Not a goosebump spy thriller!

Mission Majnu (Hindi)

• Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Parmeet Sethi, Sharib Hashmi, Mir Sarwar, Kumud Mishra, Arjan Bajwa, Zakir Hussain, and Rajit Kapur
• Director: Shantanu Bagchi
• Producers: Ronnie Screwvala, Amar Butala, and Garima Mehta
• Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, and Arko
• OTT platform: Netflix
• Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

Stories about unsung heroes, both fictional and based on real-life incidents, have become a genre in itself.

If we talk about fictional narratives, we have War, and The Tiger franchise, both produced by the Yash Raj banner. On the other hand, we have Meghana Gulzar’s Raazi and Vishnu Vardhan’s Shershah which are based on real-life events.

Shantanu Bagchi’s Mission Majnu tries to have the heft of Alia Bhatt’s Raazi. At the same time, it tries to be larger than life. This mixed khichdi never takes off.

Sure, the film has its moments but you get the feeling that it could have been so much more.

The timeline of Mission Majnu is set in the 1970s. It narrates the story of a covert spy agent who resides in Pakistan.

In the beginning, audiences are told that India has successfully carried out its first nuclear bomb test which shocks Pakistan. Now, the neighbouring country wants to build a nuclear bomb to destroy India.

Pakistan takes the assistance of a great scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan (Mir Sarwar), for the job. On learning this, the RAW hires spy agent Tariq alias Amandeep Ajitpal Singh (Siddarth Malhotra) to find out the location of and neutralise the nuclear facility.

Tariq is a tailor working in Pakistan. The rest of the story deals with how he finds the secret location and, in the process, saves India from the evil plan of Pakistan.

There is also the subplot of Nasreen (Rashmika Mandana), a visually impaired woman who has no idea about the real identity of her husband Tariq. Now, this reminds us of both Raazi and also Fanna.

Emotional quotient missing

Mission Majnu begins on a rather slow note with the unnecessary love angle of Tariq and Nasreen. The portion between Siddarth and Rashmika tests the audience’s patience in a big way.

What also doesn’t help the film is the convenient manner in which Tariq goes about his mission. You don’t feel tensed for Tariq which is a big drawback for a film of this genre.

The scenes where Tariq extracts sensitive information from the army brigadier appear too easy. Even random strangers don’t feel anything amiss when Tariq asks for crucial details.

It is only with the entry of Sharib Hashmi that things take a move on.

The scene before the interval takes the audience by surprise with an important twist revealed about the supporting character played by Kumud Mishra.

The scenes featuring the trio are easily the best part of the film. Their camaraderie elevates the film in a big way.

The second half gives some goosebump moments like an important train sequence featuring Sidharth.

Special mention must also be made of the shootout involving the various Indian RAW agents living in Pakistan. It is a sequence that has been well shot and leaves you sad.

Performances & technical crafts

Sidharth Malhotra as Tariq gives his best shot and is somewhat successful in making the audiences empathise with him, in spite of a fractured script.

Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi as the Indian agents are brilliant in their respective parts and their death scenes have a certain poignancy.

Rashmika Mandanna doesn’t bring much depth to her part. Her chemistry with Sid is rather flat. This becomes a major hindrance in audiences empathising with her when Tariq’s secret is out.

The music composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, and Arko is quite good. Special mention must be made of the songs sung by Sonu Nigam.

Verdict

In a nutshell, Mission Majnu might not be a goosebump spy thriller but a necessary story to be told.