Mission Majnu is a pleasant surprise among the movies I had watched recently. Title is so pedestrian ("Majnu", seriously?) that there was little chance this could be a decent watch. But this movie ticks some very interesting boxes and makes a good watch.
Screenplay is slow but keeps the audience engaged. Patriotism is the underlying theme and the movie sticks to it, subtly.
Story is about Indian security agents working deep inside Pakistan and how they stop the Pakistanis from building a nuclear bomb in late 1970s. Characters are very real and as audience, we will start to like each one of them. Casting is spot on, except for one (will talk about it shortly). Kumud Mishra, Parmeet Sethi and Sharib Hashmi deserves special mention.
One incredible aspect of the story is the importance it gives to certain background events which are impacting the main plot. The writers do not over indulge in these background events but very effectively portray them at the same time. Viewers will be able to correlate with the major events in India and Pakistan during that time - 1971 war, Pakistan's tryst with nuclear weapon, military takeover by Zial Ul Haq and Morarji Desai coming to power in India. All these events act as a very effective backdrop.
The Indian agents, for most part, are shown with realistic capabilities, though things do go haywire towards the later part of the movie. Train fight sequence and airport shootout especially are unrealistic compared to how the rest of the movie is so very well made.
Things not to like in Mission Majnu? There are two actually. First is the slowness of the plot. This is definitely an OTT watch as you have the option to forward the slow bits. Second is Siddharth Malhotra's lack of acting skills. Siddharth is excellent in his urban youth kind of roles which are driven by appearance, but in a role like "Majnu", his lack of acting skills is a problem.
Mission Majnu is definitely a good watch. It stays true to its core story, a good reflection of the sacrifices that few people make to protect rest of us. Go for it.
Screenplay is slow but keeps the audience engaged. Patriotism is the underlying theme and the movie sticks to it, subtly.
Story is about Indian security agents working deep inside Pakistan and how they stop the Pakistanis from building a nuclear bomb in late 1970s. Characters are very real and as audience, we will start to like each one of them. Casting is spot on, except for one (will talk about it shortly). Kumud Mishra, Parmeet Sethi and Sharib Hashmi deserves special mention.
One incredible aspect of the story is the importance it gives to certain background events which are impacting the main plot. The writers do not over indulge in these background events but very effectively portray them at the same time. Viewers will be able to correlate with the major events in India and Pakistan during that time - 1971 war, Pakistan's tryst with nuclear weapon, military takeover by Zial Ul Haq and Morarji Desai coming to power in India. All these events act as a very effective backdrop.
The Indian agents, for most part, are shown with realistic capabilities, though things do go haywire towards the later part of the movie. Train fight sequence and airport shootout especially are unrealistic compared to how the rest of the movie is so very well made.
Things not to like in Mission Majnu? There are two actually. First is the slowness of the plot. This is definitely an OTT watch as you have the option to forward the slow bits. Second is Siddharth Malhotra's lack of acting skills. Siddharth is excellent in his urban youth kind of roles which are driven by appearance, but in a role like "Majnu", his lack of acting skills is a problem.
Mission Majnu is definitely a good watch. It stays true to its core story, a good reflection of the sacrifices that few people make to protect rest of us. Go for it.