problem is.

- Whenever I talk to them-- - This must remain their problem, sir.

Only then will Kashmir become a focus of diplomatic talks.

Otherwise they'll keep making us sign

useless papers like the Lahore Declaration.

All right.

But keep me in the loop.

- And no more surprises. - Certainly, sir.

Sir, if we want this operation to be fail-proof,

we'll need to equip Mujahideen with advanced weapons.

Like rocket launchers and Stinger missiles.

For that,

we need your permission, sir.

Hassan.

Sir.

One day the world will witness this historic moment.

How the PM himself came all the way up here

to boost his soldiers' morale.

Arrow 4, accelerate to 700 and join up.

Roger. Joining up.

In position.

Arrows, maintain formation.

And steady at 700.

Arrows, turn left to 053.

Accelerate to 750.

Roger. Accelerating.

Now maintain 750.

750. Going steady.

Looking good, Baldy.

Arrow 1 joining up.

Arrow 2 joining in position.

Welcome to the party, Arrow leaders.

Time to tuck in, boys.

Crossing LoC, maintain formation.

- Thirty seconds away from target. - Roger that.

Let's rock 'n' roll, boys.

The stage is ready, Arrows.

Time to raise the curtain.

Standby to split in five,

four, three, two, one...

Now!

We have a situation here. It's a decoy.

Scramble interceptors now!

On it. Decoys may have fooled us, but we won't let them cross the LoC.

Roger that, Raider 2. Let's lock them and get those ten points.

Flash time, Arrow 2. Cameras on standby.

Red Land, say cheese.

Arrow 2, bogey on your tail. Watch out.

Looks like they didn't like our photos.

- Baldy, let's surprise them. - Roger.

Arrow 2, accelerate.

Standby to lock them.

Baldy, let's go faster!

Roger.

Shit. Bogeys on our left. Abort pursuit!

Raider 2, let's go towards them.

Roger that, Raider 1. Let's lock them and get those ten points.

Arrow leaders, we are safe.

Interceptors are flying towards us to evade the lock.

Baldy, head on cross. Let's get on their tail.

Roger.

Gunsight on target, Baldy.

Let's lock them and get those extra points.

Gunsight on target. I have a lock.

Yes!

Well done, Arrows. Welcome back to friendly skies.

Boys, we've officially won the war game exercise.

Once again, your record is flawless, sir.

Thanks to Professor sahib.

Today you saved both the photographer and the photo album, Baldy.

Thank you, sir.

It was a team effort.

Baldy!

Dhali, you guys carry on. I'll see you.

Madhavi. Come with me.

- Where? - I want to show you something.

- What? - Just come. Don't ask.

- Come. - Hey!

Listen up, everyone.

To the victory of Blue Land.

Kick the tire!

- Light the fire! - Light the fire!

- Cheers, guys! - Cheers!

- Well done! - Cheers, sir.

Sir.

Sorry.

I spoke to you about replacing my wingman.

Dhali.

Every pilot has their own problems.

And their own ways of solving them.

Like your problem.

When do you want to focus on that?

Appreciate the offer, sir.

But I don't need help now...

But thank you.

Everybody needs help, Dhali.

Sometimes with flying, sometimes somewhere else.

But when you need it, ask for it.

Trust me, Flying Officer...

there is no shame in it.

Alka ma'am told me about the 200 controls in here,

but not about how cramped it is.

Madhavi.

No one can understand my dreams better than you.

I was scared.

I thought I had to choose between you... and this jet.

But while flying today, I realized

that in flying, there can only be flying.

And...

on the ground, just you.

And I want both.

Will you marry me?

Cheers, guys.

- Cheers! - Cheers.

Someone's here.

- Mr. Baldy! - Look who is here.

Tony sir.

- Jacket! - Baldy!

- Congratulations! - Bravo!

- What happened? - They got engaged.

Oh, my!

- Someone-- - Sir, he's going to get married!

Well flown, well played, pilot!

I'm so happy.

Well played!

- Wonderful. - Three cheers for Baldy and Madhavi!

- Hip-hip... - Hurray!

Tony sir!

Come on, boys!

Hey, Umesh, what did you do with your first paycheck?

Bought a bicycle. Watched a movie too.

Then I sent some money home.

- What's your plan? - I haven't even thought about it, man.

Umesh!

What's the update, Sartaj?

Sir, the situation has become very fragile.

Sir, two more patrol parties are missing.

Sir, this no longer seems limited to a single peak.

Judging by the directions of fire,

there could be over 100 intruders up there.

And they're spread across at least eight to ten peaks.

The situation is serious.

National Highway 1 is our main route to Leh-Ladakh.

If they capture more points, the entire Kargil sector could be cut off.

We can't see anything from below and they're tracking our every move.

What is Pakistan saying?

They're confused too.

According to them, it's Mujahideen.

Why would Mujahideen do a takeover like this, sir?

Do you think Pakistan is lying to us?

During peace talks, I don't think Pakistan would do this.

Sir, to counter their height advantage,

we need the Air Force.

Thank you, sir, for meeting at such short notice.

I will get straight to the point.

INDIAN AIR FORCE

How many troops can the Air Force

airlift by armed helicopters to elevated positions

in the Kashmir Valley?

It depends, sir.

On what?

Many factors. Elevation, time of the day, temperature, weather conditions.

- Where exactly in Kashmir? - Northern sector.

At 15,000 to 16,000 feet.

15,000 to 16,000 feet?

And how far is the nearest refueling point from these peaks?

Are these details necessary, sir?

Just provide us with helicopters and pilots,

and we'll handle the rest.

Joshi,

why don't you just tell us straight up what the actual conflict is?

With a little clarity, the Air Force will be in a better position to help you.

Sir, this is a map of the Kargil, Drass, and Batalik sectors.

The patrol parties we sent there over the last ten days have gone missing.

Intruders have seized advantage of the height,

and occupied our posts.

And, sir, we still don't know how many peaks they're holding.

That's why we want to airdrop troops directly by helicopter

and evict them from those peaks.

This is serious, Joshi.

Very serious.

Fine. Give us some time.

We'll quickly chalk out a plan.

Jai Hind, sir.

Jai Hind.

Chief.

Patney.

It's possible that the Army also doesn't have accurate information.

What is your suggestion?

Directly sending in helicopters would be suicidal.

Our helicopters would be flying at their maximum altitude of 15,000 to 16,000 feet,

right where the intruders are also positioned.

Not safe, for we...

We don't even know who's there and what weapons they have.

Sir.

We need eyes in the air.

It's time to call the Golden Arrows.

Come on...

Good, good, good!

Yes!

Superb, Alka. You're doing it. Second gear.

Go, and now release... Stop!

You were supposed to ease off the clutch.

I'm driving a Gypsy, that's why this is happening.

Why can't we wait for our 800 to arrive?

Because if you can drive a Gypsy, you can drive anything.

Come on, step-by-step.

Step one, ignition.

Station Commander?

Subtitle translation by: Ragini Shaw