The year 2004, the world was changing rapidly. In America, President Bush was re-elected, whereas in India, Atal Vajpayee failed to form the government again. India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission was successful, NREGA scheme started and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won silver medal in Athens Olympics. But by the end of the year, the Indian Ocean cataclysm and tsunami killed millions of people throughout coastal southwest Asia.

In the same year, the films of Spider-Man and Harry Potter series remained the center of discussion around the world. On the other hand, many great films came in India like Veer-Zaara, Main Hoon Na, Yuva, Swadesh Se Ab Tak Chappan. One of these films was Lakshya.

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‘Films are the mirror of the society.’

This thing holds true in the 2004 film ‘Lakshya’ directed by Farhan Akhtar. The film becomes special because of its realistic portrayal of the Kargil War in 1999 and its excellent music and songs. The movie ‘Lakshya’ shows the qualities like patriotism, ambition, duty, sacrifice and hard work.

It also portrays the attitude of the Indian society towards the Indian Army and the Kargil War, the aspirations of the youth and the changing roles of women in the society.

1991 Economic Reforms

The film tells the story of the youth of the generation (between 1988 and 1992) born with the LPG reforms of 1991 in India. You can very easily relate the lead characters of the film, Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan) and Romila Dutta (Preity Zinta) to the youth of sixteen to twenty years of those times.

Prior to the 1991 era, the Indian economy was largely closed. Employment opportunities for the youth were limited. The education system was preparing the youth to work in the public sector or traditional industries. There was little emphasis on skill and entrepreneurship.

However, after the economic reforms of 1991, a major change took place in the Indian economy. The private sector expanded rapidly and new job opportunities emerged in industries such as IT, finance and services. This brought about a change in the aspirations of the Indian youth. They began to see education as a means to advance and access better job opportunities.

With the increased career options, there was a kind of positive confusion among the youth. He did not understand in which field to make a career – in government job, in pharmacy, in management or in mass communication. There was a positive atmosphere regarding a good future in all sectors. The same confusion is shown in the song ‘Main Aisa Kyun Hoon, Main Aisa Kyun Hoon’ picturized on the hero in the film.

The character of Karan Shergill, played by Hrithik Roshan, represents the aspirations of the youth in India. He is a directionless young man who wants to find purpose in life. He joins the Indian Army to prove himself and bring a change. It reflects the ambition and desire for success that is prevalent in the Indian society, especially among the youth.

changing status of women

Till 2004 Indian educated youth, both boys and girls, were highly ambitious and aspirational. They were willing to work hard to achieve their goals. They were more confident and assertive than previous generations and had access to new technologies and information.

In the film, Preity Zinta plays Romila Dutta, a news reporter who covers the Kargil war. She represents the changing roles of women in Indian society. Romila is a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to go to war to tell the truth. She challenges the traditional gender roles and stereotypes prevalent in the Indian society at that time.

6 big lessons from Lakshya:

1) Define your goals

In the beginning of the film, Karan is shown as a man who has no clear goal in life. However, once he joins the army, he finds a sense of direction and purpose.

2) Work hard and be disciplined

Joining the army requires a lot of hard work and discipline. Karan undergoes rigorous training and learns to be disciplined and focused.

3) take risks

In the film, Karan goes on a dangerous mission to defeat the enemy. For this, he takes a big risk of his own free will.

4) learn from failure

Karan fails in his first attempt to defeat the enemy and gets injured. However, he learns from his mistakes and comes back stronger.

5) Believe in yourself

In the film, Karan faces many challenges both on the battlefield and in his personal life. However, he never loses faith in himself and his abilities.

6) Embrace Change

Karan’s experiences in the army change him in many ways. He becomes more mature and responsible and starts looking at life from a new perspective.

The summary is that the movie ‘Lakshya’ teaches us that by defining our goals, working hard and being disciplined, taking risks, learning from failure, believing in ourselves and embracing change, we can achieve success and fulfillment in our careers . Like Karan, we too can find our purpose and make a difference in the world.

Today’s career funda is that society changes according to time and the definition of career too. So everyone should decide their life goals thinking accordingly.

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