Where is your navigator?
Did he get lost somewhere?
Viraj isn't the type to get lost.
Looks like you've never seen him fly before.
He was born to be a fighter pilot.
I don't know about the pilot bit,
but I have heard about the fighter part.
He has already been grounded once.
Twice.
I've been grounded twice, not once.
The first time for breaking rules of engagement at TACDE,
and the second time for quitting the course mid-way.
The planes that take off against the wind current
usually soar higher and faster.
You focus on clearance. Leave the flying to me.
-Thank you. -Welcome.
I mean, he's not wrong.
You need to get out of here, man.
Did you talk to the CO?
Bro, I asked you a question.
Your juniors are already leading their own squadrons.
Do you remember Salim Kamali?
He was at TACDE with you.
I am neither interested in Salim Kamali
nor in Salim-Javed.
Clear?
Tower 498, start for local flying.
Clear start, 498. Temperature is 28 degrees.
QNH: 1016.
Roger that.
Winds 20 knots.
Clear for take-off.
Deactivating alt mode.
Climbing level 150.
Waiting for your confirmation, Vir.
I'm off controls, Dev.
Check all the parameters within limits.
Roger that.
Carry out checks before spin.
All parameters normal; initiating spin to the right.
Dev, get the wings level and ease up!
Dev, I repeat, get the wings level and ease up!
Dev, what the hell! Dev!
We're losing altitude, Dev!
Dev!
Shit.
Charlie, come in, Charlie!
Charlie, you're going too low! Pull up, pull up!
Charlie, recover! You're too low!
Dev's not responding. I repeat, Dev is not responding.
What did you say? D is out of action?
I think it's G-LOC.
Razor, activate APS.
Switching to manual.
Viraj, you're losing height rapidly!
I'm trying to recover. Trying to recover...
Viraj, pull up, pull up! I repeat, pull up! Pull up!
-Vir, change the course! -Yes, I'm trying!
Viraj, pull up, pull up!
I repeat, pull up! Pull up!
-Can he eject? -Sir, if he ejects now...
the plane will crash in the middle of Pune city.
Come on...
Eject, Viraj! Hurry up and eject!
There's still some height, sir. Not letting him go down alone.
Requesting priority rejoin.
Clear rejoin. Runaway 27 for direct final.
That was a close shave, Vir.
Anyone else in your place
would have flown the plane out of the grid,
and ejected right after. So, well done.
Sir.
Someone once told me...
"Every take-off is optional,
but every landing is mandatory."
Keep it up, Viraj. Your ascent has just begun.
-Sir. -Debrief in 15.
-What's happening? -Is the electricity gone?
Wait, just listen to me--
Damn it.
Yes, Milind, tell me.
And the NSG?
And what about our Air Force base over there?
I want a detailed report of this incident by tomorrow morning.
Massive breaking news coming in just now from Daman.
A terrorist attack took place last night at Sea Wave Resort.
Six people were killed, and 20 people were injured.
It is being said that one of the casualties
was a Pakistani citizen.
None of the government agencies have confirmed this
and no terrorist organization has come forward
to claim responsibility for the attack so far.
This mishap is being viewed as a huge intelligence failure.
The NIA has been tasked with the investigation.
But the real question is
have the terrorists always been one step ahead,
or were our intelligence agencies completely blindsided?
Six civilians dead.
And 20 people injured.
All because Special Forces couldn't get there on time.
We're busy working towards turning the country into a world power
while terrorists roam our backyard.
What should I say to the nation in the next address?
Hmm?
"Red Tape chokes India."
"Bureaucracy suffocates India's hopes and dreams."
Do you see me laughing, Milind?
-Do you think this is a joke? -I apologise, sir.
Ultimately, this will get done.
But it will take some time.
Ten soldiers
and six innocent people have died.
And the NSA says, "We will get the job done."
First it was Mumbai,
then Jaipur,
then Hyderabad,
and now Daman too?
How long will this go on, Milind?
When are we going to be one step ahead?
Project Hawks?
Forgive me, Mr. Prime Minister. Please, I'm sorry, but...
I'd like to point out that we already have the Para SF
and other elite command forces such as Garud and MARCOS,
so forming a new command force
seems like an unnecessary waste of resources and time.
Right, Mr. Milind?
Time is the name of the game, sir.
By the time the red alert was issued from the resort to the Daman base,
it was already too late.
And that is when the situation escalated.
Which force unit should be deployed?
Before we could figure that out, it was all over.
Look, sir.
With a situation as delicate as this one,
can you afford to lose time?
A joint command like Hawks
will optimise the combined special abilities
of the Army, Navy and Air Force, simultaneously.
It will have its own dedicated equipment.
And the chain of command links directly to the PMO.
It will save time
and lives as well.
Think about it, sir.
A first-responder team of our own.
