Mission Majnu feels like a superhero film about a superspy whose superpower is his smile

Directed by Shantanu Bagchi, the period film stars Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Kumud Mishra and Sharib Hashmi

Mission Majnu is a superhero period drama directed by Shantanu Bagchi about an Indian spy stationed in Pakistan whose superpower is his good looks, cute smile, and affable charm with which he can get anyone, from random strangers to experienced brigadiers, to become chatty and divulge all kinds of information.

So that you don’t laugh at me, let me explain. In Rawalpindi in the 1970s, Tariq Ali (Sidharth Malhotra) was a young man who worked at who knows what until he was hired as a tailor thanks to his charm and dedication to praying five times a day. He falls in love with Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), the shop owner’s blind niece, on the day he visits to confirm his employment, courtes her, and marries her.

However, following their successful nuclear test in 1974, Indian intelligence learns that Pakistan is building a covert nuclear site as revenge and awakens its sleeping RAW agents for what is known as Mission Majnu. And among them is our mohalle ka darzi Tariq, who is actually Amandeep Ajitpal Singh. According to flashbacks and persistent taunts from his handler, Tariq’s father was a gaddar who sold Pakistan some top-secret plans. He has something that, in addition to his stellar academic credentials, makes him the best candidate for the position, according to RAW head Mr. Kao. Since he wants to make up for what his father did, he will do anything for his country.

Until you realise Nasreen is carrying his kid and Tariq might be in love with her, you are impressed by what a skilled actor he is as he courted Nasreen, his cover. Amadeep Ajitpal Singh is, quite obviously, unconcerned about the effects of this development, whilst only you appear to be concerned.

My heart goes out to the man who had to decide between his duty and love for his nation and his duty and love for his wife and unborn kid since Mission Majnu claims that it is loosely based on genuine events. And instead of using superhuman sleuthing methods, the movie would have benefited from concentrating on developing the character of the central character.

However, I digress. Tariq, our superspy, begins gathering information utilising his superpowers and some fortunate circumstances once charged with the duty of discovering where the nuclear facility is being constructed up. This includes having a “eureka” moment when his wife needs to use the restroom and another one when he overhears a doctor while waiting for his wife at the hospital and realises how to get evidence of the facility. He is also called in to sew buttons on a brigadier’s coat in front of him rather than having the coat sent to the shop.

With simply his grin and charm, he is able to convince a brigadier in the army to reveal that Pakistan was secretly manufacturing atom bombs, had engaged a foreign national scientist, and that the site was near Rawalpindi. In order to find the scientist’s name, he searches for a western-style toilet. To achieve this, he persuades a shop owner to give him the address in addition to some haphazard details about work he formerly did for the government.

People are so blinded by his superpowers—the grin and the friendliness—that they don’t think it’s odd that a regular guy hands over Rs 600 without even haggling or that you can’t just hand over government contract information. His superpower allows him to get past security guards who never check “madamji bulaya hai” and persuades a nearby grandmother to reveal information about the “pathan” and his English wife who had previously resided there.Is it a compound, and if so, why were the cops manning a road leading to an empty house? What did the people who dropped by the neighbours’ residences think about being questioned each time they did so? Forget it.

Another flaw in the film is how easy what must have been a very challenging undertaking in the 1970s without the technologies we have now appears to be. Mission Majnu has the potential to be a page-turning thriller with a subtle examination of life behind enemy lines, but it falls short due to fortuitous coincidences, an excess of anti-Pakistani emotion, and overzealous patriotism.

In Mission Majnu, the majority of the Pakistani characters are parodies, including the cake-shoving Prime Minister Bhutto (Rajat Kapoor), the comically cartoonish General Zia-ul-Haq, and the Stormtrooper soldiers. No, these weren’t real Stormtroopers, but they all appeared to have the infamously poor gun aim. With Indira Gandhi sporting a ludicrous wig, Morarji Desai scheduling a personal home-line phone call to talk yoga with General Haq, and a RAW agent handler who treats his spies in Pakistan worse than any Pakistani could, the Indian counterparts weren’t much better.

Only Kumud Mishra, who plays Raman Singh/Maulvi Sahab, another RAW agent Tariq links up with, stood out in terms of acting. Rashmika is viewed like the mission’s collateral damage even though she doesn’t do much other than look lovely and be in love. Sidharth fares well in his role as a nice young man trying to make it in Rawalpindi, but he lacks the acting skills necessary to convey the subtleties of being a spy. It is unfortunate that His Tariq is indistinguishable from Amandeep. Furthermore, he is so murky in his pursuit of information that it is quite surprising that no one has suspected him of being a spy.

Mission Majnu is stuck in the middle of being a spy spoof and a shoddy attempt at patriotism due to the weak script and lack of nuance in the performances. There are exciting moments, for sure, but they are really destroyed by some absurd coincidence. Mission Majnu isn’t an appropriate tribute to those real-life warriors if even 30% of what is depicted in the movie actually occurred. They deserved better, without a certain.