Hrithik Roshan
Shamsher Pathania (Patty)
Overview
As India faces a militant attack in Kashmir, the country’s best combat aviators join forces under a reckless yet brilliant squadron leader to form 'Air Dragons', faces mortal dangers and their inner demons.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Sky as Both Canvas and Cage
I’ve always found something unsettling about the way fighter jets look on screen. Not the way they move—those sleek, predatory arcs through the sky, the way they seem to defy physics—but the way they feel. There’s a disconnect between the thrill of the spectacle and the weight of what they’re actually built to do. Fighter, Siddharth Anand’s latest aerial action blockbuster, doesn’t just lean into that disconnect; it weaponizes it.
The film wants to be Top Gun: Maverick’s rowdier, more patriotic cousin, but it keeps stumbling over the same question: Can you make a war movie that’s both a thrill ride and a meditation on the cost of war? Or is that just a contradiction in terms?
Anand has never been a director who shies away from spectacle. His last two films, War and Pathaan, were exercises in controlled chaos—glossy, high-energy, and unapologetically overstuffed. Fighter follows the same playbook, but with a twist: it’s not just about the action; it’s about the idea of the action. The film is set against the backdrop of real-world military tensions between India and Pakistan, specifically the 2019 Pulwama attack and the subsequent Balakot airstrike.
That’s a heavy canvas, and Anand doesn’t so much paint on it as he does splatter it with broad, patriotic strokes. The result is a movie that’s visually impressive but emotionally uneven, like a fighter jet with a misfiring engine—it looks magnificent in the air, but you’re never quite sure it won’t come crashing down.
The film’s opening act is a masterclass in how to introduce a team. We meet Squadron Leader Shamsher "Patty" Pathania (Hrithik Roshan) as he’s being chewed out by his superior, Group Captain Rakesh "Rocky" Jaisingh (Anil Kapoor). Patty’s a hotshot pilot with a reputation for recklessness, but he’s also carrying the weight of a past failure—one that cost lives.
That’s the kind of backstory that could sink a lesser film, but Roshan sells it with a mix of swagger and vulnerability. He’s got that rare ability to make you believe he’s both the best in the room and the one most likely to screw everything up. It’s a performance that anchors the film, even when the script starts to wobble.
Then there’s Squadron Leader Minal "Minni" Rathore (Deepika Padukone), the film’s other lead. Minni is introduced as the no-nonsense, by-the-book pilot who clashes with Patty’s loose-cannon energy. Their dynamic is the film’s emotional core, but it’s also where Fighter starts to show its seams.
The chemistry between Roshan and Padukone is undeniable—they’ve got that effortless, lived-in ease that makes their banter feel real. But the script keeps undercutting them with dialogue that swings between clunky exposition and outright jingoism. There’s a scene early on where Minni and Patty argue about the ethics of their mission, and it’s one of the few moments where the film seems to be grappling with something deeper.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsHrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone Take Flight in Fighter—But Not Without Controversy
The highly anticipated aerial action film Fighter (2024) has soared into the spotlight, marking the first collaboration between Bollywood powerhouses Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. Directed by Siddharth Anand (Pathaan, War), the movie promises high-octane thrills as India’s first planned aerial action franchise 
. latestnetflix.com's take is that but behind the sleek fighter jets and star-studded cast, Fighter has already sparked debates—both for its cinematic ambitions and its geopolitical undertones.
A Star-Studded Squadron Takes Off
Fighter assembles a formidable ensemble, with Roshan and Padukone leading as elite Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots. Anil Kapoor joins the cast as a senior officer, while Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, and Sanjeeda Sheikh round out the team 
. The film’s premise—centered on a deadly mission following military tensions—positions it as a patriotic action spectacle, blending personal drama with high-stakes aerial combat .
For Roshan, Fighter represents a return to the action genre after Vikram Vedha (2022), while Padukone, fresh off Pathaan (2023), continues her streak in high-profile blockbusters. Their on-screen chemistry, a first for the duo, has been a major talking point, though the film’s real draw may be its ambitious aerial sequences. Reports suggest extensive use of real IAF aircraft and cutting-edge VFX to deliver authentic dogfights .
Controversy in the Cockpit
Before its release, Fighter found itself in turbulent skies over its narrative. The film’s trailer, which dropped in late 2023, drew criticism for its perceived anti-Pakistan stance. Clips featured bold lines about India’s dominance, sparking backlash from Pakistani media and audiences . While neither the filmmakers nor the cast have directly addressed the controversy, the trailer’s tone aligns with a broader trend in recent Bollywood blockbusters—Pathaan, Tiger 3, and War—where patriotism and nationalistic themes take center stage.
Whether Fighter will escalate or defuse these tensions remains to be seen, but the debate underscores the film’s potential to polarize even before its theatrical debut.
Franchise Ambitions and the Road Ahead
Fighter isn’t just a standalone film; it’s the first installment in a planned franchise, with Siddharth Anand’s Marflix Pictures and Viacom18 Studios banking on its success to launch a series . The director, known for his knack for mass-appeal action (Bang Bang!, War), seems to be doubling down on the formula that worked for Pathaan—high-energy stunts, A-list stars, and a mix of personal and national stakes.
However, the film’s reception will hinge on more than just spectacle. Early buzz suggests Fighter will need to balance its patriotic messaging with compelling character arcs to avoid being labeled as mere propaganda. With Roshan and Padukone’s star power and Anand’s track record, the film has the ingredients for a hit—but whether it can soar beyond expectations or get bogged down by controversy is the real dogfight to watch.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.