“Log Bole Mujhe Bollywood Star. Naam Mera Akshay Kumar!” That’s right! The Khiladi is back again as a brave Sardaar after “Singh Is King”, now in a serious historic disaster-drama titled “Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue”. Written by Vipul Rawal, co-produced by Jackky Bhagnani, and directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Mission Raniganj was theatrically released on October 6, 2023.

Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue Featuring Akshay Kumar As Mining Engineer Jaswant Singh Gill!

This is a true story. When 65 miners got trapped in the flooded Raniganj coal mine, it was all up to mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar) to rescue them. Jaswant led a challenging and life-threatening rescue mission to save the miners. Watch this thrilling disaster drama to find out how he rescued them and if he was able to rescue all of them.

Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue Official Trailer:

The Good:

Quite an entertaining story, I have to admit! The story and screenplay of Mission Raniganj are engaging. Tension and thrill build up every moment in this disaster-thriller as the miners get trapped deep down the flooded coal mine and Jaswant Singh Gill (Akshay Kumar) plans and makes every effort to rescue them. Of course, this heroic act is a true story that dates back to the year 1989. The thrilling intensity in the screenplay is immense which will keep you glued to your seats and you will surely bite your nails off!

Akshay Kumar appears heroic as a daredevil Sardaar in Mission Raniganj. His character Jaswant Singh Gill is a mining engineer who looks determined and can go up to any extent to save the trapped miners. I am seeing Akshay as a Sardaar once again after having seen him as one in his “Singh Is King” film series. And this time, Akshay plays a mature and married Sardaar and he appears quite convincing for his age. The lead actress Parineeti Chopra, who played Jaswant’s wife, carried out her role with conviction. Though her role was short, she performed pretty well. The cast included veteran actors Kumud Mishra, Ravi Kishan, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya who lent great support. There’s also a dog in this movie, and I have to admit that it has a very prominent role and has been well-trained for the shots.

The sequences in Mission Raniganj have been precisely edited to maintain the flow. The sets depicting coal mines were realistic. The cinematography of this movie has a cryptic essence which adds to the mystifying atmosphere. Moreover, the tracks are loud and entertaining. The track “Jeetenge” raises a ray of hope for the trapped miners.

The Bad:

Even if Akshay looks fantastic as Jaswant Singh Gill, his character lacks emotions. He appears too practical which kills the emotional essence in this movie. After all, the storyline is sensitive and it should have had an emotional impact on the audience. But after watching Akshay’s pragmatic character, the emotion towards the situation that should have built up in the minds of the audience, gets lost.

At certain points in the 2-hour and 15-minute screenplay, you may feel monotony and depression after seeing the plight of the trapped miners. Also, the story lacks twists and turns as it is based on a dedicated rescue mission only. So, as the screenplay proceeds, at certain dry and melodramatic instances, you may start feeling bored. The dialogues in Mission Raniganj are ordinary. Such plain dialogues fail to create an impact during tense situations.

The Verdict:

Mission Raniganj’s skillful direction and gripping narrative make it worth the watch. Even if Mission Raniganj is thrilling and entertaining, it fails to pack an emotional punch. Emotions coupled with thrill happen to be a major deciding factor in Hindi cinema. If emotions are absent in a disaster-based Hindi movie, that movie will fail to entice Indian audiences and as a result, may fail at the box office as well.