Movie Review: 'D-Day'

Review: D-Day
Rating: ***1/2
Starring: Rishi Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Irrfan Khan, Shruti Hassan, Huma Quereshi
Directed by: Nikhil Advani

What it's about: D-Day takes you into a world you haven't been to before. While you have seen many thrillers with spies and raw agents, this one is different in that, it uses references to many real life instances (people and places). While the names of the characters have been changed, if you are intelligent enough, you will make the connection and enjoy the film so much more. In short, the film is about four protagonists, Arjun Rampal (Captain Rudra Pratap Singh),  Irrfan Khan (Wali Khan)Huma Qureshi (Zoya Rehman) and Chandan Roy Sanyal all with varying back stories who come together on foreign soil to bring back India's most dreaded terrorist Rishi Kapoor as Iqbal. It explores the foursome's journey, choices, loss, and victory While on this mission, everything that can go wrong, does. Then the hunters become the hunted and it is upto the foursome to try to make alive out of the neighbouring country. 

What's good: After big budget bonanzas with big stars (Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna, Chandni Chowk To China, Salaam- E-Ishq), Nikhil Advani makes a gripping, tense film on a tight budget and minus an A-List actor. And proves just how is accomplished a director he is. He tells you a strong, coherent story that makes you wish was based on a true incident. I would go as far as saying this is a genre-creating film. America has Zero Dark Thirty. Katherine Bigelow made that movie because US went to Pakistan and killed the man who dared to attack their country. No such luck for writers of D-Day. They had to make a fictional story about bringing back the man who is on India's number one wanted list, and openly lives, as a guest of the neighbouring country. It's hard to watch this film without getting emotional, even if you haven't been directly affected by the blasts that keep happening in the country. D-Day is emotionally engaging. When Iqbal makes that speech in the climax about Kasab, it is designed to make your blood boil, and it gets the desires result. Every 'hero' in this film is real, and at some point, you begin to believe that this is one of those untold stories like Argo;  a top secret operation by our agents that was kept hidden from the public and just adds to the breathless tension. This is a film that stands out in the crowd. It has tension, humour, unease, passion, vengeance, triumph. Watch out for little gems like Iqbal speaking in Marathi. One of the major highlights is the Alvida song, a romantic song filmed in a manner that will send chills down your spine.  Arjun Rampal's performance? All I can say is WOW. Rishi Kapoor knocks it out of the park, again. It's hard not to gush about the dialogues, music and the performances all around (Irrfan, Huma, Shruti, Chandan Roy Sanyal)    

What's not: The problem is the one that most Hindi films have. The length. You keep thinking to yourself, it only it was twenty minutes shorter. Parts of the film are dragged out and at one point, post-interval, you begin to wonder if the writers forgot that the film was about Iqbal and not about the personal life of one sp. Sometimes when people get caught up with reciting a story they lose sight of what the story is. But that's not the case here as your patience pays off when it all comes together in the climax. The script could have been tighter but  the mood is right. In the end, the shortcomings are more than offset by the movie's strengths.

What to do: Watch it. This film deserves and an audience.

PS: You will like if this you liked A Wednesday, Tango Charlie, Parzania