The patriotic drama, Guardians of the Nation – Sena strives to pay tribute to the valour and sacrifice of Indian soldiers with the help of the moving story of Captain Karthik Sharma and his father, Deen Dayal Sharma. A father-son divide driven by emotion and ideology is one of the highlights of the series, and despite becoming a solider in the Indian Army, Karthik gives up a successful career in California to serve the country. The story effectively explores the selection process of a successful soldier in the military and viewers learn the physical and psychological drain of such a process. This context gives a third dimension to the personality of Karthik to illustrate how much is sacrificed to serve the country.
The strained relationship gets worse when Karthik and his father are taken prisoner by militants in Kashmir and the plot then turns into a high drama of survival. The closed environment increases the emotional tension, so the father and the son need to find some kind of compromise to successfully work as a team to get out of it and prevent a terror attack. The idea of reconciliation in the worst conditions is moving with the focus on the notion of fraternity, strength, and nationalism. The plot is a good balance between emotionally raw scenes and action-packed moments, which is invaluable and helps to comprehend the stakes.
Although Sena gets it right on eliciting patriotism and creating a sense of the spirit of soldiers and their fighting spirit, it also leans on some old tropes of captivity and heroism that feel very tropic. The character growth, particularly of Deen Dayal, could use a bit more detail and depth because the emotional journeys are a bit formulaic. Nonetheless, the series creates a lasting impression of how to care about family ties and loyalty to the country. It is an emotional component of the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers which is a very proud and a moving moment though it is not totally free of the road worn path.
