MISSION MAJNU is a gripping saga with a tight script, intelligent scenes, taut execution, and a memorable performance.
Mission Majnu Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
MISSION MAJNU is the story of an Indian spy in Pakistan. In 1974, India successfully conducted nuclear tests, shocking the world. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Rajit Kapur) is upset. At the advice of ISI Chief Maqsood Alam (Shishir Sharma), Pakistan decides to invite Abdul Qadeer Khan (Mir Sarwar), a nuclear scientist based in the Netherlands. A Q Khan is given the responsibility of building an atomic bomb and Pakistan plans to secure its parts from the black market. RAW’s chief R N Kao (Parmeet Sethi) learns that Pakistan is upto some mischief. With the approval of the Prime Minister of India (Avantika Akerkar), he informs his secret agent in Rawalpindi, Amandeep Singh aka Tariq (Sidharth Malhotra) to find out more details and the whereabouts of the atom bomb facility. Tariq is working as a tailor and has successfully created his image of a good-natured simpleton. Hence, no one has the slightest doubt that he’s a spy. He falls in love with Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), a blind girl and both get married. Tariq works at the tailor shop of Nasreen’s uncle Momin (Manoj Bakshi) and they often get the order of stitching clothes for the Pakistani army. Tariq uses this opportunity to speak to the Pakistani brigadier and finds out information about the bomb and who is the scientist who’s spearheading it. His mission isn’t easy as he needs to be very careful that the Pakistani army or the intelligence does not find out the truth about him. Moreover, he has a tragic past. His father was caught selling sensitive defence information about India to Pakistan. Tariq’s handler Sharma (Zakir Hussain) in Delhi leaves no opportunity to remind him that he’s the son of a traitor. Moreover, Tariq is not expected to marry and fall in love. Yet, he is crazily in love with Nasreen and they are also expecting a child. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Parveez Shaikh and Aseem Arrora’s story is excellent and has all the ingredients required for a patriotic, commercial film. Sumit Batheja, Parveez Shaikh and Aseem Arrora’s screenplay is very gripping. There have been similar films in this space in recent times like D-DAY [2013], RAAZI [2018], PARMANU [2018], and ROMEO AKBAR WALTER [2019]. But the script is written in such a way that one doesn’t get a déjà vu of any of these films. Moreover, the writers have peppered the narrative with some nail-biting moments that keep the interest going. Sumit Batheja’s dialogues are conversational and a few of them stand out as they are applause worthy.
Shantanu Bagchi’s direction is praiseworthy, especially considering that this is his first film. He keeps the viewers captivated and, in some scenes, he raises the tension levels very well. With little scope for action, the director ensures that there’s an abundance of drama and thrill in the movie. The manner in which Tariq tries to find out about the atomic bomb is the best part of the film. The humour is also well-infused and doesn’t look out of place. On the flipside, the whole Israel angle is not explained properly. Viewers might not be able to comprehend what was the intention behind the planned air strikes. The action is minimal and one wishes there was more of it. This is especially because Sidharth, with his image and build, makes for a nice action hero. Lastly, a few developments are difficult to digest.
MISSION MAJNU starts well, with the makers explaining the context. The romantic track of Tariq and Zulfiqar is cute. The film picks up once Tariq’s mission begins. The scene where he smartly extracts information from the Brigadier and A Q Khan’s neighbour are memorable sequences in the first half. The scene where Tariq’s father-in-law dies is smartly edited. In the second half, the fun continues as Tariq reaches Kahuta and goes to insane heights to prove that Pakistan is indeed making an atom bomb. The train sequence, especially, stands out as it’s action-packed. Another memorable scene is when Sharma apologizes to Tariq. The finale is nail-biting and moving.
Mission Majnu | Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna | Official Trailer | Netflix India
Sidharth Malhotra delivers yet another fantastic performance after SHERSHAAH. What’s worth watching are the scenes where he pretends to be the innocent chap while fooling the Pakistanis. The actor looks quite convincing in the act. Rashmika Mandanna has a fine screen presence. Performance-wise, she excels, though her screen time is limited. Sharib Hashmi (Aslam Usmaniya), as expected, is dependable and raises laughs. Kumud Mishra (Maulavi) doesn’t have much to do in the first half and adds to the madness in the second half. Zakir Hussain is quite good. Avantika Akerkar and Avijit Dutt (Morarji Desai) leave a mark. Shishir Sharma, Mir Sarwar, Rajit Kapur, Parmeet Sethi and Manoj Bakshi have limited roles but they all perform very nicely. The same goes for Salim Fatehi (Rasool; Nasreen’s father) and Ashwath Bhatt (Zia Ul Haq). Ananth Narayan Mahadevan (RK) is wasted.
The music is disappointing. ‘Rabba Janda’ works due to the situation in the film. ‘Maati Ko Maa’ is well-intentioned but is not memorable. Ketan Sodha’s background score is subtle and impactful.
Bijitesh De’s cinematography is appropriate. Rita Ghosh’s production design is reminiscent of the bygone era. Divvya Gambhir and Niddhi Gambhir’s costumes are straight out of life. None of the characters are wearing glamorous clothes and yet, the protagonists especially look quite convincing. 88 Pictures’ VFX is satisfactory. Nitin Baid and Siddharth S Pande’s editing is perfect as the film is neither too fast nor too dragging.
On the whole, MISSION MAJNU is a gripping saga that works due to the tight script, intelligently written scenes, taut execution, and a memorable performance by Sidharth Malhotra and others in the cast.
