movie review of mission majnu

Thanks For Rating

Reminder successfully set, select a city.

Nashik Times
Aurangabad Times
Badlapur Times

You can change your city from here. We serve personalized stories based on the selected city

Edit Profile
Briefs Movies TV Web Series Lifestyle Trending Medithon Visual Stories Music Events Videos Theatre Photos Gaming

Gujarati web series 'Satya' unveils intriguing motion poster star: 'The game is set’

Gujarati web series 'Satya' unveils intriguing motion poster starring Hiten Kumar: 'The game is set’

9 popular K-Drama actors to follow on Instagram

Ranveer Singh reveals he was secretly engaged to Deepika Padukone three years before marriage; here's what the actress hilariously called it

Koffee With Karan Season 8: Will cousins Kajol and Rani Mukerji reunite after 14 years? Here is what reports say

10 records Jung Kook broke ahead of GOLDEN album launch

Lee Dal, Song Joong Ki, Chen: Korean stars who married non-celebrity partners

Family Aaj Kal

Inspector Rishi

The Baxters

3 Body Problem

Palm Royale

Apples Never Fall

Matsya Kaand - An MX Original Series

Sabka Sai - An MX Original Series

Samantar 2 - An MX Original Series

Indori Ishq - An MX Original Series

Runaway Lugaai - An MX Original Series

Ramyug - An MX Original Series

Hello Mini 3 - An MX Original Series

Bisaat - An MX Original Series

Hey Prabhu 2 - An MX Original Series

Chakravyuh - An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller - An MX Original Series

Filmfare OTT Awards

Love Lies Bleeding

Knox Goes Away

Godzilla x Kong: The Ne...

Chabak: Night Of Murder...

Arthur The King

Kung Fu Panda 4

Oru Thavaru Seidhal

Boomer Uncle

Veppam Kulir Mazhai

Kaa: The Forest

Netru Indha Neram

Idi Minnal Kadhal

Tillu Square

Babu: No.1 Bullshit Guy

Om Bheem Bush

Happy Ending

Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Nar...

Operation Valentine

Siddharth Roy

The Goat Life

Jananam 1947 Pranayam T...

Manjummel Boys

Anweshippin Kandethum

Malaikottai Valiban

Vivekanandan Viralanu

Abraham Ozler

Karataka Damanaka

Matsyagandha

Mr.Natwarlal

For Regn: For Registrat...

Shakhahaari

Bonbibi: Widows Of The ...

Pariah Volume 1: Every ...

Shri Swapankumarer Bada...

Manush: Child of Destin...

Bogla Mama Jug Jug Jiyo

Ektu Sore Boshun

Sarabha: Cry For Freedo...

Zindagi Zindabaad

Maujaan Hi Maujaan

Chidiyan Da Chamba

White Punjab

Any How Mitti Pao

Gaddi Jaandi Ae Chalaan...

Buhe Bariyan

Alibaba Aani Chalishita...

Aata Vel Zaali

Shivrayancha Chhava

Delivery Boy

Sridevi Prasanna

Sur Lagu De

Chhatrapati Sambhaji

Devra Pe Manva Dole

Dil Ta Pagal Hola

Ittaa Kittaa

Jaishree Krishh

Bushirt T-shirt

Shubh Yatra

Mission Majnu

Your rating, write a review (optional).

Web Series /

Would you like to review this movie?

Cast & Crew

Mission Majnu Review : A watchable and engaging spy thriller

Videos left arrow right arrow.

'Mission Majnu' Trailer: Sidharth Malhotra An...

Mission Majnu | Song - Rabba Janda

Photos left arrow right arrow

Users' Reviews

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

hussangulam 2 329 days ago

Dilip R 20731 407 days ago

good movie. PM Desai rightly exposed.

Kunal Sheel 428 days ago

Zero research done, worst execution, a very avg acting, just trying to earn money with the flag of nationalism and fake true story .

Himanshu Chawda 1 430 days ago

Manish Sharma 56535 430 days ago

Nice story line.. Loved the Siddharth and Rashmika acting.

Visual Stories

10 best cold soups in the whole world

Entertainment

Sonam Kapoor sets fashion standards sky-high in black Richard Quinn dress

Nehha Pendse gives diva vibes in these 15 looks

Bizarre UFO sightings that sparked awe and wonder

Rubina Dilaik's post-pregnancy glow wins the internet

From tea to silk: 10 things to buy from Hong Kong

8 European countries that can be visited 1.5 lakhs from India this summer!

This 10-minute South-Indian Ghee Rice is great for office tiffin

Beauty lessons to learn from Navya Naveli Nanda

Cuteness overloaded pictures of Losliya Mariyanesan

Latest Reviews

Gujarati web series 'Satya' unveils intriguing motion poster star: 'The game is set’

Popular K-Drama actors to follow on Instagram

Actress Puja Joshi announces an exciting new Gujarati web series; see pictures

Pratik Gandhi kicks off shooting for the Vitthal Teedi 2' web series; see pic

Malhar Thakar talks about his three recent projects - Exclusive!

