I gave in to a trip down the nostalgia lane and decided to watch #D-Day directed by #NikhilAdvani and released in July 2013. The film did well at the Box Office and starred two of the finest actors in Hindi cinema - #IrrfanKhan and #RishiKapoor, both of whom passed away in April this year. Nikhil had previously directed #KalHoNaHo and #PatialaHouse and this was possibly a bold experiment to try a spy thriller genre without any heavy-weight heroes.
ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch #D-Day, a film that polarized audiences in terms of reactions soon after the release. This is the story of four Indian operatives who infiltrate Pakistan territory and work on a mission to bring back a much-wanted gangster. I have a feeling that Hindi cinema’s tryst with the spy thriller genre is always an inspired jump off the cliff but not sure how many have managed to fly. D-Day opens up well, seems to be a well-researched, somewhat ambitious plot and manages to hold your attention pretty well. The problem is with the duration and the editing; it could well have been twenty minutes shorter. The larger issue is that the film sets up the plot and your anticipation well, only to fizzle out with the climax. Thankfully, it does not go into a territory of patriotic hyperbole, or into moralistic preaching; the close is not as you would anticipate but leaves you a little underwhelmed.
1. Watch #D-Day for #RishiKapoor in a role that is very different from the regular ones – thickset, red-tinted glasses, hair patted down and the threatening look in his eyes he plays Iqbal Seth aka Goldman but leaves nothing to doubt that this is Dawood Ibrahim. He manages to look frightening in the beginning and also scared when captured by the operatives. In his effort to act wily and cunning, he does go over-the-top at times and the cheesy dialogues don’t help “Trigger Kheech; Mamla Mat Kheech”.
2. The back story and character detailing of the four operatives is done rather well. There is Wali Khan (# IrrfanKhan) who has infiltrated Pakistan several years ago and lives there with his wife and child. Then there is Rudra Pratap Singh (Arjun Rampal), a suspended army man. Aslam (Akash Dahiya) plays a petty Mumbai criminal who has been drafted into the assignment. And bringing up the year is Zoya (Huma Qureshi), the explosives expert. Holding all of them together is the RAW Director, Ashwini Rao (Nasser in another trademark minimum-dialogue, maximum-intrigue role). I think Bollywood loves stereotyping that strict god-fearing, curd-rice eating, devout family-man of South Indian descent to play these top-secret roles. You need to keep imagining whether such character can lick the curd-rice off their elbows and fire a shot at the terrorist’s head!
3. #ArjunRampal is one actor who leaves you stumped. With his chiselled good looks and screen presence, you wonder why he has had limited success and actually end up egging him on to do more. Which is that one Rampal film that you consider a hit? While you keep scratching your head, I must hasten to add that #Rajneeti belonged to #AjayDevgn. Here in #D-Day, I would say he is quite good with that intense, brooding look and the action sequences.
4. All the women do a commendable job in this film. #HumaQureshi looks the part and lives up to the role rather well. Shrisvara is surprisingly endearing as Wali Khan’s wife and then there is Shruti Hassan whose role I am still deciphering. But for whatever its worth, she looks the part and ratchets up the pathos element a few notches.
5. Perhaps inspired by Zero Dark Thirty and such other films, the bold plot is what catches your attention and the realistic scenes set in Pakistan and the build-up of suspense is intriguing. The finish is what we need to perfect, and this is where it comes apart.
#D-Day is a mixed bag. Just when the suspense is reaching its peak, there is an item number with Mika Singh belting out ‘Dama Dum Mast Kalandar’ and on screen you see Rajpal Yadav gyrating furiously. The picks of the film though are Irrfan and his enigmatic smile as he sacrifices his family for his nation and the veteran Rishi Kapoor who revels in a role that does not have much depth but calls for all his swag. I am going with a 3.4 on 5. The film is worth a quick watch.
