Mission Majnu
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Shishir Sharma, Rajit Kapur, Parmeet Sethi, Zakir Hussain, and Ashwath Bhatt
Director: Shantanu Bagchi
Where to watch: Netflix
Rating: 2.5 stars
First things first, the trailer of Mission Majnu does a huge disservice to the film. While the trailer had us believe that it was a hyper-nationalistic, macho spy story in the vein of the Tigers and the Pathaans, the film is a departure from that style of cinematic patriotism. In fact, Mission Majnu is a much more sedate, non-jingoistic take that is refreshing in today’s times. And yet, the film ends up as wasted potential ude to a wafer-thin plot and predictable plot twists.
Mission Majnu follows Tariq aka Amandeep (Sidharth Malhotra), a R&AW field operative in Rawalpindi, who tries to balance his double life which involves spying for India and taking care of his visually-impaired wife Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna). As India gets wind that Pakistan is building a nuclear bomb, Tariq must team up with other Indian agents in Pakistan to uncover the deadly plot.
On the face of it, Mission Majnu has a promising plot. It starts out well, introducing the characters and not wasting much time in romance or drama before jumping right into the action. It takes a subtle, staid tone that respects spycraft and does not make Tariq some sort of superhero. A competent support cast does its job in supporting Sidharth with measured performances. But yet, the film is lesser than sum of its parts somehow.
The plot progresses smoothly but soon, the glaring holes begin to be obvious. The attention to detail in creating a Rawalpindi of the 70s is admirable but it is of no use when the ambience is too rose-tinted, the mannerisms too caricaturish and over-the-top. It’s Bollywood’s warped idea of what Pakistan looks like and that does not help in suspending the disbelief and connecting the film to reality despite its best efforts. And the dialogues don’t help either. The lines are a throwback to the films from 70s – melodramatic and hammy. Rashmika, in particular, gets the worst of the lot.
The performances try to elevate the film. Sidharth is once again likable, and while this may be no Shershaah, he does leave a mark as a likable spy. The only problem is that the script has him oscillating from being a suave, smart spy in one scene to an erratic fool drawing unnecessary attention in the next. It’s a badly-written character and the actor still manages to make it convincing. Rashmika is earnest, sweet, and does well with her limited role. She manages to portray a sympathetic character well.
Of the support cast, Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi as Tariq’s ‘support staff’ feel wasted. The two are such accomplished actors that one expected director Shantanu Bagchi to extract more out of them. Shishir Sharma and Rajit Kapur as the ISI Chief and former Pak Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stand out. The two actors present a very real, non-villainy portrayal of two real-life figures from Pakistan history and do a good job of it. And the real surprise for me was Ashwath Bhatt’s General Zia-ul-Haq. The actor does a great job in recreating the former General and President. His Zia jumps at you on the screen with menace without ever becoming a parody or imitation.
There were a lot of things that went right with Mission Majnu. First and the foremost is its non-chest thumping tone of patriotism, which is a breath of fresh air. Savour it while you can as Pathaan hits the screens in five days’ time. The winds will change then. Then, for the most part, Mission Majnu showcases how spies gather intel with their brains and wits, using resources, cunning and jugaad. The use of guns and punches is frowned upon and Mission Majnu highlights that. That is before it shoves down our throat a needlessly long action sequences atop a moving train that is more at home in the YRF Spy Universe than here. That sums up the film. It builds up well only to disappoint time and again.
Mission Majnu’s problem is that it was meant to be the next Raazi but it also wanted to be the next Tiger, and it ended up being neither here nor there. Mission Majnu is currently streaming on Netflix.
