Tango Charlie
| Tango Charlie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mani Shankar |
| Written by | Mani Shankar |
| Produced by | Nitin Manmohan |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Bobby Deol |
| Cinematography | T. Surendra Reddy |
| Music by | Songs: Anand Raaj Anand Anu Malik Background Score: Ranjit Barot |
| Distributed by | Neha Arts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 143 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹13.5 crore |
| Box office | ₹7.16 crore[1] |
Tango Charlie is a 2005 Indian
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (October 2021) |
Two Indian Air Force helicopter pilots, Squadron Leader Vikram Rathore and Flight Lieutenant Shezad Khan (played by Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty respectively) rescue an injured Indian trooper amidst a pile of dead terrorists in the Kashmir valley. They read his diary to learn his story, as the film unfolds.
Insurgency in the North East
The tale revolves around an Indian
The rebels attack and the platoon accidentally kills one of their own as a set trap by the rebels. Then another young soldier is kidnapped and is left half dead as bait, with the rebels hiding in the bushes, killing whoever comes to rescue him. Another member of the platoon falls into the trap and is shot dead (
Maoists in Telangana
A few months later Mike Alpha's platoon is transferred to the state of
Riots in Gujarat
On their next assignment, the platoon is sent to quell the riots taking place in the western province of Gujarat. The police chief desperately tries to calm the crowd but is shot and killed by an extremist, and the platoon to opens fire. Chauhan tries to shoot the extremist but accidentally kills a bystander who pops into the way. Chauhan later visits the victim's family to seek forgiveness, but they assault him in anger. Mike Alpha intervenes and warns them, saying the BSF isn't here to kill innocent people but to stop people from committing acts of violence and they themselves are responsible for their losses. While in a military hospital, Havaldar Ali tells Chauhan his own tragic story, in which he was once assigned to save the family of a rich landlord from Naxalites in Bengal. The terrorists kill almost everyone at the landlord's daughter's wedding. Despite all effort, the platoon couldn't save the family; the daughter, who began to take a liking for Ali, was soon killed by the terrorists before he could eliminate them all. He says it was the first time that he listened to his heart and not his mind. Chauhan thereafter marries Lachchi Narayan.
In Kashmir
The Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan begins and Mike Alpha's platoon and the battalion move to Kashmir where they are assigned to defend a bridge. Mike Alpha gives Chauhan a strict order- shoot anyone who wants to cross the bridge but doesn't say the password "Rainfall" after three attempts. Pakistani militants attack the platoon, the army kill a large number of the militants but Mike Alpha is severely wounded before being approached by a real Indian battalion of soldiers who give him the correct password. Mike Alpha salutes them and then dies. Chauhan arms himself to the teeth and stalks the Pakistanis to their base. He wires the place with explosives, killing the rest of the militants. Chauhan then shoots the gang leader dead before being wounded.
The film returns to the beginning, Chauhan being rescued by the helicopter pilots. Later the pilots are rewarded for finding Tango Charlie. Havaldar Ali is awarded post humously with the Ashok Chakra.
Cast
- Bobby Deol as BSF Soldier Sepoy Tarun Chauhan (Tango Charlie)
- Ajay Devgan as BSF Soldier Hawaldar Mohammad Ali (Mike Alpha)
- Sanjay Dutt as Squadron Leader Vikram Rathore
- Sunil Shetty as Flight Lieutenant Shezad Khan
- Tanisha as Lachchi Narayan / Lachchi Tarun Chauhan
- Nandana Sen as Shyamoli, the daughter of the Bengali landlord
- Sudesh Berry as BSF Soldier Bhiku
- Shahbaz Khan as BSF Soldier Dev Dixit
- Rajesh Khera as BSF Soldier Constable Sangram Singh
- Suresh Ghera as Manipur BSF Officer
- Alok Nath as Mr. Anand Chauhan Tarun Chauhan's father
- Ayesha Jaleel as Mrs Chauhan Tarun Chauhan's mother
- Vivek Shauq as Abhay, Tarun's friend
- Sanjay Mishra as Tarun's friend
- Tiku Talsania as Ram Narayan (Lachchi's father)
- Kelly Dorji as Bodo people militant leader
- Arun Behl as Bodo militant
- Anjan Srivastavas Doctor
- Mukesh Tiwari as Pakistani Army Fidayeen Leader
- Rajendranath Zutshias Bengali Naxal leader
- Subrat Dutta as Naxal leader's henchman
- Abhijit Lahirias Landlord Rai Bahadur
- Atul Mongia as Pakistani Army Soldier Aslam Jehangir
- Pabitra Rabha as Bodo militant group deputy
Soundtrack
| Tango Charlie | |
|---|---|
Feature film soundtrack | |
| Label | T-Series |
The music for the movie was mainly composed by Anu Malik.
| # | Title | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Odhani Odhali" | Udit Narayan, Mahalakshmi Iyer |
| 2 | "Akkad Te Bakkad Te" | Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, Vijay Prakash, Kunal Ganjawala |
| 3 | "Ek Diwani Ladki" | Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal |
| 4 | "Dheere Dheere" | Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal |
| 5 | "Kya Bataaoon Dil Ruba" | Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik |
| 6 | "Ae Aasmaan" | Sonu Nigam |
Release and reception
Critical reception
The film deals with insurgency and extremism in various parts of India, and was described by BBC's Jaspreet Pandohar as "an interesting study of terrorism, violence, and valour".[2] The Hindu newspaper called the film "a visual treat with a daring theme" and "dares to enter where the Indian media shies away".[4][5][6]
References
- ^ "Ajay Devgn Hit Movies List | Ajay Devgn Box Office Collection - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 11 August 2023.
- ^ a b "BBC – Movies – review – Tango Charlie". Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Ten films that didn't release pan-India". 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Entertainment Chennai / Film Review : "Tango Charlie"". The Hindu. 1 April 2005. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Tango Charlie disappoints". Retrieved 25 March 2005.
- ^ "Bollywood scripts success stories in 2005". The Hindu Business Line. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