The Puja Joshi and Maulik Chauhan starrer ‘Kokila Case’ wraps up the shoot

Promoted Stories

Home » Movies » Movie Reviews

Mission Majnu Review – An Empty True Story That Could Have Been More Emotional

Mission Majnu is based on a true story about an Indian agent who marries a Pakistani woman. He tries his best to stay out of the watchful eye of the government or police and finds peace in sewing. The film explores history repeating itself because the same cycle of events continues to happen. It’s hard to break the process if you’re born into a broken system.

Mission majnu review and plot summary, is mission majnu good, why is mission majnu based on a real true story.

This is the untold story of India’s most audacious and daring covert operation in the heart of Pakistan. The film does highlight the events that have led up to the moment between both countries.

Director Shantanu Bagchi makes some choices to set up the story as he breaks it into pieces. First the historical element of nuclear warfare, then the love story between an Indian man and a Pakistani woman, and lastly, the double life these agents lead.

It is set to have an emotional tie because of the relationship and the fact they are from two different backgrounds. So Bagchi also poses the question if love can conquer all in the face of adversity.

For the most part, Mission Majnu is engaging, but it does lose its steam towards the middle. The setup at the beginning of the opposing countries and what they’ve been fighting for was compelling.

Then as we meet the love interests, it becomes wholesome and sweet. The family dynamic is the most interesting aspect at first because her father doesn’t want her to marry the tailor. She doesn’t care about his occupation so she does marry him in spite of what her father said.

Once she gets pregnant, he has flashbacks to his own father and wonders if the same fate is waiting for him because he is an undercover agent himself. Unfortunately, the performances weren’t that strong to carry the film or to even make the second half of this film as engaging as it should have been.

It’s a true story that felt a bit empty because the love shared between the two of them wasn’t believable. The writing was also a bit generic and went through the motions for a historical story. It is a story that did need to be told but could have been executed in a better way.

The film is based on a true story of an important covert spy mission that took place in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 . The mission was known as an untold story, despite the importance of the nature of the operation, that was said to have changed political relationships afterward.

The film was written by Parveez Shaikh. Aseem Arrora and Sumit Batheja all three writers have a lot of experience writing for both film and TV, so it would appear that the three writers involved may have been brought on to work extensively on the script. For three writers of this caliber to all work on the same project may insinuate that the script was reworked, and this may be part of the reason for the many delays that the film experienced.

However, with many other properties, such as Maidaan , and Doctor G , also missing their deadlines, it is most likely that the delays started with the Covid pandemic. Another major factor was the release of Jurassic World Dominion .

This blockbuster was to be released in June 2022, and this clashed with Mission Majnu , which had already been rescheduled for the same date. In an effort to avert a clash for the two films, it was decided that Mission Majnu would be held back, resulting in its eventual release in January 2023.

What did you think of Mission Majnu? Comment below.

Where was the movie Mission Majnu filmed?
Best Action Movies on Netflix 2023
Movies like Mission Majnu

Article by Amanda Guarragi

Amanda Guarragi joined Ready Steady Cut as an Entertainment Writer in June 2022. She is a Toronto-based film critic who has covered TIFF, Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and HorrorFest International. Amanda is also a growing YouTuber, with her channel Candid Cinema growing in popularity.

Dave Chapelle: Sticks & Stones (Netflix) Review

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones Is Going To Annoy Everyone -- And That's Good

The Mosquito Coast review - a disappointingly loose adaptation

This website cannot be displayed as your browser is extremely out of date.

Please update your browser to one of the following: Chrome , Firefox , Edge

Cast & crew
User reviews

Mission Majnu

In the 1970s, an undercover Indian spy takes on a deadly mission to expose a covert nuclear weapons program in the heart of Pakistan. In the 1970s, an undercover Indian spy takes on a deadly mission to expose a covert nuclear weapons program in the heart of Pakistan. In the 1970s, an undercover Indian spy takes on a deadly mission to expose a covert nuclear weapons program in the heart of Pakistan.

Shantanu Bagchi
Parveez Sheikh
Aseem Arrora
Sumit Batheja
Sidharth Malhotra
Rashmika Mandanna
Parmeet Sethi
382 User reviews
22 Critic reviews
4 wins & 7 nominations

Amandeep Singh

Nasreen Khan

Sharma (RAW Officer)

Raman Singh …

Aslam Usmania

Gen. Zia-ul Haq

Morarji Desai

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Maqsood Alam

Brig. Shafiq Khan

Indira Gandhi

RK - Indira's PA

Rasool Khan

(as Vinit Sharma)

Faisal Khan
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia Mission Majnu was an actual debut for actress Rashmika Mandanna in Hindi films. However, as the film faced numerous delays, Goodbye (2022) had became her Bollywood debut.
Goofs While driving to Brigadier's house (to patch missing buttons), Sidharth drives through the security gate carrying a box on his scooter. But the same is not visible before and after crossing the gate.

