Absolute Review: Mission Majnu: A patriotic goosebumps, but in parts

Aakruti Bagla | Mumbai

Directed by: – Shantanu Bagchi

Cast: – Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi

Duration: – 129 minutes

Ratings: – 3/5

Story

Directed by Shantanu Bagchi, Mission Majnu is based on true events from the 1970s examining one of India’s most noteworthy historical missions. It revolves around an undercover Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent Amandeep Singh who enters Pakistan to snoop confidential information about the neighbouring country’s nuclear capability and whether they are planning a bomb with India as its target. In pursuit of this mission, he falls head over heels in love with a blind girl Nasreen. Well, does Amandeep Singh succeeds in his mission and is able to stop the destruction while saving his own life? The answer lies in the film.

Review

Mission Majnu marks the Bollywood directorial debut of Shantanu Bagchi and it’s quite evident that he tries to bring to the table a story we probably are oblivious of. There is no denying in the fact that a patriotic film with a tint of romance has always carried a certain success ratio. The same formula is used by director Shantanu Bagchi for Mission Majnu. It is because the issue with the film is that it is walking a tightrope between being a romantic film and a patriotic representation of an unsung war hero.

It begins with giving his a gist about World War 1 and 2. It proceeds with introducing us to Sidharth Malhotra’s character Amandeep Singh who is in Pakistan where he falls in love with a blind girl Nasreen and is on the cusp of embracing fatherhood while also carrying out the mission despite being billed as the son of a traitor.

Director Santanu invests prominent time in establishing their love story which takes a major part of the film. Few scenes are extremely predictable and at times sitting through them does become a task.

As mentioned above, the direction of the film is formulaic but there are some gripping moments that do get us at the edge of the seats with a few surprising elements and well executed action sequences. Barring climax, even the emotional moments in the film falls short of striking the right chord.

The dialogues are conversational but at the same time also have the required punch and drama.

Talking of other technical aspects, the cinematography is fine whereas the editing could have been a bit taut.

The BGM and songs with moving lyrics add gravitas to the plot.

When it comes to performances, after Shershaah the expectations are certainly high with Sidharth Malhotra and he even puts forward his best foot.

Rashmika Mandanna’s accent appears and disappears as per convenience, just like her role in the film. The actress barely gets a chance to shine in her limited screen space.

The rest of cast including Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi deliver from what’s offered to them.

Conclusion

Overall, the storyline of Mission Majnu is gripping and riveting, but only in fragments, making for a passable experience.