Used exclusively to neutralise threats higher than DEFCON 3
and capable of doing so.
The Russians have the KSSO, the Americans have JSOC.
If we want to stay one step ahead of the enemy,
we will need to be proactive.
It is time to snip off that red tape and throw it away.
I urge you to reconsider.
To run such a high-profile unit, you need someone...
better. I mean, I'm also...
Ah.
There you are.
GC Ranjan Malik.
-Jai Hind, sir. -Jai Hind.
How was your flight?
You didn't face any problems, did you?
You're asking a fighter pilot
if he had any problems on a domestic flight?
Sir.
Ranjan, meet Milind Phanse.
I'm sure you know him.
Beg your pardon, sir,
but I wasn't aware that the NSA approved VRS applications.
If the VRS has any bearing on national security,
then, absolutely, we do.
Well, gentlemen.
I have to attend the commissioning ceremony for Squadron 18.
Will see you soon.
Sir.
GC Ranjan Malik, TACDE Sword of Honour '98.
Twenty-six years of service.
You were the youngest officer
to lead air strikes in the Kargil War.
Five-time winner of the Smoking Guns trophy.
Under your command, your squadron
ranked as the Best Fighter Squadron every time,
whether you've been the flight commander or the CO.
Impressive.
Most importantly,
you have run more joint-ops training than anybody else.
And that is why--
And that is why I'm still stuck doing training, sir.
The file from which you got this information
also has details of the UN Peacekeeping Mission.
You're right!
You were the base commander.
One more feather.
We lost that one.
Sir.
Come on, Ranjan. You and me both know
you succeeded in pushing the enemy back.
Succeeded?
Seventeen of my men died, sir.
Two hepters got ambushed.
All because of the loss of intel and coordination failure
between the Air Force and the Army.
Beg your pardon, sir.
But my definition of success is a little different.
Maybe that is why
you presented a proposal
to plug in the gap in coordination and communication.
Project Hawks.
Your dream project.
Top officers from all three forces to make
India's very own first-responders' team.
Under one chain of command.
It sounds like a fantasy when I say it out loud.
Ranjan.
It might have been a fantasy when you presented this proposal.
But times have changed.
I want you to handle command of the Hawks
because you are the best man for the job.
I understand
how personally you take the loss of your soldiers.
So, put together a unit
that ensures you never lose a soldier again.
I know...
you want full autonomy.
No interference?
Given.
The enemy has infiltrated our nation.
We need Hawks.
Here's the last lot of the shortlisted pilots.
Roger that.
And here, sir, is your coffee.
Do you plan on burning the midnight oil, Mr. Bhatti?
Hmm?
I've made the force my family now,
but you have a real family--
I have already informed the missus that Mr. Malik needs me.
She's the one who made the coffee.
Black, like the night we'll be working through.
Cheers to ma'am.
Sir, she remembers you fondly.
Especially the days at the academy.
You mean the time we all had
scraped knees and elbows thanks to your drills?
Not that part, no.
It's that special drive you exhibited at the time.
But then,
you climbed the ranks and slowly the system left you jaded.
And Shubha ma'am's death left you so terribly lonely.
It's like you had forgotten how to smile.
Do you remember the UN rescue mission, Mr. Bhatti?
It was a joint op.
We provided the Army with intel,
warning them of an ambush.
Hmm?
At first, they didn't listen.
And by the time they did come around,
I had already lost 17 men.
They didn't listen to me then,
so I stopped listening to them after that.
If Project Hawks is successful, Mr. Bhatti,
it will save lives.
And only then will I feel
that I made a bloody difference.
Feels like I am seeing a glimpse of the old Ranjan after an eternity.
All right then, shall we begin?
Hand it over.
Capt. Perry Mehta, 9 Para SF officer.
Has been a part of 18 missions at the border.
Covert tactics specialist.
Why the Hawks?
My family's name is synonymous with excellence, sir.
My grandfather, Jamshedji Mehta,
led India against Pakistan in the 1971 war.
My father led Operation Vijay during the Kargil War.
So, clearly my--
It isn't your family I'm interviewing to join the Hawks, Captain.
Hawks is also a symbol of excellence, sir.
And that's why I'm here.
Flight Lt. Manju.
Your record as a chopper pilot is spotless.
The valour you showed during the Kedarnath rescue op
is commendable.
But...
But what, sir?
Your CO mentioned that you're getting married on the 27th?
And training starts on the 24th.
So, are you even available?
I was supposed to be getting married on the 27th, yes.
Was supposed to?
Meaning? Did you call it off?
No, sir.
We got married today.
Fanfare is overrated.
And it's not like I'm some melodramatic 90s actor
who croons poignant songs to their beloved.
Now that is truly commendable.
Squadron Leader Salim Kamali.
Topper of the 2019 TACDE batch.
One of the country's best fighter pilots.
