Pippa Ending Explained: With Ishaan Khatter leading the Hindi war epic drama film as Captain Balram “Balli” Singh Mehta of India’s 45 Cavalry regiment, Raja Krishna Menon’s Pippa movie is based on the real-life events of the Battle of Garibpur in 1971, as adapted from the first-hand account of Captain Mehta from his book The Burning Chaffees.
The Bollywood film also stars Mrunal Thakur as Balli’s sister, Radha, and Priyanshu Painyuli as Balli’s elder brother, Ram Mehta. The siblings fought on the eastern front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under the banner of RSVP Movies and Roy Kapur Films, the latest Amazon Prime Video original film premiered on the streamer on November 10, 2023, just in time for Diwali celebrations.
Honouring the spirit and bravery of Indian military forces, the movie stars Soni Razdan as the lead trio’s mother. Its music has been breathed to life by AR Rahman, with Priya Seth helming the cinematography and Ravinder Randhawa and Tanmay Mohan penning the screenplay with Raja Krishna Menon.
Pippa maps out Mehta’s coming-of-age chapter as he strides ahead with his regiment in the fight to liberate present-day Bangladesh. The movie also shapes into a latent love story between his character and the amphibious war tank the troops lovingly named “pippa” in Punjabi, referring to a tin of ghee floating on water.
-Pippa Amazon Prime Video Movie Ending Explained Contains Spoilers-
Pippa Ending Explained
Was Balli Able to Locate Ram?
Captain Balram Singh Mehta is initially ringed up by his sister from the Communications and Analysis Wing. She conveys the message about his brother having gone missing in action during his undercover mission, and as all of this follows after the Indian Army destroys every enemy target in the vicinity, a captive, claiming to be an ex-sergeant of the Pakistan Air Force comes forward to speak with Balli. He’d been declared a deserter by his nation, so he confessed that he wished to fight alongside the Indian Army in this fight for Bangladesh’s liberation.
At the same time, he also informs Balli that an Indian officer has been taken into custody by the Pakistani Army. Though he gives us away the location they’re keeping him in as Burinda, he still can’t confirm who the man is, but with Radha having tipped Balli off about Ram, he starts considering the possibility of this man being his brother.
On the other hand, Ram refuses to give away his real identity to the Pakistani Army, as he doesn’t wish to be played as bait for Indian forces to enter into any negotiations with the Pakistani Army. He keeps his cover despite being threatened and tortured. As the Indian forces take off Burinda to fight off the Pakistani Army stationed there, back at the Communications and Analysis Wing, Radha and Anirban decode a message that reveals Pakistan’s ulterior motive. They realised that the Pakistani Army down on land was merely present there to distract the Indian forces till the US 7th Fleet flew in with their nuclear-powered aircraft to aid Pakistan in the war.
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Coming back to Ram’s case, as he refuses to cooperate with the Pakistani Army, they finally decide to shoot him in the end, but he’s saved by the Mukti Bahinis, having charged in and getting the upper hand in defending himself after that. The Mukti Bahinis had joined forces with the Indian Army, i.e. Balli’s regiment and both parties charged inside together.
Another major battle at the Pakistani military base in Burinda ensues, while Ram finds his way out to help the Indian side as Balli commands his regiment. Ram even proudly watched his younger brother take control of the situation and become a man of his own instead of being overshadowed by his presence, as he was initially always remembered as the brother of Major Ram.
Who were the Mukti Bahinis and Why Did They Join Forces With the Indian Battalion?
They were Bangladeshi rebels fighting for the nation’s liberation. They largely relied on guerrilla warfare. Since India was helping the then East Pakistan’s formation into a separate nation, aka the present Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahinis, who met Balli’s regiment on the way to Burinda, decided to team up with them for better chances against the Pakistani Army. They even helped the Indian Army safely navigate their way through a minefield on their way to Burinda. Once there, both forces fought against the Pakistani Army as a united front.
Origins of the Motto “Veer Bhogya Vasundhara”
To get to Burinda, the Indian Army had to cross the river that separated them from the Pakistani Army. Since they were short on time to build a bridge, they decided to go ahead with Captain Balram’s suggestion of putting Pippa to use. Before driving the war tank PT-76, aka Pippa, into the water, Balli cheers up his regiment’s morale by chanting “Veer Bhogya Vasundhara”.
This motto originally belonged to the Rajputana Rifles – the oldest and one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. However, the origins of this motto have also been found to predate the Rajputana Rifles, as it’s considered to have been a verse recited by Lord Krishna to Arjuna during the war of Mahabharata. It essentially translates to “The brave shall inherit the Earth” in English, or as the movie here relates to “Victory to the brave”.
Did Balli and Ram Reconcile?
When the US Fleet arrives at Burinda, Ram quickly uses the chance to shoot at fuel tanks on the ground. This catches Balli’s eye, and he instantly catches the right idea and commands his comrades to fire at the truck filled with ammunition. When timed correctly, they fire at the truck, which explodes right when the aircraft is flying over it, causing it to crash.
As the two brothers’ work helps save the day, Ram finally takes his steps towards Balli. They speak up about how they regret their choice of words when they last met and clear the air. Both of them come clean about what has been troubling them, and Ram confesses that he’d always been jealous of how Balli chose to fearlessly speak the truth.
Expressing how proud he is of his brother, the two reconcile as Balli, too, spills that he’d always wanted an older brother, but Ram always kept assuming the figure of authority, which pushed him away. Eventually, Ram affirms that he’ll no longer be known as “Balli” or just his brother, especially since he’d led the Indian Army to victory. It was time that his title as war hero Balram Mehta finally sat well with his identity.
In the end, just 13 days after India formally joined the war against Pakistan, East Pakistan was ultimately surrendered to India, leading to the liberation and formation of the new separate nation – Bangladesh.
Did Anyone Die in the End?
As far as the main characters of the movie are concerned, Ram eventually found his way to safety, but before that, Major Daljit Singh Narag, “Chiefy”, of 45 Cavalry, was martyred in the Battle of Garibpur before Balli led the regiment to victory at Garibpur and Burinda. Additionally, Lt. Tejinder Singh Sidhu, “Speedy”, was injured in the same battle but was brought to safety in the end.
You can watch Pippa on Amazon Prime Video.