It is very rare to find a gripping Bollywood film that doesn't use the usual gimmicks to tell a tale. 1971, directed by 31-year old Amrit Sagar, is one such film.

Set against the backdrop of a prisoner's camp in Pakistan, the film is a no nonsense tale about six Indian prisoners awaiting release after their capture in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. (While the war saw the creation of a new country, Bangladesh, few know that at least 54 PoW are till languishing in Pakistani jails till date.)

Six years and with no sign of freedom, the prisoners are ready to bolt. Anxious to join their families across the border, the prisoners plan a daring escape. Whether they succeed or not remains to be seen in this two hour 17 minute long, fast paced thrilling adventure involving helicopters, trucks and jeeps, and through scenic landscapes.

Kumud Mishra (Captain Kabir), Chitaranjan Giri (Subedar Ahmed), Manav Kaul (Flight Lt Ram), Manoj Bajpai (Major Suraj Singh) and Ravi Kishan (Captain Jacob) excel in their roles. However, the real hero is Deepak Dobriyal as Flight Lt Gurtu. Dobriyal was earlier seen as Saif Ali Khan's sidekick in Omkara.

The film -- with no heroine and only two songs -- helps maintain its pace.

However, Sagar has taken some cinematic liberty in portraying the character of Pakistan Human Rights activist, Jehangir, based on Pakistan's Human Rights activist, Asma Jehangir. She is shown to speak her mind and even challenge the army officers in the film, which no civilian would have dared to do under late President Zia-ul-Haq's regime (1977-88). Even the media would have to suffer the consequences if they dared write anything against the establishment.

All in all, 1971 is a commendable effort.

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