Film Review

Mission Mangal- Film Review
Introduction
Mission Mangal is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Jagan Shakti and produced by Cape of
Good Films, Hope Productions, Fox Star Studios, Aruna Bhatia and Anil Naidu.[2] Loosely based on the life of
scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation who contributed to India's first interplanetary
expedition Mars Orbiter Mission, it stars an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi
Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi in lead roles.
Review
A dream doesn't become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work to make it
come true. That's what Indian scientists at ISRO have gone through for the past five decades, leaving
behind their personal lives, making their families a second priority and propelling themselves into a
pursuit of scientific achievement. One of the glorious chapters in their success story was the 2014 Mars
Orbiter Mission (MOM), more popularly called the Mangalyaan Mission. Against all odds, India became
the first country in the world to break many space and Earth barriers and reach the distant planet in its
first attempt. 'Mission Mangal' is a film that dramatises and recreates this glorious chapter in Indian
history. This deeply patriotic film takes a few cinematic liberties along the way, and while doing that, it
delves into the lives of the scientists who made this almost-impossible dream come true. The film
throws light on how scientists who go through the humdrum of everyday life when at work they show
grit, gumption and tremendous drive to achieve the unthinkable. The focus on human drama is
endearing, but we would have liked to see more action happening at ISRO, which we know very little of.
The story picks up in 2010 when a team at ISRO is led by Rakesh (Akshay Kumar) as they launch a rocket
into outer space. But that launch mission ends up in unexpected failure when a technical error forces
the rocket to veer towards the earth. The ill-fated error happens under the watchful eye of one of the
mission directors Tara (Vidya Balan), but during the media-fuelled fiasco later on, Rakesh takes the
blame for it. As a result, Rakesh is assigned to the far-fetched Mars Mission at ISRO, which other
scientists at the organisation believe is nothing but a flight of fancy. But, the patriotic Rakesh and the
industrious Tara decide to fight the odds and put India on the space map, again. Dealing with minuscule
budgets, scrutiny from their peers and pressure from all quarters Rakesh and Tara, make a team of
junior scientists from ISRO put the Mars Mission into space within 24 months.
Writer-director Jagan Shakti's film takes complex scientific jargon and simplifies it for the common man.
The narrative also cleverly makes use of logic, home science and alternate science to add quirky
entertainment into the mix. The storytelling is backed by solid characters in the MOM team, who have
scientifically thought out solutions for their real-life problems, too. MOM's team comprises five strong
women Tara, Eka (Sonakshi Sinha), Neha (Kirti Kulhari), Kritika (Taapsee Pannu) and Varsha (Nithya
Menen) who wrack their brains and come up with innovative, low-cost solutions for the Mars mission.
Part of the same team is Parmeshwar (Sharma Joshi) and Ananth (HG Dattatreya).
Moments of heightened drama in the screenplay are tailor-made to please the audience, especially
those who don't have a knack for theories, equations and numbers. Mission Mangal simplifies its
complex subject so that viewers of all ages and backgrounds can engage with the story and the
characters. On the flip side, the simplicity does get a bit too convenient on more than one occasion. The
narrative could have focused more on the nuances of the mission and the authenticity of the mission
control at ISRO. At times, the characters get a bit over-the-top and then on occasions, the screenplay
gets a bit pedantic. Even the CGI is pretty average. But then, the feeling of patriotism and national pride
does eclipse the minor pitfalls of this mission.
The performances by the ensemble cast are strong. Akshay Kumar leads the cast with Vidya Balan as the
parallel lead. Both actors team up to give measured and engaging performances as scientists who give
their heart and soul to realise India's dream of being a big player in the international space race. They
are ably supported by Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, and Nithya Menen. Their team also
has Sharman Joshi and senior actor HG Dattatreya, who bring in some moments of levity to the drama.
Sanjay Kapoor in a brief cameo looks outrageous at best. Dalip Tahil, who plays the NASA return
scientist with a half-American half-Indian accent doles out more laughs than advice for the other
characters.
Under the vision of creative director R Balki and an average execution by filmmaker Jagan Shakti,
'Mission Mangal' makes good with its emotional highs and drama. In the end, when you see India's
scientists celebrate their hard-earned victory with the Mangalyaan orbiting Mars, you can't help but
cheer for the triumph of a nation and its scientific success. Despite the ups and downs, this story does
make you believe that dreams do come true, especially in the vast expanses of outer space.

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Mission Mangal- Film Review

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