“You were engaged in a deeply intellectual conversation on his reverse ageing,” pinged this author’s phone with several photos and this text, suitably punctuated by winks and smileys. The sender, a friend’s son, had to indulge in a bout of mandatory leg-pulling after being drenched in affection less than a few hours. Oh, the ungrateful youth! Those photographs from the special screening of Farhan Akhtar’s latest film, 120 Bahadur, based on the Battle of Rezang La fought between Indian and Chinese soldiers on November 18, 1962, may suggest otherwise, but the film indeed demands something pretentiously intellectual. (I get to rehash my seminar notes here.) This isn’t a review of the latest war film from the makers of Lakshya, arguably one of the best in the genre, because of a conflict of interest, but an inquiry.

Why do films based on wars become a big deal in countries like India? A simple answer is because wars are a big deal. Everywhere and across time. “War is the father of all and the king of all; some he has made gods, and some men; some slaves and some free,” pronounced Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher. Wars — like crises in general — are moments of testing and redefinition of identity. They force individuals and nations to confront who........

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