PremiumLakshya revisited - Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar's enduring impact echoes through the years
As Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar both turn 50 this year, here's a look at Lakshya's timeless triumph
Last Updated: 08.01 PM, Jan 09, 2024
There are some films that you keep revisiting every other month or year and watching for the first time. While there are also films that you revisit after ages, it definitely feels like watching them for the first time altogether. Lakshya, which marks the second film by Farhan Akhtar as a director, is a flick that I watched for the second time in 2024, after 20 years of its release. When I watched it for the first time, I was all 11 years old, and I definitely don't remember if it made any impact on me, of course not!
Lakshya's initial impression
However, over the weekend I watched it and realised that it should have been a film I should have watched at least every decade and not just after turning 30. Well, when you have lighter films such as Wake Up Sid to show coming-of-age and an aimless guy finally getting a perception of life, both stories have one common link: it's the girl who inspires the protagonist, or rather makes him realise that there is nothing in life called "free lunch." Having an objective is a necessity.
In Lakshya, Karan (Hrithik Roshan) is a man who is both disinterested and irresponsible. As a result of watching an action movie, he makes the decision to join the military, but he quickly decides against doing so as well, which causes him to lose respect on the home front. Karan makes the decision that he needs to re-enlist in the army in order to demonstrate to his family and girlfriend (Preity Zinta) that he is committed to the direction that he needs to go in his life. We do see that his resilience helped him complete this task, which he took on himself.
Dil Chahta Hai and life turns
Interestingly, Farhan, in his directorial debut, Dil Chahta Hai, also saw how life takes a strong turn among three friends soon after they graduate from college. We see love, friendship, and work also coming into play. In this case as well, we observe a similar situation emerging.
In one of the scenes, Karan Shergill (Hrithik) gets an earful from his girlfriend, Romila Dutta, who has been a college activist and becomes a lead anchor at a news channel. When she gets to know he quit the army after he couldn't keep up, she tells him, "Jiske dil mein apne liye koi izzat nhi, apne faisle ki koi izzat nhi woh meri kya izzat karega." (How can someone who lacks self-respect and disregards their own decisions possibly respect me?)
Soon after hearing this, Karan returns to the military academy, undergoes rigorous training, and eventually earns the rank of lieutenant. This flashback sequence depicts the events that led up to the present, set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War.
The second half of the film gets into the serious business of Karan and his fellow armymen facing the Pakistani army in the most sensitive area, the LOC (line of control). But the war within himself sustains itself in Karan. He sees it as a challenge to demonstrate his commitment to his family and his love. When he does, his priorities change as it becomes about the nation, and his internal battle fails to get the validation that he eventually sought.
Even when he calls Romila to tell her that he has become a soldier, she asks him to meet him, and he replies that she can't make every decision for them. It is mentioned that she decided to end their relationship; she cannot resume it as his "Lakshya" in life is now clear.
However, his past also follows him to his present as he covers the war, which takes a dramatic turn. He must once again acknowledge his responsibility and demonstrate that his Lakshya has not changed. Additionally, he cannot allow her to become a distraction for him.
The war sequence effectively portrays all the typical tropes of a war film, which were prevalent in the late 90s and early 2000s. However, it's the stupendous performance by Hrithik that takes the cake, with the actor showing a transition from an aimless guy to a responsible soldier who not only leads a troop but also saves his armymen and eventually hoists India's national flag. His journey is worth watching in the film, which is longer than three hours.
Lakshya's enduring legacy
Perhaps Lakshya was not successful at that time because the theme of coming of age against the backdrop of war might have been too heavy. However, it was also the year when Bollywood extensively explored the Indo-Pak situation in movies like Veer-Zaara, Main Hoon Na, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo, and Deewar.
However, it is entirely to blame for not being good content, because Lakshya has aged well and rightly attained cult status. Interestingly, I revisited the film after turning 30, and both Hrithik and Farhan were also 30 at the time of its release. I witnessed the world watching another coming-of-age film, this time as a war drama, both on borders and within oneself.
Why did I think of writing it today? Well, both Farhan and Hrithik are celebrating their 50th birthdays one after the other on January 9 and 10, respectively.