Filmmakers Nikkhil Advani and Nikkhil Gonsalves deliver a compelling medical thriller, with impeccable casting adding to the quality of the writing
Chronicling real-life terror attacks in the tone of a thriller is a trend that has been in vogue for quite some time. Filmmakers Nikkhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves have come up with their own version of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks – but unlike the others – the show puts itself in a government hospital that is low on resources, but high on talent and human spirit. Is.
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The location lends itself to a more humane, more rational and compassionate view of the crises that led to the deaths of 174 persons (including the nine attackers), as well as a melodramatic, blood-soaked episode of a mind-numbing night Story.
Built in the popular idiom, where you are first expected to engage and then be entertained by an actual human tragedy, Advani and his cast and crew do not disappoint and spend 60-hours to stitch together the eight-episode Let’s navigate in a scary way. Series that is compelling for the most part.
The series begins as a medical thriller, but soon expands to various locations that are vulnerable to terrorists and, at the same time, make powerful comments on our health infrastructure and the role of the media in the national crisis. It loudly raises issues of medical ethics, and silently makes a point about how government hospitals are still the last hope of the poor and abandoned.
And, of course, there are bullet points such as social discrimination of a Muslim doctor, and a female doctor not being considered equal to her male counterpart, which are outlined with an ink-splatter marker.
Another interesting aspect is the way the writers incorporate the protagonist’s back stories into the narrative. It gives an insight into the inner demons they are battling and, up to a point, provides relief from a hail of bullets.
Mumbai Diary 26/11
- Director: Nikkhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves
- session 1
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Cast: Mohit Raina, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tina Desai, Shreya Dhanwantri, Satyajit Dubey, Natasha Bharadwaj, Mrinmayi Deshpande, Prakash Belawadi
- Story: The series explores the challenges faced by medical staff at a hospital, as well as other first responders in the city of Mumbai, in dealing with a crisis of extreme magnitude.
Immaculate casting adds to the quality of the writing. The actors’ body language and skillful use of medical terms give the proceedings an air of authenticity. Mohit Raina as Dr Kaushik Oberoi is an utter motivator, for whom saving a human life is more important than judging his character. Oberoi is the rare breed of skilled professional who is guided by the heart, and Raina makes the character believable.
Among the rest of the cast, Konkona Sen Sharma lends credible support as the social services director, whose troubled past has not dampened her sympathy for the loss. The way she rolls her shoulder amid all the chaos gives us that feeling of exhausted staff (no amount of makeup could have captured that). As young residents, Mrinmayi Deshpande, Natasha Bharadwaj and Satyajit Dubey make sure that there is no disturbance. But Tina Desai as Ananya Ghosh, the fearless F&B manager of the Palace Hotel, steals the show with a effortless performance. Shreya Dhanwantri is also not bad as a TRP chasing journalist.
still from the series
The action sequences, choreographed by Mohammad Amin Khatib, are raw and gritty, and in association with editor Mahir Zaveri, ensure that the last two episodes take our breath away. Art director Vijay Ghodke ensures that a general hospital setting is not made of plastic. Though there is a lot of footage of the attacks in the public domain, footage of cinematographer Kaushal Shah merges with the images in our memory.
However, the marriage between craft and reason is not consistently smooth. After a point, the series falls into a pattern where each shoot-out is followed by a back story of one of the characters. This means that after every few minutes, at one corner of the screen, something is typed along with the background sound of a flickering typewriter to tell you where you are. It bothers. So does the journalist’s nail paint also come and go during the attack.
There are also passages where it seems that the show is eager to bury old wounds, to shed blood to color our opinions. The balance between good Muslim-bad Muslim tropes seems to strike, and if you keep pressing the same button, even the well-meaning comparison loses its grip. Invoking the 1984 Sikh riots, saying that no religion is bad, and those who use them for their own purposes, are being repeated. Writers have to find new ways to make their point.
in totality, Mumbai Diary 26/11 Reads like the diary of a man who knows how to cleverly hide his true feelings.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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