Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran

We would expect a movie inspired with true events ought to keep you engaged throughout.

Alas , it may not be in case of Pokharan.. an event which brought the country to the world map of military power and paved its way to have a stronger role in world politics, the movie might not have been able to build a strong backdrop story line .. a not so strong screenplay, at times lame dialogues and script drags and tries to instill patriotism.. I guess movie was an attempt to stardom, from the factory of recently created patriotism formulae with humor dialogues nd doesn't help, atleast myself.

Again, I still feel we had a great cast nd have watched some great work from JAs production like Madras Cafe.. Diane Pentys role could have been stronger than just making her walk in a uniform ..

Directed by Abhishek Sharma, Parmanu is a film based on true incident of nuclear testing in India (1998). Film features John Abraham, Diana Penty, Boman Irani and Anuja Sathe in prominent characters. It speaks about the historical event of India becoming a nuclear state.

First of all, let me tell you frankly that I was not going for this movie till the last night. Somehow I felt that it's going to be a boring film as what will they show about nuclear test! But last night, I read one tweet praising about it. So I made up my mind to take a risk. Believe me, I am extremely satisfied now!

What went through during the test of nuclear, that also with super secrecy from entire world, especially CIA. There is a constant pace that the film continues on with lot's of happening in between. There is a strong emotional factor, too. And above all, the patriotism makes it a worthy watch for every Indian.

John Abraham is at his best. Many will say that this is his best film in the entire career. Also, he is a producer of this film. There were some issues, and because of that the film's future went in danger. But he somehow manages to break all the odds and Today he made it to the theatres as well. Kudos to him for lifting up such a story which the entire nation needs to know.

Diana Penty looks perfect for the role. She acts beautifully and looks charming. Anuja Sathe delivers a solid performance as a wife of John. Boman Irani is excellent. His conversation scenes with John are the best! Supporting cast, especially the Pandavas have done a great job. They keep you engage as well as entertain throughout.

Music by Sachin-Jigar adds an element of Rajasthani touch. Folk tunes and voices are very much relatable to the story and situation. Sapna by Arijit is my favourite from this album.

Location adds thrill to the story. Storms and sands are captured well. The whole setup of plant was developed superb. It is hard to crew for the setup pf 1998 in the current year, but they have done it nicely. Though, the blast could have been shown better. Although, it is nice now. Usage of old footage such as speech by Bajpayee is also good.

Overall, this film should not be missed. You will feel proud for sure. This film is an ode to our engineers and scientists. And that too in a thriller format. John Abraham and Abhishek Sharma deserve applaud for making such a wonderful film. And I wish John will make such films in future as well (like his production house did in the past). So, a must watch story of Pokhran. 4/5.

Pros: Based on true events, which undoubtedly is a pride of any sensible Indian Cons: Everything else. Just coz this is based on a true event (especially a proud moment) doesn't automatically makes this movie a good one. Story telling is lazy, character building is lazy. Not one character with whom one can relate or even understand their background except someone saying "he's brilliant, he's awesome". Gimme a break. Dont tell me, SHOW me. That's what movie is about.

Technical aspect of the Pokhran test is so diluted as if it looks like connecting a dynamite using wires and pulling the switch. Nothing about the challenges they've faced is shown except brushing the surface of it.When i read about Pokhran, clearly it's notable that they've missed the basic thing, which is the hard work put in by each one of the team member.

John Abraham and the IB girl- God save their acting. Others acting is passable at best, except Boman Irani, who doesn't have much screen time.

This move, from a story telling point of view, kinda sucks. Just coz I'm Indian, I've given this 5/10.

I will say I am very amused by the reviews of the movie. People I feel got swept away by the plot more than the movie, which is my point exactly in writing this review.

Pokhran was a great event to make a movie on. It showed how India became a nuclear power in arms and stood elite among the few nuclear powers. What the movie doesn't do is do justice with the horrible screen play. The plot established itself so haphazardly with Krishna's character, his motivation & his dream. Why no else but himself couldnt have done it nobody knows.

The overacting, to plot holes & the most absurd and horrendouz background score. Leave it to bollywood to push the limits of bad cinema.

After Madras cafe, which was brilliant in its own way, this was such a letdown.

My only positive take away is that Indians got to know about this historical event.

It always feels great when something apart from a India-Pak match unites, we the people of India, where we clap together on a national achievement, for national hero(es). Well, this time it was a recreation of a moment of national pride that incited this act. Abhishek Sharma's 'Parmanu- the story of Pokharan' (PTSP) is a true ode to the visionaries who envisioned and executed the intricate yet successful nuclear tests of 1998 which catapulted India to a full-fledged nuclear state.

1. *The plot* - Going by the theme, it could have easily been a documentary. However, considering sensitivity of information and facts, it would not have been legal to detail out everything with 100% authenticity. There goes kudos to the writers who spunned the well needed soul of the programme in a fictional story and characters. This saved the film from becoming dull/ documentaristic! However, regular showcasing of actual clippings from DD and government archives ensured realism. Watching Vajpayee ji's real inspiring speeches on & off was definitely heart-warming! :) 2. *Cast* - A special mention of John Abraham who risked money to make a movie on this otherwise on-paper dry topic. Apart from being a courageous producer of this film, he carried it well on his shoulders as main lead. He was ably supported by talented actors like Boman Irani, Vikas Kumar and Yogendra Tiku. Diana Penty and Anuja Sathe did justice to their limited characters. Overall, all characters looked authentic in their body language and were aplty cast. 3. The on screen authenticity of events and characters can be attributed to *immaculate screenplay and flawless cinematography*. 4. Thankfully, no song disrupts the seriousness or tone of the film. *Background score* is good. 5. The film is *flawed* only to the extent of some over-styling of lead actors and low story pace initially. However, Movie picks up pace gradually and gets into full on acceleration esp. in 2nd half. One more miss out was APJ's character. Perhaps, absence of exact mappings was intentional.

All in all, PTSP does manage give a glimpse of unmatchable hard work and challenges that went away in enacting this historical achievement. In an era where India was a vulnerable state diplomatically bullied and regularly monitored (read: threatened) by Uncle Sam, this achievement was much much bigger than current era's surgical strike. Each Indian deserves to know, see and feel proud to watch this story unfold. _It was disappointing to find hardly 30% occupancy at multiplex._

For me, it is definitely a *9/10* flick. Please go *watch in theatres* to help more people put money on similar stories.

Note: Do watch ending credentials as they showcase real pictures of/ before/ after explosion along with fact bits.