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 9 minutes
Dolby Digital

More to explore

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Love Lies Bleeding Link to Love Lies Bleeding
Problemista Link to Problemista
Late Night with the Devil Link to Late Night with the Devil

New TV Tonight

Mary & George: Season 1
Star Trek: Discovery: Season 5
Sugar: Season 1
American Horror Story: Season 12
Loot: Season 2
Parish: Season 1
Ripley: Season 1
Lopez vs Lopez: Season 2
The Magic Prank Show With Justin Willman: Season 1

Mission Majnu

2023, Action/Drama, 2h 9m

Where to watch mission majnu.

Watch Mission Majnu with a subscription on Netflix.

Rate And Review

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified..

AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

Theater box office or somewhere else

By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Mission majnu photos.

Set in the 1970s, an undercover Indian spy takes on a deadly mission to expose a covert nuclear weapons program in the heart of Pakistan.

Rating: TV14 (Language|Smoking|Suicide|Violence)

Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery & thriller

Original Language: Hindi

Director: Shantanu Bagchi

Producer: Amar Butala , Garima Mehta , Ronnie Screwvala

Writer: Parveez Sheikh , Aseem Arrora , Sumit Batheja

Release Date (Streaming): Jan 20, 2023

Runtime: 2h 9m

Production Co: 88 Pictures , RSVP, GBA Media

Cast & Crew

Sidharth Malhotra

Ravi Singh Baweja

Rashmika Mandanna

Jyoti Chaudhary

Kumud Mishra

Abhinay Raj Singh

Sharib Hashmi

Parmeet Sethi

Bikram Malati

Shantanu Bagchi

Parveez Sheikh

Screenwriter

Aseem Arrora

Sumit Batheja

Amar Butala

Garima Mehta

Ronnie Screwvala

Meraj Shaikh

Executive Producer

Bijitesh De

Cinematographer

Film Editing

Manjunath Ganesh

Siddharth Pande

Tanisk Bagchi

Original Music

Rochak Kohli

Arko Pravo Mukherjee

Production Design

Divvya Gambhir

Costume Design

Nidhi Gambhir

Mukesh Chhabra

Critic Reviews for Mission Majnu

Audience reviews for mission majnu.

There are no featured reviews for Mission Majnu because the movie has not released yet ().

Movie & TV guides

Play Daily Tomato Movie Trivia

Discover What to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes Podcasts

India Today
Business Today
Reader’s Digest
Harper's Bazaar
Brides Today
Cosmopolitan
Aaj Tak Campus
India Today Hindi

Mission Majnu Movie Review: This is no Shershaah, but Sidharth, Rashmika's mission to entertain is a success

Mission majnu, starring sidharth malhotra and rashmika mandanna, premiered on netflix on january 20. the film has its heart in the right place, says our review..

Listen to Story

Mission Majnu begins streaming on Netflix from January 20.
The film stars Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna.
It is directed by Shantanu Bagchi.

Cast & Crew

Sidharth Malhotra

Sharib Hashmi

Kumud Mishra

Release Date: 20 Jan, 2023

India vs Pakistan makes a great setting not just for one-day cricket matches , but also for films chronicling historical chapters from the two countries. India and Pakistan have always been at odds, so a story around their tussle makes for an intriguing watch. If you throw in a nuclear test and words like ‘atom-bomb’, the setting gets even more exciting.

Shantanu Bagchi’s Mission Majnu has an interesting premise. The film revolves around a RAW agent infiltrating Pakistan to find out its nefarious designs to build an atom bomb. After India’s first successful nuclear test in 1974, a worried Pakistan decides to carry out its own test with the help of shady allies willing to sell them material to build its own bomb.

Tariq aka Amandeep Singh (Sidharth Malhotra) is a RAW agent living in Pakistan. He’s married to his girlfriend Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna) who is blind. Tariq has a murky past across the border where his father was labelled a traitor in his motherland - India. Living under the guilt of what his father did, Tariq’s life changes when he’s assigned to head India’s covert operation in Pakistan titled - Mission Majnu.

ALSO READ| Karan Johar reviews Sidharth Malhotra's Mission Majnu, calls it 'emotional story of unsung hero'

As part of this mission, Tariq with his accomplices (Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi) has to provide physical evidence of Pakistan’s secret attempt to carry out a nuclear test. If they fail, they risk an imminent war not only with India but also global intervention and a possibility of nuclear attacks. Mission Majnu is a period film set in the 70s, so a lot of effort has been paid to ensure the characters, set, locales, and production design look like it’s the 70s.

