Mission Majnu is now streaming on Netflix, and is the streaming service’s first major release of 2023 from India. At its heart, it is an espionage thriller focusing on intelligence gathering by Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agents operating within Pakistan, but the title is the clearest indication that the film is intended to be a love-story as well. There is also angle. Indeed, Mission Majnu is the story of an intelligence agent who manages to strike the right balance between his duty towards his country and his true love and care for his wife and unborn child, despite the fact that it will always be against his side. Was part of the cover. , Here’s our spoiler-free review of the new Netflix movie.
Shantanu Bagchi makes a fine directorial debut Mission Majnu, but they have a simple formula that works. The choice of setting is a smart choice in my opinion. Viewers will immediately relate to the idea of tension between India and Pakistan, but Mission Majnu picks up an interesting peace-time era between the two countries. It turns out to be the ideal setting for a film focused on espionage, and does so quite tastefully.
The film begins with a history lesson covering the period and setting of the film, from the mid-1970s to the start of the nuclear programs of both India and Pakistan. It’s all done lightly and without delving too much into the politics or real-life tensions between the two countries, engaged in a subcontinental ‘Cold War’ of its kind at the time. This means that the politics of the era feel a bit weird and over-dramatized, and the dialogue is a bit over-the-top, but it serves to remind you not to take this movie too seriously.
It also quickly introduces Amandeep aka Tariq (Sidharth Malhotra) as a tailor working for a shop in Rawalpindi, known for stitching uniforms for the Pakistani army. He marries a blind Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), his employer’s niece, and uses her position and cover to gain access to military intelligence aimed at uncovering the development of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program . The actual process of intelligence gathering is a bit clownish and ridiculously convenient for Tariq, but once again, don’t expect you to take the movie too seriously.
During the first half of the film, Tariq’s own motivation and backstory are revealed, particularly focusing on the fact that his father was considered a national traitor, and he chose not to run from this reputation but to fight for his patriotism. Took the hard way towards proving his love for his nation. He is revealed to be a star cadet in RAW and is trusted by the agency’s chief, RN Kao (Parmeet Sethi), even though his direct handler Sharma (Zakir Hussain) doesn’t think much of him, while he himself is a Sits comfortably and securely behind the desk. in a shop in delhi
Most of the performances are expected, although Rashmika Mandanna struggles a bit to speak in Urdu and takes a lot of time to deliver even simple dialogues. Sidharth Malhotra, on the other hand, channels his Punjabi upbringing to better effect, switching between Punjabi-Urdu and the occasional use of English and Indian Hindi with a bit more ease.
Other performances from the rest of the cast are not bad but not particularly memorable either, except for fellow field agents in Pakistan like Aslam (Sharib Hashmi) and Raman (Kumud Mishra), who serve as companions for Amandeep. Both help to provide slight comic relief. Sadly, the film regularly uses cringy dialogue to sidestep the grim setting and tension of the era. Tariq’s occasional ‘lightbulb’ moments also help tell the story of his above-average intelligence in the art of espionage, in addition to adding a bit of hilarity to the plot.
The second half of the film is less about espionage, and more about all-out action as Tariq focuses first on completing the mission, and then on escaping Pakistan. It also explores how Mission Majnu was never just a mission for him, and the bond he formed with his ‘wife’ in Pakistan was not swayed by his patriotic duty.
Overall, Mission Majnu is about finding the right balance between patriotic duty and personal relationships. It’s a feel-good story that, despite cringeworthy dialogue, dramatic politics, and largely generic performances from the cast, has its heart in the right place and faithfully tells the story of true events, which have so far been largely brushed over. Is.
Mission Majnu Hai streaming now on netflix. The film is available in India in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu.