The documentary The Last Salute offers a poignant look at the final chapter of the MiG‑21’s service in the Indian Air Force. Directed by former IAF officer Kushal Srivastava, the film blends personal recollections, archival footage, and ceremonial moments to paint a portrait of an aircraft that has been both revered and controversial for more than six decades.
Documentary Overview
Spanning 79 minutes, The Last Salute, streaming on Netflix, traces the MiG‑21’s last operational days with 23 Squadron, culminating in its retirement ceremony at Chandigarh on 26 September 2025. The choice of Chandigarh is symbolic: the same base welcomed the Russian‑made jet into the IAF in 1963, giving the film a pleasing symmetry—beginning and ending at the same airfield. Through interviews with pilots, ground crews, and family members, the documentary shifts between history lesson, war story, and an intimate farewell.
Personal Narratives
At its core, the film lets the aviators speak. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, former Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, Air Commodore SS Tyagi, and numerous serving and retired pilots recount what it felt like to strap into the cockpit, push the throttle forward, and place absolute trust in a machine that demanded excellence. One pilot’s observation—“You have to be at your 100 per cent. The MiG‑21 does not come down to your level; you have to go up to its level”—captures the jet’s unforgiving nature without a single technical diagram.
The stories are delivered matter‑of‑factly, avoiding glossy reenactments. When a pilot notes there is “no room for mollycoddling” in a MiG‑21, the audience instantly grasps the aircraft’s relentless demand for precision. The film also widens its lens to include families and support staff, reminding viewers that every sortie carried the hopes of those waiting on the ground.
Historical Context
Historical segments are woven seamlessly into personal testimony rather than presented as dry lectures. The MiG‑21’s induction, its roles in the 1965 war, the Kargil conflict, and its gradual evolution are illustrated with archival clips, cockpit visuals, and photographs. This approach makes the content accessible even to those unfamiliar with fighter‑jet nomenclature, while still honoring the aircraft’s storied past.
Addressing the Controversy
No review would be complete without mentioning the MiG‑21’s troubled safety record. The Last Salute acknowledges the “flying coffin” label and the jet’s accident history, featuring officers who defend the aircraft by arguing that its safety statistics are often examined without adequate comparison to contemporaries. One interviewee even questions why similar scrutiny is not applied to automobile manufacturers when road accidents occur.
While the film raises these uncomfortable questions, it does not press them hard enough. The discussion remains largely defensive, with limited effort to interrogate the data or amplify the voices of those who viewed the MiG‑21’s record with concern. Consequently, the documentary presents an imbalance: it introduces the controversy but leans toward celebrating the jet’s legacy rather than conducting a deep‑dive examination.
Strengths and Limitations
The documentary shines when it trusts its subjects. The background score occasionally pushes emotion a touch too hard, yet the pilots’ testimonies stand strong on their own. A simple photograph, a cockpit shot, or a poignant pause often does more work than any swelling melody.
The final flypast is especially moving. As the MiG‑21 soars for the last time over Chandigarh, the ceremony feels less like a routine military event and more like the closing scene of a long‑term relationship. For the men and women who lived alongside the jet for decades, the retirement marks the end of an era—a sentiment that resonates throughout the film.
Final Verdict
The Last Salute may not fully reckon with every facet of the MiG‑21’s legacy—the glory, the danger, the controversy, and the cost—but it succeeds in delivering an intimate portrait of why saying goodbye was never going to be easy for those who flew it. By blending heartfelt recollections with measured historical context, the film offers a fitting tribute to an aircraft that has left an indelible mark on India’s aviation history.