The film starts off well where we are introduced to Tariq and Nasreen. But as the plot progresses and things get serious, the direction feels out of focus. A spy thriller like Raazi is proof that you can make a film about a serious subject without making it feel like a documentary. Shantanu Bagchi’s treatment of the subject in MM feels a bit lost and confused in places. Does he want to make a gripping spy drama or is this a vehicle to cater to star power and weave in the cliched commercial elements like song, romance and an action-glazed climax? Also, real life personalities like Pakistan’s General Zia-ul-Haq and India’s then Prime Minister, India Gandhi, look like caricatures more than identifiable characters.

Mission Majnu’s best moments come when the film does what it’s meant to do - narrate an edge of the the story of how India managed to fool Pakistan on its own soil and pour water over their plans to be a nuclear power. When the story strays from this and breaks into unnecessary songs or peripheral characters that have very little to do, you feel frustrated.

Sidharth Malhotra isn’t new to this genre. He’s proved his patriotic mettle in his career-altering blockbuster Shershaah. I am worried that the actor doesn’t take the success of his film too seriously and is typecast in similar roles, becoming the poster boy for jingoism. Sidharth is good in scenes where he is battling the stigma and pain of his past yet wants to move ahead and show his loyalty to his country and team. Rashmika Mandanna doesn’t have much to do apart from try to strike up some chemistry with Sid. Sharib Hashmi and Kumud Mishra have better scenes and a defining character arc which thankfully saves the film from becoming an entirely dull affair.

International
Today’s Paper
Join WhatsApp Channel
Movie Reviews
Tamil Cinema
Telugu Cinema

Mission Majnu movie review: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna film is a sedate, by-the-numbers drone

Mission majnu movie review: sidharth malhotra, rashmika mandanna film avoids jingoism. the line, ‘deshbhakti rooh mein hoti hai’ is like a balm in these riven, polarised times..

In 1974, India’s first nuclear blast at Pokharan, codenamed The Smiling Buddha, created ripples around the world. It caused Pakistan to frown, and immediately begin its own covert N-programme in retaliation. This news, sussed out by Indian agents, led to widespread consternation. A dirty bomb in the possession of an unstable democracy could be lethal. How it was stopped in its tracks is the story of Mission Majnu , which starts by saying that it is ‘inspired by true events’.

The film begins documentary-style by giving us glimpses of how World War 2 ended with the Nagasaki and Hiroshima explosions. And then cuts to Rawalpindi, where RAW officer Tariq Ali ( Sidharth Malhotra ) is setting the scene for the main act, which will in due course involve fighter jets from Israel, super-smart spymeisters from India, and impressive footwork from the deep undercover Indian agents in Pakistan. In voice-over, we hear the voice of a character who played a crucial role in those events, RAW chief R N Kao, and that is yet another nudge to us, the viewers, to take the proceedings seriously.

The question then arises of how much, in the pursuit of authenticity, can events be dramatised. Given our long experience in Bollywood spy sagas replete with song-and-dance and romance, we do not blink an eyelid when we witness the double life of the handsome Tariq. His day job as a tailoring apprentice is filled with the lovely Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), who may be sightless, but is adept at seeing the truth. She is not just part of his cover, to be discarded when the time is right; she is the love of his life.

When not mooning over Nasreen, Tariq is quite the cunning spy. In an inadvertently hilarious sequence, he engages a senior Pakistani military officer and digs out top-secret information. In 10 minutes flat. An old lady spills some more beans, and presto, all the dots are joined. But Tariq has a dark past, which keeps popping up in flashbacks. His foul-mouthed handler (Hussain) back home keeps asking, is he truly loyal to his country? His collaborators, a colourful mustachioed dhaba owner (Hashmi) and a bearded maulvi, whose identity we learn later, turn up as and when required.

What’s nice is that the film steers clear of jingoism. A Pakistani character says that the Partition was ‘done’ by the ‘angrez’. Tariq, who is obviously Indian, is himself a product of a secular, old India: his childhood involved a gurdwara where no one went hungry, and a ‘Father Joseph’ who saw to his schooling. The line, ‘deshbhakti rooh mein hoti hai’ is like a balm in these riven, polarised times. But Mission Majnu doesn’t make enough of its potential, and of its good-looking leads. It is a sedate, by-the-numbers, drone.