He has recently returned
after completing the Red Flag joint-op training in Nevada.
What happened?
Leave the pawn, first play the horse.
Good.
He's a chess prodigy, sir.
Became an international master at the age of 12.
If not a pilot, he could've been the next Viswanathan Anand.
Yes, sir?
Flight Lt. Avantika Rao.
This year's TACDE topper.
A specialist in MiG-21 and precision missiles.
Who's her CO?
I want to talk to him.
Right, sir.
-Mr. Bhatti? -Yes, sir?
There was a file here.
He didn't come in for the interview.
You mean Squadron Leader Rohan Verma?
-Sir, his interview-- -No, not Rohan Verma.
The one from Lohegaon base.
Squadron Leader Viraj Sehgal.
Sir, you'd better go home. You haven't slept in two days.
It's affecting your brain.
Bhatti...
where is Squadron Leader Viraj Sehgal's file?
Forget about him, sir.
He's a total wild card.
You know that you are also personally affected by him.
Why are you hell-bent on derailing this train?
Are you done?
Did you hear the news from Lohegaon base?
Yes.
If it was another pilot who played by the book,
we'd be placing the Guard of Honour on his co-pilot's corpse today.
Call him.
And mark my words.
Usually, it's the wild card that turns out to be the trump card.
Okay, sir.
I'm the one who just got out of the hospital,
but it looks like you need treatment.
You know the Hawks is the squad to be in.
And you refused.
What's your problem, dude?
Do you know who's in charge of the Hawks?
Who?
Ranjan Malik.
Remember what he did to me in TACDE?
I have no interest in going to Kasol
and laying eyes on his face after that.
Understand?
You have no interest in seeing Ranjan Malik's face, right.
Are you sure? Or...
is it your dad's face you don't want to see?
He's in Kasol too, right?
I spoke to your CO.
He told me what you said to him after landing.
"All take-offs are optional,
"but every landing is mandatory," right?
That's what you said.
How long will you keep running from your past?
One day you too will have to land and you'll have to face the truth.
Viraj sir?
GC Ranjan Malik is on the phone for you.
Right.
Who's this stud?
It'd be fine if he was just that.
But he's one of those who thinks
he's the main character in everyone's life.
You know him?
Unfortunately.
-TACDE batchmates. -Ah.
By the way, Captain Shome Banerjee. 21 Para SF.
Squadron Leader Salim Kamali.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
Oh, she's here too!
Avantika Rao. What a woman.
She flies a MiG.
So, what's the big deal?
Flying a MiG or a Sukhoi. What's the difference?
Hello.
MiG pilots are just on another level of swag.
Okay...
Officers.
Look carefully at the other officers standing with you.
They are the top 16 officers of the Indian Armed Forces.
The best.
We are all here to achieve one unified goal.
To make you even better.
To make the best better.
-Any doubts? -No, sir!
I'm Group Captain Ranjan Malik.
And this is Master Warrant Officer Jaspreet Bhatti.
Mr. Bhatti will give you all the orientation details.
The faster you settle in,
the better.
Because from tomorrow,
you're going to change forever.
Welcome to the Hawks.
I wouldn't do that if I was you.
Excuse me?
Leave the chicken. Go for the mushrooms instead.
You'll thank me during tomorrow's dogfight.
Thanks, man!
I was missing my dietician anyway.
Also, is this professional advice free of charge
or will you send me an invoice?
Relax. I was just trying to help.
Really?
But I've heard that you only help yourself.
You know, look after number one and all.
I also heard about your Sword of Honour.
I didn't realise they were referring to your tongue.
Why? Does it burn?
Understandable.
Also, if you could get a Sword of Honour
just for having a sharp tongue,
you would not have lost it to Salim Kamali.
By the way, I'm sure you know about the bet by now.
What bet?
Just that, er...
you'll be kicked out of here just like you were at TACDE.
You won't last a month, Viraj Sehgal.
To be honest, I'm not in the mood to stay here for a month either.
I'll wrap up the course in a couple of weeks
and then goodbye, Ranjan Malik.
Having confidence in yourself is a good thing.
Thanks.
But there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance.
By the way, this chicken looks pretty delicious.
The fact that Shoaib Raza was on Indian soil
was known only to five people.
In fact, even the ATS that was protecting him
had no idea about his real identity.
So, a wolf sits in our midst, wearing our clothing.
Yes, sir. And it looks like he's getting ready for something big.
In the last month,
we red-flagged many bank accounts for suspicious activity.
We recorded quite a few high-value SWIFT transfers.
Maybe Shoaib was trying to warn us about these attacks.
There's more. Roma?
Sir, we have an asset in the Kathmandu ISI office.
We have intel that says ISI
has activated one of its sleeper agents.
Agent 23.
Is it possible that he could be the wolf?
Thank you.
The pistol is inside the jail.