Mission Majnu movie review: Sidharth Malhotra's action saves the day

3/5

Story:

Tariq is an undercover agent with a mission. He wants to do something for India and finally has that opportunity. Will he be able to deliver the information India needs without Pakistan finding out about it?

Review:

Inspired by true events, Mission Majnu takes news clippings to commence what promises to be the 'ultimate symbol of power' and revenge. The story dates back to the times of Pokhran's Smiling Buddha. Since it is about revenge, strong emotions like love and hatred are very common with the film. Many things are in black and white, even literally.

Sidharth Malhotra's entry in the film as Tariq aka Amandeep Ajitpal Singh is glorified with music. He tends to go overboard at the start but eventually, you get used to it. Despite his lukewarm entry, Sidharth manages to grab your attention by the end of the film, even if by little.

Kumud Mishra is a surprise in the form of maulvi. The surprise is revealed much later in the film, as one would expect. Being the actor he is, Kumud does full justice to his role.

Rashmika Mandanna enters the frame instantly as Nasreen and the love story begins even before the characters are established. You learn about them after the love story commences and comes to an end. Her impression of Dharmendra is surprisingly on point. She however tends to underwhelm when it comes to dramatic scenes.

Rajit Kapur barely makes an impression in his first time. In the role of PM Bhutto, he barely makes up.

Shishir Sharma as ISI agent Alam starts normal but ends up ruthless. His is a surprise character but one in a cameo.

Mir Sarwar as the scientist AQ Khan has a par good entry. He barely justifies the 'world's most dangerous scientist' tag. Although director Shashank Bagchi hinted there will be more to his character, there actually is nothing to show about his profession.

Parmeet Sethi as RAW Chief Kao barely makes an impression. He tends to appear and disappear throughout the story.

Anant Mahadevan as Indian PM Indira Gandhi's secretary has very little role but does a fair job.

Zakir Hussain has a surprising role in the film as Sharma. He brings out a shade unlike seen in any actor in the movie so far.

It takes over 15 minutes for the film to develop. Even then, it does at a slow pace, only to pick up after half an hour.

Sharib Hashmi's entry brings out Sidharth's best side - the action hero. Of course, Sharib as Aslam Usmaniya is quite the deal himself.

The story actually begins after nearly 30 minutes. It is the script that helps Sidharth's character, Tariq.

The movie is not without flaws. You see the change in Sidharth's tone in the middle of his mission and that goes conveniently unnoticed.

Morarji Desai's reign is seen in the film too. The movie gets intriguing from there on.

Sidharth's frustration scene works well. Everything since spirals and makes for an interesting watch.

There are moments of comic relief in the film which help the plot but only to an extent. While the actors genuinely have a comic timing, some scenes end up funny unintentionally too.

The mystery builds in the last one hour, to the extent that it would make you hold your breath. It is almost like the Sidharth you saw till now and the one you see now are two different people. While he actually is undercover, Tariq's life is beyond boring to watch and it could be interesting.

The action in Mission Majnu makes this one a definite watch. However, the action comes only in the second half of the film. Sidharth's train sequence is one of the best scenes in the movie.

Staying true to its theme and not the name, Mission Majnu gets dramatic right till the end. While for the most bits, it is painful to watch the scene, there's also a certain emotion attached to the very last one.

Verdict:

The Shantanu Bagchi directorial is barely there. There's a hotchpotch of genres and emotions in every scene. At times, drama gets mixed up with action and the other times, action turns to comedy. While it is good at times, this ride is a constant overdoze of it. Sidharth's action on traintop is the saving grace of this movie. Sharib Hashmi's comedy and drama are a cherry on the cake.