Mission Majnu movie review: Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi, Zakir Hussain, Rajit Kapur Mission Majnu movie review: Shantanu Bagchi Mission Majnu movie review: 2 stars

Kejriwal's arrest: Has BJP over-reached or is it a decisive Subscriber Only

25 Oppn leaders facing corruption probe joined BJP; 23 got Subscriber Only

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Katchatheevu

Katchatheevu & Wadge Bank: Story of two India-Sri Lanka agreements Subscriber Only

UPSC Key— 3rd April, 2024: Kallakkadal, India’s new geopolitics, Heatwaves and more

UPSC Key— 3rd April, 2024: Kallakkadal, India’s new geopolitics Subscriber Only

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das at a ceremony marking 90 years of the RBI in Mumbai on Monday.

90 years of RBI: Its history, how it navigated times Subscriber Only

ayushman bharat scheme, express investigation

Under Ayushman Bharat, top treatments: cardiology, cancer Subscriber Only

EC deliberates response to Oppn alarm over central agencies action Subscriber Only

The idea for a same day settlement cycle was first floated by SEBI December last year.

How will T+0 settlement cycle benefit investors? Subscriber Only

Viksit Bharat must also be inclusive Bharat Subscriber Only

Why Katchatheevu is causing a splash in Tamil Nadu poll Subscriber Only

In Maharashtra, BJP is challenged by its own machinations Subscriber Only

Express Premium
Rashmika Mandanna
Sidharth Malhotra

Eknath Khadse, a senior leader of the NCP Sharad Pawar faction, is set to return to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Khadse, who has been with the Sangh Parivar for 40 years, had quit the BJP in 2020 and joined the NCP. The BJP hopes his return will help quell discontent in key constituencies in North Maharashtra.

More Entertainment

Best of Express

Apr 04: Latest News

01 Seat-sharing uncertainties in MVA: Uddhav offers Mumbai North & North Central to Congress, Patole says talks on
02 Chess: Why Candidates is a tournament of suffering, a ‘lethal combination’ of physical and mental endurance
03 WhatsApp, Instagram services restored after global outage
04 9.5L seats available in Maharashtra schools under revised RTE this year
05 IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders races to top of the table, Delhi Capitals fall to 9th
Elections 2024
Political Pulse
Entertainment
Movie Review
Newsletters
Gold Rate Today
Silver Rate Today
Petrol Rate Today
Diesel Rate Today
Web Stories
Premium Stories
Express Shorts
Health & Wellness
Board Exam Results

Profile Settings
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
Bollywood Movies
Hollywood Movies
Finance and Technology
Filmfare Awards Bangla 2024
Filmfare Awards Assamese 2024
Filmfare Awards 2024
Filmfare OTT Awards 2023
Short Film Awards 2023
Filmfare Femina Bhojpuri Icons
Filmfare Awards Marathi 2022
Filmfare Awards South 2022
Glamour & Style Awards 2019
Filmfare Awards Punjabi 2019
All Winners
Mission Majnu Movie Review

Mission Majnu Devesh Sharma, April 4, 2023

Times Of India

The Smiling Buddha, India's first nuclear explosion, took place at Pokhran in 1974 and made the world sit up and take notice of our nuclear capabilities. Pakistan started its own covert nuclear programme right away in retaliation. RAW came to know of this and brought back physical evidence, which resulted in Pakistan supposedly abandoning the attempt to become nuclear capable, at least for a few years. Mission Majnu, which states at the outset that it is "inspired by true events," tells the tale of how Pakistan’s first attempt at being a nuclear power was halted in its tracks.

Tariq Ali/Amandeep Singh (Sidharth Malhotra) is a RAW agent working undercover as a tailor in Pakistan. He develops a crush on the blind daughter, Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna) of one of the relatives of his boss and they soon get married. She’s supposedly his cover but he soon develops genuine feelings for her. He’s contacted by his handlers to find evidence of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and with the help of other deep agents, played by Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi, starts piecing the puzzle together bit by bit. Unlike James Bond, however, he doesn’t storm the site with an arsenal at his disposal. His job is only to gather proof and somehow send it to India. How he does so forms the crux of the film.

The film embraces a documentary-like approach towards narration. So be prepared for mushroom clouds as seen in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, as well as footage of Pak leaders and scientists. Pakistan has been a volatile democracy and the coup by General Zia and the usurping of Prime Minister Bhutto is also depicted in the film. The film is an intelligent mix of fact and fiction. The spies depicted in the film aren’t superheroes but mere mortals who are painstakingly gathering information after years of deep infiltration. And the information, more often than not, comes through chance, rather than the use of any hi-tech wizardry. Yes, being a commercial film, there are a couple of action sequences that look over the top but the makers can be forgiven for adding a bit of masala here.

The best thing about Mission Majnu is that it’s not jingoistic. Indians aren’t shown badmouthing Pakistan and our neighbours in turn aren’t cursing India for all the woes that have befallen them. There’s a scene where an old lady offers tea to the hero and blames the Partition on the British, saying we’re reaping the ill-gotten fruits of their divide and rule policy even now. The agents do their jobs without being overly patriotic. There’s a backstory to Tariq. His father is shown to be a traitor who sold state secrets to Pakistan and later killed himself and he’s shown to be grappling with those emotional wounds. But the melodrama is kept to the minimum here. Though he’s a spy schooled in not being emotionally involved with people, Tariq’s love for his wife and unborn child is genuine and one roots for him to get them to safety.

