Mission Mangal: Flying to success

Mission Mangal: A Fan's Opinion

For a long time, Bollywood celebrities were reluctant to do multi-star films because they felt it undermined their role and star appeal. However, recently, there has been a dramatic upsurge in the number of multi-starrer films that are being produced. The problem usually is that the director at the helm is overwhelmed with the talent at his disposal and very often fails to do justice to the audience. The most recent addition to this category was Kalank, that fell flat at the box office despite having an unparalleled line up of stars.

That is why, when I walked in for Mission Mangal, I was a little wary. Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu and Sonakshi Sinha are  some of modern-day Bollywood’s biggest stars and Nithya Menon, Kirti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi are relatively big names in the supporting cast circle. However, after my experiences with recent multi starrers, I was reluctant to expect too much.

Thankfully, this movie passed with flying colours (no pun intended). At its heart, it’s a feel-good movie, intended to inform the audience about India’s mission to Mars in 2014. Now given that it’s about a successful mission, it definitely gets your blood pumping and pushes all the correct patriotic buttons. My friend and I came out of the movie with broad smiles on our faces and pride in our hearts.

The casting of the characters in the movie has been done superbly, and each character carries their role out to perfection. Although, Akshay Kumar is arguably the main guy in the movie, for me it was Vidya Balan who stole the show. She has the ability to go about her character so effortlessly that you sometimes forget that she is acting. She manages to play a simple woman with such flair and nuance that you can do nothing except doff your hat to her. Akshay Kumar is in form once again, delivering his 10^th consecutive hit film. He plays the mastermind of the team and mixes the character of an ever-optimistic genius, with a touch of vulnerability. At times however, he does seem to overact and try to get the audience to sympathise with him too much. Sonakshi Sinha also delivers one of her better recent performances, depicting a fireball of a lady with lofty ambitions and a chilled-out attitude. Taapsee Pannu, one of the fastest rising stocks in Bollywood, takes more of a backseat in this movie and lets herself be driven, rather than driving the movie herself, as is more often her style. When she is on screen, she plays her role of a focused wife with an understated simplicity but doesn’t leave the mark that we have come to expect from her.

One of the most interesting and commendable things for me was the technology and VFX of the film. Usually, Bollywood has a tendency to make films that concern outer space look tacky and fake. However, this movie doesn’t face these issues as the VFX is spot on and makes you believe as though you are flying through space with the satellite.

If there is one criticism I have of the movie, it is that it is too rushed in some parts. Due to the breadth of information the movie is trying to give, from the failed mission, to the building of the satellite, to the launch and then the 11-month wait until it enters Mars, the director has sacrificed the length of time he has given to the actual building of the satellite. Most of this takes place within one song sequence, which seems extremely rushed and doesn’t give the scene time to breathe. Instead, a lot of time is given to the failed first mission and the convincing that Akshay and Vidya have to do to get the mission approved.

Apart from that, this is an extremely entertaining movie, that leaves you feeling proud of the country for being the first country to reach Mars on its first attempt. When Akshay Kumar screams “Pure duniya se kahon, COPY THAT”, it is a moment of unadulterated joy and one that makes the movie worth the time invested in it.

- Ahaan Gupta