Release Date : January 20, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring: Siddarth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi, Mir Sarwar, Rajit Kapur, Kumud Mishra
Director: Shantanu Baggchi
Producers: Ronnie Screwvala, Amar Butala, Garima Mehta
Music Director: Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kholi, Arko
Cinematography: Bijitesh De
Editor: Nitin Baid, Siddarth S Pande
Related Links : Trailer
A spy thriller film named Mission Majnu, starring Siddarth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles, opted for a direct digital release. The movie is currently streaming on Netflix, and let’s find out how it is.
Story:
Set in the 1970s, the film is based on true events and tells the story of a covert spy agent who resides in Pakistan. India successfully carries out its first nuclear bomb test, which shocks Pakistan. The neighboring country feels it is a threat and decides to build a nuclear bomb to demolish India. Pakistan takes the assistance of a great scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan (Mir Sarwar), for this task. RAW is quick to learn this and seeks the help of spy agent Tarik alias Amandeep Ajitpal Singh (Siddarth Malhotra) to find out about the nuclear facility’s location and neutralize it. The rest of the film deals with how Tarik finds the secret location and how he saves India from Pakistan’s evil plan.
Plus Points:
The intention to tell the unknown story of one of India’s most significant missions is appreciable. The movie starts well and gets straight to the point without wasting much time. A few aspects, like how the Pakistan army controls the country and how changes in government would have an effect on intelligence agencies, are portrayed nicely. The film moves at a fast pace for the most part.
Siddarth Malhotra is terrific in the role of an Indian spy. His performance is truly one of the biggest assets of the movie, and the young actor once again showcases that he can pull off any role with ease. Be it his comedy timing or emotional scenes, the actor packs a punch. Siddharth’s character undergoes deep inner struggle as a traitor’s son, and this aspect was nicely handled to give the emotional touch.
The film has a few good moments at places, and the first half was entertaining to watch. Sharib Hashmi was good in his role, and so was Kumud Mishra. Rashmika Mandanna, though seen for a brief period, does well as the protagonist’s love interest. She did a convincing job as a blind woman.
Minus Points:
Many fine films have come in this spy genre, like Alia’s Raazi, Akshay’s Baby, and Kamal’s Vishwaroopam. What worked well about these films is the way the thrilling and suspense elements are delivered besides the action part. But, unfortunately, this is where Mission Majnu fails to get it right. There are no thrills involved, and few sequences are written conveniently for the protagonist.
Especially in the second half, a few sequences go over the board and seem totally unbelievable. Till then, the film was handled in a sensible manner, but the second hour went for a toss completely. The action part is weak, and many logics were completely ignored, which shouldn’t be the case for a spy film.
In addition, the shoddy VFX works add to the woes. As a result, the movie becomes highly predictable, and it is easy to foresee the climax from way ahead. A few scenes, like Siddarth trying to extract sensitive information from the army’s brigadier with a casual approach, and asking random strangers about crucial details, didn’t seem convincing at all and are totally amateurish.
Technical Aspects:
The music by Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kholi, and Arko is okay. The songs composed are decent, and so is the background score. Bijitesh De’s cinematography is impressive. The editing by Nitin Baid and Siddarth S Pande is good. The production values are fair.
Coming to the director, Shantanu Baggchi, he did just an okay job with the film. The writing by Praveen Shaikh and Aseem Arrora needed heavy corrections, and more thrilling elements should have been included to lower the routine factor present in the movie.
Verdict:
On the whole, Mission Majnu has good moments here and there, but it isn’t a memorable outing due to its flaws. Siddarth breathes life into this spy thriller, and the film has a good first hour. If you could ignore the logics, the film ends up a passable watch this weekend.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team