Zakir Hussain is shown as a foul-mouthed handler who breaks every rule of spycraft by making his asset speak his real name. This kind of jars in a film which pretends to replicate the lives of real spies. Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi have lent able support to the proceedings and their quirky personalities add a colour to the film. This was supposed to be Rashmika Mandanna’s Hindi debut. Due to delays, that honour went to Goodbye. She’s beautiful no doubt and her depiction of a blind girl totally in love with her husband is spot on. Her best scene happens when both she and Sidharth remember Dharmendra’s performance from Sholay. She shares a definite chemistry with him and they look like a much in love couple, who’d have lived a happy life together in much peaceful times. Sidharth Malhotra has played a patriot before in Shershaah (2021), though the two characters aren’t cast in the same mould. He looks the part of a deep cover agent doing his duty in a distant land, fully knowing the consequences of his actions. He immerses himself in the character convincingly and barring some scenes, doesn’t give in to being a star, contending himself to be a performer instead.

The film has plenty of twists and turns to offer and it's a wonder why instead of releasing it in theatres, the makers opted for an OTT release…

Trailer : Mission Majnu

Dhaval roy, january 20, 2023, 5:00 pm ist.

Mission Majnu story: It’s the 1970s in Pakistan when the nation conducted a covert nuclear weapons test. An Indian undercover spy, Amandeep Singh, needs to expose it and clear the stigma of being called a traitor’s son while leading a happily married life with a blind Pakistani woman, Nasreen, and a baby on the way. Mission Majnu review: A spy thriller about India and Pakistan’s animosity during the 1970s, starring Sidharth Malhotra post his laudable performance in Shershaah , is a perfect recipe for an intriguing drama. And Mission Majnu serves it, all right, garnished with high-octane action. The fictional story is based on actual events following the Indo-Pak 1971 war and the latter secretively creating nuclear weapons. A RAW field agent, Amandeep Singh (Sidharth Malhotra), lives and works in Pakistan as a tailor called Tariq, with a mission to expose the country’s covert operation. He marries a blind girl, Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna) and starts a family with her while being undercover. The movie follows Amandeep’s mission, as he’s constantly subjected to insults as his father dies by suicide for being a traitor, a story that’s only given a cursory mention. Shantanu Bagchi helms Mission Majnu with aplomb and keeps it fast-paced throughout. The director also manages to keep one on the edge of the seat on many occasions when Amandeep’s cover seems close to being blown. The milieu of 1970s Pakistan is also created appropriately. How Tariq puts the pieces of the puzzle together, makes connections quickly and acts with alacrity is depicted skilfully. However, one cannot help but note how sketchy some of the film’s aspects are. Tariq gathers information quite easily, and some of the clues and how easily he’s rescued from dangerous situations make things seem too convenient. Sidharth performs well as Tariq and Amandeep, especially in intense scenes. However, he is not entirely convincing in the comic parts. Rashmika Mandanna looks the part of Nasreen, and her acting is passable. Among the supporting cast, Kumud Mishra shines. Much to be written about his acting chops and track, but it would necessitate giving spoilers. Sharib Hashmi also gives a noteworthy performance as Amandeep’s partner. Mission Majnu is about Amandeep’s wit, ingenuity, and patriotism despite being mistreated, but there’s ample action too, which Sidharth pulls off well. There’s no chest-thumping patriotism in the movie, and it stays true to its premise of the covert operation being exposed. The dialogues are worth paying attention to. The narrator describes spies as “ apni mitti se duur mitti ke sipahi. ” Mission Majnu is gripping in parts, but it’s too convenient, which takes away from the narrative. While great, the action stretches in places and makes the movie seem formulaic. All in all, you will enjoy it if viewed without getting into the nuances.

Most Popular

Winners of the Joy Filmfare Awards Bangla 2024: Full List Out

Joy Filmfare Awards Bangla 2024: Prosenjit Chatterjee, Monami Ghosh and more graced the red carpet

COVER STORY: "I would love to play a negative role," confesses our February 2024 cover star Ayushmann Khurrana

Inside Taapsee Pannu and Mathias Boe’s intimate wedding. Watch:

Shah Rukh Khan was seen cheering for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders last night. WATCH:

The Academy drops a clip from Deepika Padukone’s Bajirao Mastani, Ranveer Singh reacts

Preity Zinta gets clicked at the airport with her husband Gene Goodenough. See pics:

Birthday boy Vikrant Massey’s upcoming films: The Sabarmati Report and more

Site Blocked

In order to access website you need to accept our cookie policy. View cookie policy . Accept

Sports News
Top 10 Lists
Streaming Services
Newsletters
OTTplay Awards
OTT Replay 2023
Changemakers

Home » Review » Mission Majnu movie review: Sidharth Malhotra's action saves the day »

Mission Majnu movie review: Sidharth Malhotra's action saves the day

Mission Majnu switches between drama, action and comedy and sometimes combines them all

Shaheen Irani

Last Updated: 03.31 PM, Jan 20, 2023

Tariq is an undercover agent with a mission. He wants to do something for India and finally has that opportunity. Will he be able to deliver the information India needs without Pakistan finding out about it?

