Gripping spy thriller with Sidharth in top form Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi, Za...
Gripping spy thriller with Sidharth in top form
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna,
Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi, Zakir Husain
Rating: 3*
Streaming on: Netflix
After Shershaah, Sidharth Malhotra is in his element once again, giving us another praiseworthy performance. He convincingly nails his act as the Indian spy Amandeep Singh aka Tariq. Kudos to debutant director Shantanu Bagchi who keeps the viewers hooked with the tension and drama that unfolds. True, there are a lot of things left unexplained but Bagchi manages to do a competent job. The film reminds you of Raazi (2018), RAW (2019), and the web series Mukhbir (2022), but the story by Parveez Shaikh and Aseem Arora sets this film apart from the rest.
In 1974, the nuclear tests conducted by India were a success, upsetting the then-Pakistani PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Rajit Kapur in a caricature role). He invites the Holland-based nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan (a wasted Mir Sarwar) to build an atomic bomb. Chief of RAW R N Kao (a pleasing Parmeet Sethi) learns that Pakistan is upto some mischief and with the approval of the Indian PM Indira Gandhi (Avantika Akerkar) informs his best spy Amandeep Ajitpal Singh aka Tariq (Malhotra) to find out the details of the bomb whereabouts. Tariq who harbours a tragic past has already created a good-natured image of a simpleton tailor in Pakistan and even marries a local blind girl Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna in a very limited screen time). Working at the tailor shop of Nasreen’s uncle Momim (Manoj Bakshi) who gets a lot of tailoring orders from the Panail-bitingkistani army, Tariq uses the opportunity to ferret information out of the Pakistani brigadier about the bomb and the scientists doing the job. He is helped in his mission by Aslam Usmaniya (the ever-dependable Sharib Hashmi) and Maulavi aka Raman Singh (an excellent Kumud Mishra).
The film is gripping and the climax is nail-biting. Thanks to the tight script and taut screenplay, the film manages to hold the viewers’ attention and makes for a commercial patriotic watch.
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