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Lakshya is a Hindi movie directed by Farhan Akhtar. It stars Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri and Boman Irani. Roshan plays the role of Lieutenant (later Acting Captain) Karan Shergill, who leads his team to victory over the Pakistani infiltrators on peak 5179 along the border. It is a fictional story based on the historical events of the 1999 Kargil Conflict. The film was screened at the Marrakech International Film Festival.

Synopsis

Karan Shergil (Roshan) is a young man who has no actual goal in mind or plans for his future. He represents those urban youth in modern India, who have money but little ambition or purpose in their lives. His father is a businessman; his brother is a successful individual living in America, but Karan is drifting along. His girlfriend, Romi (Zinta), a student activist who espouses fashionable causes out of wellmeaning sincerity, tells him he needs to find a goal in life. When a friend announces he is going to join the Army, Karan applies for the Indian Military Academy as well, and enrolls in the Indian Military Academy despite dissent from his parents.

Karan's first days at the IMA are a disaster. Because he is undisciplined and unused to a spartan existence, he keeps getting into trouble at the academy. Upset, he leaves the academy without permission, sneaking over the wall at Last Post. However, the girl he has been pursuing, Romi, breaks off their relationship because he quit even this attempt at being an adult. His father also expresses displeasure at his action, despite his mother urging him to join the family business. Karan finally comes to terms with his situation and decides to face his demons. He returns to the IMA, takes his punishment, and becomes a focused, disciplined cadet leader, graduating as a cadet officer.

Lt. Karan (the starting rank for all new commissioned officers in the Indian Army) is posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment, commanded by Col. Sunil Damle (Amitabh Bachchan), and handles his responsibilities well. From an immature teenager to a mature officer, he finally decides the essence of his life or his goal - 'Lakshya'. His Lakshya is now his unit's target - a mountain peak - known to be occupied by the Pakistani Army.

The movie depicts Karans transformation- it shows how the Army, and its disciplined, selfless and spartan existence moulds an impressionable young individual accustomed to a hedonistic lifestyle, into a mature human being who can think and act for himself.

Romi is now engaged to a businessman friend and has, for all intents moved on with her life.

Karan encounters Romi, who is now a war correspondent and has come to the battle zone to cover the conflict, and it becomes clear that Karans responsibilities take precedence over their relationship.

As the conflict develops into a raging war, Colonel Damle is told by his Brigadier that 3 Punjab has 48 hours to achieve its goal of seizing the peak assigned to them, or the unit will be relieved.It is now a matter of regimental "izzat" (pride) that 3 Punjab seize the peak, come what may. Karan & his fellow soldiers skilfully assault the objective, routing the enemy, but not without cost. The unit has several casualties, Karan's friend Akbar, a fellow officer is killed in the clash.

Karan is now assigned to a commando team (ghatak in Indian Army parlance) which is tasked with climbing a tall cliff (mentioned at 800 feet at one point, 1000 feet in another) to flank the Pakistani sangars (rock fortifications) and regain the hill. On the night before the attack, Karan calls his father and the two are reconciled.

The team assaults the objective and seizes it after a realistically filmed assault- with several of the unit falling in the grim, no holds barred, close quarters battle. The survivors then have another task left to them; they have to face determined counter-attacks from the Pakistani regulars who seek to re-take the objective when they realise that the Indians who routed them, are yet to be reinforced. The Indians manage to hold on and repulse the attack.

Karan then moves on to the hill limping to the top of the mountain, unpacking the Indian tricolor Akbar wanted to carry, and plants it on top of the hill, then fires a flare, to the relieved joy of Colonel Damle. The movie ends with Karan marrying Romi.

It has been suggested that significant elements of Karans achievements and character are based on the different exploits of actual Indian soldiers during the Kargil conflict. Overall, the movie follows the Indian movie template of having songs interspersed amongst the narrative, however it was widely praised for its highly nuanced portrayal of a young mans coming of age, while also making a war movie with well directed action content, without resorting to jingoism or hyperbole.