Mission Mangal

1) A great story with irrelevant and soulless narration 2) Huge lag and not into the story anytime 3) Great scientists characters used as joker Don't waste your money

There is an overlying sense of artificiality in the way Mission Mangal (Mars Mission) has been made, with abundant textbook techniques to mix comedy and drama into the proceedings of a vastly technical subject such as an organization's attempt to send a satellite on the Martian orbit. It ends up as a series of cringe-worthy sequences. For a film that demands realism as the only single factor, Mission Mangal strays away from it right from the word go! as we see the actors fooling around in office and wherever they go. It's a good idea by writer R Balki to refer home science as the solution to issues hampering space travel but the way they have been dramatized makes the discerning viewer coil in anger and disgust. Melodrama takes the limelight in the film that can be best characterized as a lackluster take on a historic feat, that only gets worse as you proceed watching it, eventually leading you to a specific scene where a gang of inebriated Isro scientists brawl in a metro car all of which reeks of self-righteousness. Mission Mangal is a mockery of the very subject that it pays homage to. There's no reason to spend any money on this and I would instead recommend going through the Wikipedia page of the actual mission instead. TN.

I don't know the fuss over this movie being so divisive among reviewers. Of course this movie is more of a fictionalized account of the days leading up to ISRO's MOM launch than a semi autobiographical narrative. So what? So many movies around the world come and go with the "based on/inspired by the events" tag that stray far from reality yet no one bats an eye then.

This movie is just OK, you can bring your parents or colleagues or spouse and you are guaranteed to have a pleasant time with any of them as company. Akshay does a fine job in the lead role with Vidya giving a commendable supporting act. The rest of the cast are passable.

The movie thankfully has not many cringe-worthy moments. The few that were put in more as a quota fulfillment for a standard masala Bollywood film do not stick out like a sore thumb. A lot of people seemed to complain that there was not much emphasis given on the exact science of the Mars mission . Clearly, this movie aims more for that vicarious experience of joy and happiness at having achieved the mission rather than the exact train of intellectual thought that went into solving the obstacles faced.

Finally, there was a commentary by an official reviewer as to how this movie was pandering to nationalism and religious appeasement at the same time.I got neither of those vibes from the movie. Regarding nationalism, I felt the referenced attribute was more about cherishing the underdog tale ( a financially stunted ISRO against space giants like the US and Russia) rather than any political right wing remark. And the religious appeasement angle was anything but left wing. If anything, that subplot was meant to reconcile the different faiths in a diverse nation and pray mutually for the success of the Mars mission.

So,overall I am impressed and will recommend this movie

This movie proves again that you do not need extreme big budgets to make a decent movie, replicating the point made in the movie's true story as well. Very good graphics that convey the storyline and the finale. Hats off to Akshay Kumar for once again deciding to do a movie that is meaningful and sensible. The true story of this mission is as amazing as it's scientists. Power to them and the belief that it was possible. India became the first country to successfully launch a satellite mission to Mars in its first try! The movie is a must watch for that itself but it's entertaining as much!

Mission Mangal is an enlightening and humbling 'Mangalyaan for Dummies' with a measured sprinkling of masala and humour for mass appeal and to prevent it from being a bland documentary. Mostly good acting and Akshay Kumar is anyway easy on the eyes. Before you can wipe off your tears of joy after the climax, you hear the unnecessary gloating of the country's famous chest thumper. Someone please tell him to leave the chest thumping to juvenile gorillas. A bit of humility and a pat on the back of the high achieving team will do wonders.