Film: Mission Mangal (drama); Cast: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi, Nithya Menon, HG Dattatreya; Direction: Jagan Shakti; Duration: 2 hours, 13 minutes; Language: Hindi;

Story:

Mission Mangal is based on the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and how it was executed by a team led by women scientists. After a failed mission of sending a rocket in the outer space, Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) and mission director Tara Shinde (Vidya Balan) aim to launch a satellite into the orbit of Mars. A top scientist (Dalip Tahil) doesn’t rate their chances highly and assigns them an inexperienced team, with massive budget cuts. How this unfancied crew faces the pressure and carries out the  monumental task forms the crux of the story.  

Review: 

Jagan Shakti has done an average job of telling this inspirational story. While as the leaders of the mission, the focus is on Akshay and Vidya, the likes of Taapsee Pannu and Sonakshi Sinha have been underutilised. The filmmaker also tries to develop backstories like Vidya’s marital problems, Kirti Kulhari’s singlehood creating roadblocks for her, Sona’s frustration with the ISRO, etc. but they haven’t been narrated well. Minor characters like Purab Kohli and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, don’t add much to the film. Akshay as Rakesh is passionate and sincere and has done his job with minimal fuss. Vidya leads from the front with effortless performance and manages to hold her own against AK. Sharman Joshi and Sonakshi’s love-hate relationship and banter keep the mood light. The biggest disappointment is Taapsee’s character, which has no arc. 

The inspirational drama fills one with pride but gets monotonous. The technicalities and how the team really works on the mission is told in bits and pieces. Jagan wants to convey how the Indian space system is battling the odds and are not given the credit that they deserve. But, the execution could have been much more precise and compact. 

Verdict:

It is an inspirational tale, but not a masterpiece. Watch it for Vidya and Akshay’s patches of brilliance