Keerthi Chakra 2006

Major Mahadevan is an Indian Army officer assigned to the National Security Guards (NSG), tasked with counter-terrorism duties in Kashmir. His roots are in Kerala, and the film follows how he leads an elite group of NSG commandos with the steady support of his upright superior, Colonel Ravi Dutta. When a critical intelligence tip arrives, Jaikumar, Havildar, is recalled from his honeymoon because Jai’s experience and instincts are deemed essential for the mission. The team’s bond is clear: discipline, loyalty, and a shared sense of duty under pressure.

In a bold operation carried out in civilian clothes, the commandos raid a mosque and seize a substantial cache of arms and explosives, a seizure that underscores the group’s willingness to operate outside traditional boundaries to safeguard civilians. Back home, Jai’s wife Sandhya breaks the news by phone that she is pregnant, adding a personal stake to Jai’s perilous work and reminding viewers that every decision has a human heartbeat behind it.

The narrative intensifies during an assault on cottages near the Dal Lake. A comrade, Kishori Lal, is killed, and Jai’s temper flares as he shoots a captured terrorist who challenges the commandos’ authority. This moment prompts Athira, a human rights activist, to scrutinize the operation. However, after witnessing the commandos’ resolve and the chaotic realities of counter-terrorism, she reassesses and chooses not to pursue a formal complaint, recognizing the sincerity of the soldiers’ mission.

As the plot widens, a coalition of terrorists from Afghanistan and Pakistan hatches a plan to strike the Hazratbal Shrine with a missile, aiming to ignite unrest and pin blame on the Indian army. The militants hijack a house that offers a vantage point on the shrine, subjecting its civilian residents to brutal acts, including rape, before a boy is shot when a protest erupts. A patrolling vehicle detects the violence and relays the alarm to the NSG, who swiftly arrive to join the fall of the assailants and the thwarting of the missile threat.

After a protracted and tense battle that frees the hostages and disarms the weapon, a troubling clue surfaces: one terrorist leader remains unaccounted for among the corpses. The team tracks him to a house, where Mahadevan recognizes the man as the same figure who killed his wife, Sreekutty, and his daughter years earlier. The confrontation culminates in a brutal showdown. Mahadevan overpowers the terrorist, who fires at him, but Jai sacrifices himself to shield the assailant—receiving a fatal wound in the process. The operation ends with the terrorists defeated, and Jai is posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, a testament to his bravery and the cost of protecting civilians.

In the quiet aftermath, Sandhya gives birth to a son, a poignant symbol of new life born out of sacrifice. She visits Jai’s grave with their child, carrying forward his memory and the example of duty, courage, and unwavering commitment to the nation. The film closes on a note that honors both the fallen and the families who bear the weight of their loved ones’ sacrifices, presenting a portrait of military service that balances action with the personal toll of war.