Mission Raniganj Movie Review: Akshay Kumar led biopic-drama is an eye-opener on the lives of the miners

Language: Hindi and Bengali Director: Tinu Suresh Desai Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra Nobody really knows about the incident of the miners being trapped in a dark hole in the small industrial town of Raniganj, West Bengal. Akshay Kumar’s Mission Raniganj talks about the resilience and dedication of the miners. People are aware of the armed forces contribution to the nation and how their lives are always in danger. But not many are actually aware of the risky lives led by the miners? Mission Raniganj is an engaging film based on real incidents and that is what works for the audience. With minute details on research and not trying to glamorise a serious happening makes the film stand out. When the incident happened in 1989, The Left Front was the rulling part and we do catch a few glimpses in the movie of the fluttering red flag. The story is on what happened in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989 when the coal mine got flooded. And how Additional Chief Mining Engineer Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar) along with his team evacuates 65 mine workers. It is about how these brave miners never gave up hope and continued to fight for their survival. Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar) at the risk of his life saved these miners from the dead hole facing several challenges. The movie shows how some of the people of West Bengal tried to politicize the whole incident at the cost of the life of the miners. But Gill never gave up on hope and finally succeeded in saving the miners. The best thing about Mission Raniganj is that it is based on solid facts. But yes ever movie needs some spices and Mission Raniganj was no exception. But what cannot be appreciated is the ornamental role given to Parineeti Chopra. It was bit too unrealistic and obviously she didn’t add any value to the story. And again the Bengali bashing is very evident in the film which could have been done in a better way. They are shown as a bunch of self-centred and  lazy people. Well, how true is that bit of the story? [caption id=“attachment_13210802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from Akshay Kumar & Parineeti Chopra’s Mission Raniganj movie[/caption] It was an out and out typical Akshay Kumar film. A lot could have been done to show the lives of the miners. But the total emphasis was on Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar). True he is a brave heart and when nobody agreed to go down the dead hole to save the miners, he was the only person who volunteered. But these miners, according to me, were the bravest. But to some extent all the actors who played the role of miners were not given their due. [caption id=“attachment_13210812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from Akshay Kumar & Parineeti Chopra’s Mission Raniganj movie[/caption] The management in charge Ujjwal ( Kumud Mishra ) is seen to be continuously smoking frantically with his hands shaking and weeping away to glory. Kumud Mishra, considering the kind of brilliant craftsman he is, could have done a better job. On the othwr hand, the characters of Bindal (Pavan Malhotra) and Tapan (Veerendra Saxena) have a lot of layers. Tapan initially disagrees to help Gill in his mission. It is Bindal, the man Friday of the film who supplies drills for operation and it is Tapan who helps in pinpointing the exact location where the miners could be waiting to save themselves from the flood. But above everything, the movie rightfully highlighted how life of the proletarait class is considered to be nothing as compared to the egos of the big shots in the business. It also highlights how the proletariats are still ignored  in India. They go down the dead hole for meagre wages at the risk of their lives and not even a proper medical kit is provided to them. The film also shows corruption at different levels. Leaving aside the drawbacks of the film,  Mission Raniganj on the whole is a well- researched film  and an engrossing human-drama which needs to be watched. Rating: 3 out of 5

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