The Last Salute Review: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
The Last Salute is a warm, emotional farewell to the MiG-21, told by a filmmaker with a genuine personal connection to the Indian Air Force. It is less about military spectacle and more about memories, people, and the lasting place this legendary aircraft holds in Indian aviation history.
The MiG-21 is no longer flying with the Indian Air Force, but its story is far from over. The Last Salute, directed by former Air Force officer turned filmmaker Kushal Srivastav, looks at this iconic fighter jet through memories, interviews, and personal experience.
The documentary streams on Netflix from August 28, 2026. What makes it genuinely interesting is that Srivastav is not coming at this as an outsider looking in. He served in the Air Force from 1999 to 2006, so the MiG-21’s retirement carries real personal weight for him.
For Srivastav, the MiG-21 is almost like an ageing film star. He has compared the aircraft to Clint Eastwood, saying that even though it is old and heading into retirement, it still has plenty of “swag” left in it.
That comparison says a lot about the mood running through The Last Salute. This is not simply a documentary about an old fighter aircraft. It is about what the aircraft actually means to generations of Air Force personnel who trained, flew, and worked around it for years.
The project reportedly started when Srivastav approached production house Matchbox after watching the MiG-21 reach its final chapter. He wanted to capture its last major public appearance on film. The idea eventually won backing from the production house and later found its way to Netflix.
One of the strongest things about Srivastav’s approach is his genuine interest in the people behind the uniform. His earlier work, Operation Safed Sagar, also focused on the Indian Air Force and stories tied to the Kargil War.
His time in the Air Force made him realise how little civilians usually know about the personal lives of military personnel. Behind every pilot or soldier is a family, a personal struggle, and a life that keeps going well away from the battlefield.
That same idea seems to run through The Last Salute too. Rather than turning the documentary into a loud celebration of military power, Srivastav seems far more drawn to memories and emotion.
Srivastav’s background gives the documentary an extra layer of authenticity. His firsthand knowledge of Air Force life helps him pick up on details that someone unfamiliar with the service might easily miss.
His earlier filmmaking work also showed just how seriously he takes accuracy. While working on Operation Safed Sagar, for instance, he used his own old Air Force clothes to help recreate the uniforms of that period.
That kind of attention to detail matters a lot in stories about the armed forces. Small mistakes can pull viewers out of the experience fast, especially when the audience includes former personnel and their families who would notice.
Another appealing part of Srivastav’s filmmaking approach is his decision to skip the usual glamorous fighter pilot image. He has talked about wanting to show real soldiers rather than build some fantasy version of military life.
That means focusing on people who often come from fairly ordinary backgrounds and then end up taking on genuinely extraordinary responsibilities. Their stories can carry just as much power as any shot of a fighter jet taking off or roaring past at high speed.
This approach could make The Last Salute especially meaningful for viewers who grew up hearing stories about the MiG-21 but never quite understood how much it meant emotionally to the people who served alongside it.
The filmmaker’s own memories seem to be one of the documentary’s biggest strengths. He has spoken about getting goosebumps while interviewing people about the aircraft, and getting genuinely emotional while talking with families connected to fallen Air Force personnel.
That emotional connection could help The Last Salute avoid feeling like a dry history lesson. Instead, it has the potential to feel like a collection of personal memories coming together for one final goodbye.
The support from Air Force personnel and their families has reportedly meant a lot to Srivastav too. For a former officer making a film about the institution he once served, that kind of response adds yet another emotional layer to the project.
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The Last Salute looks genuinely promising because it understands that the MiG-21’s retirement is not just about the end of an aircraft’s service. It is also about the end of an era for thousands of people who carry memories tied to this fighter.
Kushal Srivastav’s personal history with the Air Force gives the documentary a perspective a conventional aviation film simply would not have. If it manages to balance aircraft history with the stories of pilots, families, and service personnel, it could turn into a genuinely touching farewell to one of India’s most recognisable military aircraft.
For anyone interested in the Indian Air Force, aviation history, or real stories from behind the uniform, The Last Salute is definitely worth keeping an eye on when it lands on Netflix.