Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) Plot Summary

The film is divided into five chapters.

The first chapter opens up with an ambush in June 2015 on a convoy of Indian Army troops in Chandel, Manipur by NSCN(K) militants. In retaliation, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, a Para SF officer and his unit, including his brother-in-law Major Karan Kashyap, infiltrate and attack the Northeastern militants and also kill the key leader responsible for the ambush. After a successful strike, the Prime Minister of India congratulates him and the whole unit at a formal dinner. Vihaan requests early retirement as he wants to be close with his mother, who is suffering from Stage VI Alzheimer’s. The prime minister offers him a desk job at New Delhi near his mother instead of retirement, to which he agrees.

The second chapter shows Vihaan taking up a desk job at the Integrated Defence Staff HQ in New Delhi and spending time with his family. This segment also briefly describes the Pathankot attack and the Pampore attack. Nurse Jasmine D’Almeida is assigned to take care of Vihaan’s mother. Vihaan meets an Indian Air Force pilot, Flight Lieutenant Seerat Kaur, who is trying to prove her patriotism to her dead husband Captain Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an army officer who died in an ambush. One day, Vihaan’s mother goes missing. He searches for her, and blames Jasmine for her ignorance, saying there is no need for her security. Vihaan’s mother is found under a bridge, and Jasmine reveals she is an intelligence agent.

On 18 September 2016, four heavily armed militants attack the brigade headquarters at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir at dawn, killing 19 soldiers in their sleep. The terrorists are killed, but Karan dies in a grenade explosion as he accidentally pulls the pin attached to a terrorist’s rifle he picked up to examine. The whole family is devastated, including Vihaan. The Ministry decides to take strict action against the perpetrators of the attack. National Security Advisor Govind Bharadwaj suggests the idea of a surgical strike, inspired by Operation Wrath of God conducted by Israel. The prime minister gives it a go and gives ten days for the strike. Vihaan leaves his desk job and leaves for the Northern Command base in Udhampur. He requests Chief of the Army Staff General Arjun Singh Rajawat to add him to the operation and he agrees. Vihaan chooses the elite Ghatak Force commandos from the Bihar Regiment and the Dogra Regiment along with the special forces as most of the soldiers killed in the attack were from these regiments. Vihaan informs them they can no longer use their phones and disguises the mission as regular training exercises. The commandos begin their training.

During the planning, Govind ropes in ISRO (for providing satellite images), DRDO (for drone surveillance), and RAW (for intelligence). When he goes to meet DRDO Chief Brian D’Souza, he meets an intern named Ishaan who has developed a drone called Garuda which looks and is shaped like an Eagle. With the help of the drones and satellite images they get the exact location of the hideouts and training camps of the terrorists. Jasmine reveals her true name Pallavi Sharma to Vihaan, and during an interrogation, the two extract information about who planned the attack. Vihaan chooses Seerat as his pilot, she agrees. The commandos also start training under Vihaan. The Pakistani officials suspect the Indian activities but dismiss them due to underestimation.

On the night of 28 September, the commandos leave for the strike in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in Mi-17 helicopters. During the mission, Vihaan’s helicopter is forced to not cross the Line of Control due to latest intelligence from spies in Pakistan that the Pakistani Army has deployed an “AWAC” radar-based surface to air missile system in Muzaffarabad sector to bring their helicopter down. He and his team improvise by going on foot through a manned cave. His teams successfully infiltrate and kill all the terrorists at the launchpads. Vihaan kills Idris and Jabbar, the perpetrators of the Uri attack. The local police are alerted, and the commandos who are low on ammunition and time escape. On their way back, they are attacked from both a nearby machine gun bunker and a Pakistani Air Force Mi-17 Helicopter scrambled to intercept Vihaan’s team. Flight Lieutenant Seerat comes to their rescue by firing back at the Pakistani gunship, thus driving it away and eliminating the machine gun bunker. His team successfully crosses the LoC on the Indian side with no casualties. Vihaan lands at Hindon Air Force Station. The film ends with him, Pallavi, Govind, and the commandos having dinner with the prime minister.

In the post-credits scene, Zameer, a Pakistani minister, wakes up and shouts in frustration while seeing the news of India’s successful surgical strike. The scene cuts to a title card reading “Jai Hind”.