Tacit Emotions - Lakshya

Lakshya, set against the backdrop of Operation Vijay, traces the journey of Karan, from being an irresponsible, aimless brat to a  soldier.

Karan and Romi, childhood sweethearts, separate due to the differences in their outlook towards life. Romi is focused and determined whereas Karan lacks an aim (lakshya) in life.  After years, Karan and Romi meet in an army camp. Romi has become a war correspondent and Karan is a soldier in the Indian army.

 <The location is an army camp>

India has to reclaim the peak in the Kargil sector from Pakistan. The regiment selects twelve of its soldiers for this daunting task. Karan is one among the twelve. A day before the mission, Karan is in a jeep with his officer. The jeep stops to give way to passing army trucks. Karan sees Romi waving to the passing soldiers. He looks at her and the camera captures Romi from a distance. There is a grin on Romi’s face. She is happy to see karan. Karan wants to walk up to Romi and decides to get down from the Jeep. He immediately realizes the presence of his officer and takes his permission to meet her. This scene is a testimony to the director’s skill in capturing the minutest of details. Karan walks towards Romi and a truck passes between them, reminiscent of the distance between them that they now want to bridge.

Karan – Hi

Romi – Hi

Karan – I miss you Romi. Bahut yaad karta hoon mai tumhe

Romi (with a hint of tears in her eyes) – Main bhi

Karan – Main kal ek mission pe ja raha hoon

Romi (with a hint of smile) – Main intezaar karoongi

Karan (with conflicting emotions)  – Ho sakta hai mai wapis nahi aaun

Romi (with a confident look) – To mai zindagi bhar intezaar karoongi

Karan is overwhelmed by emotions. He comes closer to Romi. He wants to hug her. He looks around and becomes conscious of the location as well as the people around him. He holds back. Romi also wants to hug him, but being equally aware of the surrounding, holds herself back. They want to hug to let each other know how they feel. They want to whisper their love. They want to share their emotions. They want to make up for all the lost time. They realize that this may be their last moment together. But, they are handcuffed by the milieu. The helplessness is captured with heart-wrenching reality. In this scene, silence does speak louder than the words. The instrumental of ‘Kitni baaten yaad aati hai” starts playing softly in the background, beautifully capturing the myriad emotions of Karan and Romi.