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.
A glossy, high-altitude action drama that delivers spectacle, star power, and some genuinely impressive aerial staging, but it leans hard on familiar Top Gun-style beats and hyper-patriotic rhetoric. If you want slick aviation set pieces and big-screen swagger, it can work; if you need originality or nuanced politics, it likely won’t.
Best for
fans of large-scale action spectacle
viewers who enjoy fighter-jet and military aviation films
audiences looking for star-driven mainstream Indian cinema
people who don’t mind familiar story beats if the execution is polished
Skip if
you want a fresh or subtle screenplay
you’re sensitive to jingoistic or propaganda-adjacent storytelling
you dislike melodrama and broad dialogue
you expect deep character writing over spectacle
Overview
Fighter is built as a prestige-scale crowd-pleaser: polished visuals, muscular sound design, and a cast that knows how to sell swagger. The aerial sequences are the main attraction, and the film does have enough momentum to make the action feel big and expensive. When it stays in motion, it can be entertaining in a very mainstream, popcorn-first way.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie is so clearly chasing a familiar template that it rarely finds its own voice. The emotional arcs are thin, the dialogue often swings between earnest and cheesy, and the nationalism is pushed so aggressively that it can flatten the drama. The result is a film that feels technically accomplished but dramatically predictable.
Bottom line
For viewers in the mood for a loud, glossy, star-led action movie, there’s enough here to justify a watch. For anyone hoping for sharper writing or a more original take on military heroism, Fighter is more likely to feel like an imitation than a reinvention.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Shivu Gowda · 261 likes
Just loud stupid bullshit made for 1 years olds
Michael James (2.5★) · 217 likes
Given the fighter pilot genre and heavy Top Gun hangover, you definitely ain’t walking in expecting any originality, all you are looking for is some high octane over the top fun with serviceable emotions. In that sense, Fighter was a hit and miss.
Hrithik and Deepika looked dashing, holding one enticed onto the screen. We get a restrained Anil Kapoor and the man was solid as always. As a matter of fact, it was their banters, backstories and relationship dynamics… more
Viren (3.5★) · 176 likes
TOP GUN: Made in India!
'Fighter' gives off similar vibes to Top Gun, but cranks up the patriotism to the max. Whether it's copied or inspired, as long as it's entertaining, I'm all for it. 'Fighter' is definitely a game-changer, setting a high bar for other action directors.
Not only did Siddharth Anand make a movie so good, but he also set an example for other guys on how to handle such topics in films. I'm sorry, Sid; I wasn't… more
Preet (3★) · 137 likes
brown Michael Jackson becomes a terrorist.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3★) · 136 likes
A PASSAGE TO INDIA II: ATTACK OF THE SPICE
Both Top Gun, which serves as a main influence (not to call it a rip-off), doesn’t hide its real intention as a propaganda film for the air force. Damn! I still remember hearing and reading of a group of recruiting members outside every screening of Maverick. Screenwriter Ramon Chibb watched that movie and said, “Not enough propaganda,” and went all in. It also serves as a great example of why it… more