Director: Tinu Suresh Desai
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Jameel Khan, Ravi Kishan, Varun Badola, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Parineeti Chopra, Sudhir Pandey, and Shishir Sharma
Where to watch: Theatres
Rating: 3 stars
Akshay Kumar is back with a rescue thriller – a tale based on a true story where he is a determined man out to save several people trapped in a dangerous situation. The basic premise of Mission Raniganj could have been a fit for Airlift as well or any of other Akshay films in this genre. And it may sound repetitive but Akshay somehow manages to infuse some freshness in all these films. It is a genre that the actor has made his own, and he leaves his stamp on Mission Raniganj, even if the film goes a little over the top on several occasions.
Mission Raniganj is inspired by the real disaster that took place in the small West Bengal town in 1989 and left six miners dead and 65 trapped in a flooded mine. Akshay plays Jaswant Singh Gill, a mining official and trained rescue official, who was instrumental in helping rescue the trapped miners as time ran out in the wake of increased flooding and toxic gases in the mines.
Mission Raniganj uses the familiar tropes of the genre where the protagonist races against time, overcoming obstacles. The plot is predictable but it is the treatment that sets it apart from other films of the same genre. Director Tinu Suresh Desai manages to infuse a sense of urgency and tension in the narrative, keeping you anxious about the fate of the trapped miners. Even though Akshay is yet again playing a variant of himself, his Jaswant Singh Gill has a certain character and distinct identity to him, unlike the traditional heroes of Hindi films.
But where the fillm falters is in setting an emotional connect with the trapped miners. Even the film spends some time in giving some of the miners individual identities and backstories, you never connect with them or feel for them, which negates the film’s premise. If the audience does not are about those trapped, it lowers the stakes. The actors make up for this writing/editing shortfall with some commendable performances. Jameel Khan and Ravi Kishan, in particular, leave their mark with some good performances.
But by and large, this is an Akshay film and the actor is truly at home in this genre. He coasts through much of the film, not afraid to show the vulnerable side of his character. It is not one of his best performances but not one that you can find many faults in either. Another issue I had with the film is how it has wasted Parineeti Chopra. The actress, billed as the female lead, hardly has scenes in the film or much to do. The director could have utilised the character as the film’s emotional core but that is an opportunity wasted.
Another aspect where Mission Raniganj does go overboard is in introducing ‘villains’ in the story in the form of two corrupt officials (Shishir Sharma and Dibyendu Bhattacharya), who want the rescue to fail as they have to settle old scores. This template of devious villains makes the film slightly dated, a throwback to the more black-and-white (ethically) masala films of the 80s and 70s. And even there, Kaala Patthar, a similar film with the same premise, managed to do it in a better manner.
What works for Mission Raniganj is the depiction of the rescue itself. It presents a technical procedure with great simplicity and manages to depict it in a manner that is entertaining and exciting too. The recreation of the mine proves to be a good idea even if the CGI is a little shabby in places. But the looming threat of the gushing water and the claustrophobia is conveyed in a sound manner. And of course, interspersed among all this are several seetimaar moments where Akshay takes centre stage.
