Mission Mangal Review: A Beautiful And Befitting Tribute To The Scientists Of The Nation With The Celebration Of Womanhood!

Its a well known fact that to achieve a far fetched goal, there's an immense hard work involved. One of the finest contributions to the nation's glory is the determined work of the scientists at ISRO who toiled day and night to win these scientific laurels for the nation. One such successful feat was the MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) or the Mangalyaan Mission which took place on the year 2014. India became the first country to fulfill this mammoth mission and be the first nation to reach Mars in its first attempt. The film Mission Mangal is the retelling of this glorious achievement of the country. However there were some dramatization of the incidents and the film digged deeper into the lives of the scientists involved in the project. The film showcases how the scientists especially the women work towards the mission with their whole determination along with balancing the entire chaos in their personal lives. The film tends to over dramatize and fictionalized these parts which got a little tedious to watch at times. 

The film opens in the year 2010 as ISRO headed by Rakesh (Akshay Kumar) prepares to launch a rocket into space. But the mission is unsuccessful due to a technical fault. Rakesh along with the project director Tara (Vidya Balan) and the entire ISRO unit is blamed for this failure. Then, Rakesh is charged with the near impossible Mars Mission. But Rakesh and Tara are determined to achieve this mammoth task against all odds. Along with several demotivating instances on their way, the two assemble a team of junior scientists to fulfill this mission within 24 months. 

But director and writer Jagan Shakti simplifies the complexities of the scientific mission to make it more comprehensible for the masses. For instance the home science theories like the 'puri technique' and the 'slingshot technique' is depicted intricately in the practical sense. The larger than life characters of the film adds to the essence of the film. The women dominated team of the mission, apart from Tara consists of Krittika (Taapsee Pannu), Eka (Sonakshi Sinha), Neha (Kirti Kulhari) and Varsha (Nithya Menen) who showcase real determination for the mission even though their personal life is in shambles. The two other members of this group is the superstitious Parmeshwar (Sharman Joshi) and the quirky senior most member of the group Ananth (HG Dattareya).

In some instances, there is less focus on the complexed technicalities of the operation and more on the endearing camaraderie of the whole team. The film thus, manages to engage the viewers effectively without any kind of confusion. This also becomes its downfall in some occasions. We don't get to witness some of the deep rooted intricacies of the mission unfold in front of us. There is some over dramatization when it comes to the characters too. The CGI could've been a little more convincing. But the pride for one's country and the eventual sucess of the mission tops it all.

The other highlight are the performances by the cast members. Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan are the two strongest binding force in the film. There is no doubt that the two are effortless and simply flawless in their act. The other female cast members like Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari and Nithya Menen act as powerful support systems. Dattareya and Sharman Joshi manage to bring in some comic elements in the film. The cameo performance by Sanjay Kapoor is simply refreshing. Dilip Tahil as the shrewd Rupert delivered a fine performance too. 

R Balki and Jagan Shakti's vision makes the film an empowering and an entertaining one to behold. The conclusion has us beaming with pride over the achievement of the scientists. So, this Independence Day, definitely do not miss this one.