Inspired by true events, Mission Majnu takes news clippings to commence what promises to be the 'ultimate symbol of power' and revenge. The story dates back to the times of Pokhran's Smiling Buddha. Since it is about revenge, strong emotions like love and hatred are very common with the film. Many things are in black and white, even literally.

Sidharth Malhotra's entry in the film as Tariq aka Amandeep Ajitpal Singh is glorified with music. He tends to go overboard at the start but eventually, you get used to it. Despite his lukewarm entry, Sidharth manages to grab your attention by the end of the film, even if by little.

Kumud Mishra is a surprise in the form of maulvi. The surprise is revealed much later in the film, as one would expect. Being the actor he is, Kumud does full justice to his role.

Rashmika Mandanna enters the frame instantly as Nasreen and the love story begins even before the characters are established. You learn about them after the love story commences and comes to an end. Her impression of Dharmendra is surprisingly on point. She however tends to underwhelm when it comes to dramatic scenes.

Rajit Kapur barely makes an impression in his first time. In the role of PM Bhutto, he barely makes up.

Shishir Sharma as ISI agent Alam starts normal but ends up ruthless. His is a surprise character but one in a cameo.

Mir Sarwar as the scientist AQ Khan has a par good entry. He barely justifies the 'world's most dangerous scientist' tag. Although director Shashank Bagchi hinted there will be more to his character, there actually is nothing to show about his profession.

Parmeet Sethi as RAW Chief Kao barely makes an impression. He tends to appear and disappear throughout the story.

Anant Mahadevan as Indian PM Indira Gandhi's secretary has very little role but does a fair job.

Zakir Hussain has a surprising role in the film as Sharma. He brings out a shade unlike seen in any actor in the movie so far.

It takes over 15 minutes for the film to develop. Even then, it does at a slow pace, only to pick up after half an hour.

Sharib Hashmi's entry brings out Sidharth's best side - the action hero. Of course, Sharib as Aslam Usmaniya is quite the deal himself.

The story actually begins after nearly 30 minutes. It is the script that helps Sidharth's character, Tariq.

The movie is not without flaws. You see the change in Sidharth's tone in the middle of his mission and that goes conveniently unnoticed.

Morarji Desai's reign is seen in the film too. The movie gets intriguing from there on.

Sidharth's frustration scene works well. Everything since spirals and makes for an interesting watch.

There are moments of comic relief in the film which help the plot but only to an extent. While the actors genuinely have a comic timing, some scenes end up funny unintentionally too.

The mystery builds in the last one hour, to the extent that it would make you hold your breath. It is almost like the Sidharth you saw till now and the one you see now are two different people. While he actually is undercover, Tariq's life is beyond boring to watch and it could be interesting.

The action in Mission Majnu makes this one a definite watch. However, the action comes only in the second half of the film. Sidharth's train sequence is one of the best scenes in the movie.

Staying true to its theme and not the name, Mission Majnu gets dramatic right till the end. While for the most bits, it is painful to watch the scene, there's also a certain emotion attached to the very last one.

The Shantanu Bagchi directorial is barely there. There's a hotchpotch of genres and emotions in every scene. At times, drama gets mixed up with action and the other times, action turns to comedy. While it is good at times, this ride is a constant overdoze of it. Sidharth's action on traintop is the saving grace of this movie. Sharib Hashmi's comedy and drama are a cherry on the cake.

WHERE TO WATCH

New OTT Releases
Web Stories
Streaming services
Latest News
Movies Releases
Cookie Policy
Shows Releases
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Subscriber Agreement

Entertainment
Entertainment Reviews
Mission Majnu Review: An Action Packed Spy Thriller With a Healthy Dose of Patriotism

Mission Majnu Review: An Action-Packed Spy Thriller With a Healthy Dose of Patriotism

There’s plenty of cringey dialogue and overly-dramatised politicking as well..

