Sid has taken over as the new Angry Young Man in his latest, Mission Majnu.
Mission Majnu, ushered by Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna, gives justice to differently-abled individuals while still maintaining the spirit of a patriotic film. It’s not your typical action film with weapons blazing and punches and kicks flying. Instead, we get a depressing spy thriller with genuine characters, real issues, and real answers that are grounded in simplicity. This is not to say that the film will not challenge or surprise you; the directors have focused on the tale rather than the excitement of a fictitious portrayal of a pivotal time in Indian history.
The first nuclear test conducted by India, which was a great success, took place on May 18, 1974, close to Pokhran in the Rajasthan desert. The testing caused significant concern in the international world since it made India the sole power in South Asia. Unhappy with the information, Pakistan started developing its covert nuclear programme while publicly calling on India to close down its nuclear facility. After learning of the covert initiative, the Indian Intelligence Team RAW starts to plot its counterattack, but instead of sending in an armed force, the job is given to some espionage operatives who have already established themselves in Pakistan.
The agent is Sidharth Malhotra, also known as Amandeep Singh. He lives in Pakistan and works as a tailor. He created a cover narrative for himself by getting married to a blind woman. By collaborating with the uniform tailor before the job has even been assigned to him, he also forges strong ties with the Pakistani military. The tale also takes its time establishing his cover persona Tariq and setting his emotional tone as the reasonable and patriotic spy.
Tariq alias Amandeep Singh is distinguished from other fictional spies in the film by a scenario that shows him to be a spy who would sacrifice anything for his country. While he is willing to risk his life for the cause, he would not do it at the expense of innocent people. His cover isn’t simply a self-portrait; Tariq depicts living a whole life in Pakistan, and his explanation of it is as lovely. Amandeep will never doubt his allegiance to his nation because he places his faith in the people he encounters and what he observes from them, not the negative feelings towards others that he has been encouraged to feel.
The dialogue and the melancholy screenplay by Aseem Arora, Sumit Batheja, and Parveez Shaikh help to emphasise his thoughts. The movie also revives the more straightforward atmosphere of the earlier spy flicks, in which the spectator would be astounded by the clever thinking that was the action. Mission Majnu will not leave you speechless, but it will keep you grounded and up to date on current happenings in India and throughout the world.
Mission Majnu, like many modern political films, follows the same path, keeping the tale grounded in reality as the agents are bound by their superior’s decisions and face actual consequences if instructions are disobeyed. Rashmika Mandana’s part comes in useful for this, but happily, the directors have not limited her to a supporting role that comes and goes.
Without putting her at the centre of the plot, the filmmaker has allowed her ample room to develop her differently-abled character, Nasreen, and transformed her into the film’s climax and closing point. I would have liked it more if Nasreen played a larger role in the storyline. In addition to the two Parmeet Sethis, Sharib Hashmi and Kumud Mishra also have significant parts in the movie and are felt throughout the whole running time, whether they are present or not.
Conclusion
Overall, Mission Majnu is a well-rounded espionage film with strong performances that will make you cry with only the language. And you can only accomplish that if Rashmika Mandana and Siddharth Malhotra make you care deeply about their characters.
