HOLIDAY - A SOLDIER IS NEVER OFF DUTY CAST STORY AND REVIEW

CAST

Akshay Kumar as Captain Virat Bakshi
Sonakshi Sinha as Saiba Thapar
Freddy Daruwala as Shadab Ali Farooqui -
Sumeet Raghavan as Sub-Inspector Mukund "Makhiya" Deshmukh -
Govinda in a special appearance -

STORY

"Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" is an action-packed Indian thriller film starring Akshay Kumar as Captain Virat Bakshi, an army officer in the secret wing of the Indian Army known as the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The movie begins with Virat returning to his home in Mumbai on a much-needed holiday. While his parents try to convince him to consider marrying Saiba Thapar (Sonakshi Sinha), Virat is not interested, thinking she is old-fashioned. However, Virat's perception of Saiba changes when he witnesses her in a boxing match, showcasing her modern and independent spirit. He falls in love with her instantly.

One day, while traveling on a bus with his friend and Sub-Inspector Mukund "Makhiya" Deshmukh (Sumeet Raghavan), Virat notices a suspicious man attempting to flee after a reported theft. Virat chases him and apprehends him, only to witness a devastating bomb explosion, killing innocent people. Virat realizes that the man he captured, Ajmal Lateef, is a terrorist who planted the bomb. However, Ajmal escapes from the hospital with the help of a corrupt police mole, ACP Ashok Gaikwad (Gireesh Sahedev).

Determined to prevent further attacks, Virat kidnaps Ajmal again and interrogates him to reveal the name of the police mole. He also forces the corrupt ACP to commit suicide. Virat discovers from Ajmal's belongings that a terrorist group is planning multiple serial blasts in Mumbai within a couple of days, with Ajmal being one of the sleeper agents. Virat remembers that on the day of the planned attacks, his colleague Joel (Randheer Rai) is getting married, and all their fellow army officers are going to be present at the wedding. Virat decides to track and eliminate the terrorists before they can trigger the bombs.

With the help of his fellow officers and Mukund, Virat identifies and neutralizes the sleeper cell agents, including Ajmal. The successful operation prevents the planned bombings, but it also draws the attention of the terrorist leader, Shadab Ali Farooqui (Freddy Daruwala). Shadab's brother, Afsar Ali, was one of the sleeper bombers, and he seeks revenge against Virat and his team.

In retaliation, Shadab attacks Joel's house, killing his family and discovering an album containing photos of all the team officers. Shadab decides to kidnap female relatives of each officer as revenge. Virat becomes aware of this plan and replaces one of the girls to be kidnapped with his younger sister, Preeti (Cherry Mardia). With the help of his loyal pet dog, Rocky, and his sister Pinky's (Apoorva Arora) dupatta, Virat infiltrates the terrorists' hideout. He eliminates all the terrorists and rescues the hostages, including Preeti, who was about to be killed after Virat's deception was exposed. Virat also captures Asif Ali (Dipendra Sharma), the second-in-command of the sleeper cells, and kills him.

Shadab realizes that direct attacks on the officers are not working, so he decides to target Virat himself. He kills one of the officers, Kapil, and his family through a blast, then forces Virat to surrender. Virat devises a plan to sacrifice himself and orders Mukund and Joel to follow him using a tracking chip inserted in his arm. He plans to plant a bomb at the terrorists' hideout, effectively ending the threat.

Virat drives to a port on Shadab's orders, unaware that the cars he is driving contain bombs that will frame him and his team as terrorists, furthering the terrorists' plan to infiltrate the Indian Army with the help of corrupt Joint Defense Secretary Alvin D'Souza (Zakir Hussain). Meanwhile, Joel plants a bomb on the terrorists' ship.

During a one-on-one fight with Shadab, Virat's shoulder is dislocated, but he manages to pop it back into place and escapes with Shadab, holding him at gunpoint on a boat. The ship explodes due to Joel's bomb, and Virat shoots down Shadab. Virat then confronts Alvin, forcing him to commit suicide.

In the end, Virat returns to his duty, guarding the border with his team, ready to face any future threats that come their way.

REVIEW

"Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" is a thrilling and action-packed movie that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats throughout its engaging plot, exemplifying the resilience and dedication of a soldier who is never truly off duty when it comes to protecting his country and loved ones. Akshay Kumar's stellar performance, along with the gripping storyline, makes it a memorable film in the action thriller genre.