Photo Credit: Netflix

Sidharth Malhotra plays Amandeep Singh, an Indian spy in Mission Majnu

Mission Majnu released on January 20 on Netflix
The spy thriller film is set in the 1970s
The movie is available in Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu

Mission Majnu is now streaming on Netflix, and is the streaming service's first major release of 2023 from India. At its heart, it's a spy thriller focusing on intelligence gathering by Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agents operating deep within Pakistan, but the title is the most obvious giveaway that there is a love-story angle to the film as well. Indeed, Mission Majnu is the story of an intelligence agent who manages to strike the right balance between his duty to his country, and his true love and care for his wife and unborn child, despite the fact that it was always a part of his cover. Here is our spoiler-free review of the new Netflix movie.

Shantanu Bagchi makes a decent directorial debut in Mission Majnu , but he admittedly has a rather easy formula to work with. The choice of setting is a rather smart one, in my opinion. Viewers will immediately relate to the idea of tensions between India and Pakistan, but Mission Majnu picks an interesting peace-time era between the two countries. This comes across as the ideal setting for a movie focused on espionage, and does so fairly tastefully.

The movie starts with a history lesson covering the period and setting of the film, the mid-to-late 1970s, and the start of both India and Pakistan's nuclear programs. All of this is done lightly and without getting into too much detail around the politics or real-life tensions between the two countries, at the time engaged in a subcontinental ‘cold war' of its own kind. This does mean that the politics of the era come across as a bit odd and overly-dramatised, and the dialogue is a bit over-the-top, but it serves to sort of remind you to not take this movie too seriously either.

Monica, O My Darling Review: Netflix Movie Is Overstuffed and Undercooked

It also quickly introduces the lead character, Amandeep alias Tariq (Sidharth Malhotra) as a tailor working for a shop in Rawalpindi that is known to stitch uniforms for the Pakistani army. He marries a visually impaired Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna) who is the niece of his employer, and uses his position and cover to gain access to military intelligence aimed at exposing the development of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. The actual process of gathering intelligence comes across as a bit clownish and ridiculously convenient for Tariq, but once again, you aren't expected to take the film too seriously.

Throughout the first half of the film, Tariq's own motivations and backstory are revealed, particularly focusing on the fact that his father was considered a national traitor, and he chose not to run from this reputation but to take the hard route towards proving his patriotism and love for his nation. He is revealed to be a star cadet at RAW and is trusted by the agency chief RN Kao (Parmeet Sethi), even if his direct handler Sharma (Zakir Hussain) doesn't think much of him while himself sitting comfortably and safely behind a desk in a Delhi shop.

The 10 Best Movies of 2022

Most of the performances are as expected, although Rashmika Mandanna does seem to struggle a bit with speaking in Urdu and takes too long to deliver even simple dialogues. Sidharth Malhotra, on the other hand, channels his Punjabi upbringing to better effect, switching a bit more easily between Punjabi-Urdu and the occasional use of English and Indian Hindi.

Most of the other performances from the rest of the cast aren't bad, but aren't particularly memorable either, save for fellow field agents in Pakistan such as Aslam (Sharib Hashmi) and Raman (Kumud Mishra), who serve as companions to Amandeep. The duo help deliver slight comedic relief. Sadly, the film regularly uses cringey dialogue to take the edge off the otherwise serious setting and tensions of the era. Tariq's occasional ‘lightbulb' moments also help to tell the story of his above-average intelligence in the art of espionage, apart from adding slight hilarity to the plot.

The second half of the film is less about espionage, and more about all-out action as Tariq first focuses on completing the mission, and then on escaping Pakistan. It also explores how Mission Majnu was never just a mission for him, and the bond he formed with his ‘wife' in Pakistan weren't affected by his patriotic duty.

The 10 Best TV Series of 2022

On the whole, Mission Majnu is about finding the right balance between patriotic duty and personal relationships. It's a feel-good story that despite the cringey dialogue, dramatised politicking, and largely ordinary performances from the cast, has its heart in the right place and faithfully tells a story of true events that have admittedly been largely brushed over thus far.

Our Favourite Movies and TV Shows Adapted From Video Games
Netflix Unveils 2023 Movie Slate with 49 Titles: The Full List

Mission Majnu is streaming now on Netflix. In India, the film is available in Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu.

Mission Majnu

Release Date 20 January 2023
Language Hindi
Genre Action, Drama
Cast Rashmika Mandanna, Sidharth Malhotra, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Parmeet Sethi, Awlad Hossen Eshan, Mir Sarwar, Rukh Nabeel, Zachary Coffin, Kartik Srivastava, Sharik Khan, Sunny Yadav, Mohd Talib, Neel Vishal Mishra, Ariyan Mehedi, Vikram Sharma, Bikram Malati, Anaya Kashyap, DJ Virus
Director Shantanu Bagchi
Producer Ronnie Screwvala, Amar Butala, Garima Mehta

For the latest tech news and reviews , follow Gadgets 360 on X , Facebook , WhatsApp , Threads and Google News . For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel . If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube .