Mission Raniganj Film REVIEW: Akshay Kumar’s Performance Saves This Over-The-Top Dud From Pitfall-READ BELOW
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue stars Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Ravi Kishan, and more
Akshay Kumar’s career trajectory speaks volumes about his choices! With back-to-back biopics in the line-up, the actor has repeatedly fallen short in delivering promising films. Much of the biopics starring Akki have either been victims of inaccuracy, whitewashing, or just fanciful versions of a person’s life. Well, Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue is no exception, it is yet another addition to the long list of duds.
Essentially, if done right, biopics serve as a great source of information about a person, and their story inspires you the right way. But, thanks to the catastrophic animations and poor execution, nothing really appears to be helpful for the audience. Moreover, one thing is for certain; Director Tinu Suresh Desai has definitely failed to make an impact with his vision of mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill’s life.
The filmmaker might have saved Akshay’s heroism in Rustom (2016), however, Tinu Desai just couldn’t emerge as Akshay Kumar’s saviour this time. Earlier titled as Capsule Gill, the film puts forth India’s first-ever coal mine rescue project based on the real-life incident that occurred in 1989 at Raniganj, West Bengal, India. The film features Akshay Kumar playing the titular role of Jaswant Singh Gill - an IIT engineer, in Dhanbad, who saved the lives of 65 coal miners trapped underground due to a mishap.
Thankfully, the filmmakers waste no time in setting up the right foundation for the storyline, however, the film repeatedly makes you question the accuracy of the film. While certain parts seem to have been overdone, the film turns cringe in merely 15 minutes as Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra dance to the song Jalsa 2.0.
Honestly, Jaswant Singh Gill’s life story is quite commendable and his efforts will only make you think about the hardships he must have suffered while rescuing the miners. However, Tinu’s poor vision just doesn't compensate for the storyline. The addition of excessive patriotism doesn’t seem to be working its magic as much of it’s parts seem forced and completely out of context.
With poor VFX, and a fanciful version of Jaswant Singh Gill’s life, the film is definitely a great effort to honour the mining engineer, but not worth passing off as a biopic. Nevertheless, Akshay Kumar surely saved the film with his performance.
Vipul K Rawal’s screenplay and Deepak Kingrani’s dialogues make a great addition to the film, making it relatable to some extent.
However, while the film tries its best to keep you on the edge of your seat, the film features the most stereotypical scenes around the ‘Kada’ or ‘Kara’, which is a steel or cast iron bangle worn by Sikhs.
In conclusion, the film can be definitely passed off as a mere one-time watch and with nothing extraordinary to offer, Bollywood could have done better with this biopic. With catastrophic VFX and poor execution, the film looks diabolical. The linear plot makes the film a bit easier to process and gulp down without a hiccup.
RATINGS- 2.5/5
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