‘Pippa’ Trailer – Ishaan Khatter Leads Indian War Drama

Prime Video has unveiled the first trailer for the new Indian war movie Pippa, starring Ishaan Khatter as a young soldier during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the film is based on the firsthand account of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta, documented in the book “The Burning Chaffees”. Centering on a tank squadron during the pivotal Battle of Garibpur, Pippa will likely remind audiences of David Ayer’s acclaimed 2016 film Fury, which starred Brad Pitt in the central role.

The trailer opens with a voiceover from the then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, declaring war against neighboring Pakistan. This is the conflict that resulted in the formation of Bangladesh. The Indian Army supported the Bangladeshi rebel outfit known as the Mukti Bahini during the war, a detail that is also mentioned in the trailer. “For the first time, the Indian Army is going to cross international borders,” one character says in a rousing speech, before declaring, “We fight like soldiers, we kill like soldiers, we die like soldiers!”

As promised, the trailer shows plenty of tank-based action, culminating with a hint of Academy Award-winner A.R. Rahman’s original music from the film. The movie gets its title from the amphibious war tank called the PT-76 (Palavushi Tanka), which was popularly known as “Pippa.” After setting the context for the war, the trailer reveals a lavish money-shot in which these amphibious tanks can be seen gracefully floating on the water, painting an almost serene picture before unleashing grim violence. Khatter stars as Mehta, who assumed command over the squadron after their leader fell during a mission.

‘Pippa’ Isn’t the Only Indian Film to Revisit the 1971 War This Year

Incidentally, Pippa will be the third Bollywood film this year to be set during the 1971 India-Pakistan War, following the massive blockbuster Gadar 2, and the upcoming Sam Bahadur, a biopic of the legendary Sam Manekshaw, who served as the Chief of the Army Staff during the conflict. He’ll be played by the acclaimed Vicky Kaushal in the film. Khatter, on the other hand, is a relatively new star who debuted with Iranian director Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds, and followed it up with a central role Netflix’s A Suitable Boy and a cameo in Don’t Look Up.

Also starring Priyanshu Painyuli, who played the primary antagonist in the Netflix film Extraction; Mrunal Thakur, who starred in the Prime Video movie Toofan; and Soni Razdan, veteran actress and the mother of Heart of Stone star Alia Bhatt, Pippa will be released on Prime Video on November 10, in time for the Diwali festival in India. You can watch the trailer here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.