100% Positive

Director: Jagan Shakti


The real-life story of the Indian Space Research Organisation's Mars Orbiter Mission which made Mars more accessible to explore.



This is a movie about space, scientists, facts and physics, but there is no dearth of emotion. Some of it is trite and there is manipulative pop patriotism – the sort you expect from an Akshay Kumar film. Yet Mission Mangal is more restrained in tone than the star’s recent outings like Kesari, PadMan, and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. There are also genuine moments in the film when you laugh, and when your heart soars. Despite the formulaic arc, the makers deliver an entertaining account of a complicated mission. On the whole, Mission Mangal is mission accomplished — and accomplished beautifully! It is a surefire hit and this in spite of being a class-appealing film. It will join the Rs. 100-crore club in a matter of four or five days. It shouldn’t be a surprise if this film turns out to be Akshay Kumar’s highest-grossing solo starrer to-date. Yes, the film has the potential of crossing the Rs. 150-crore mark and even touching the 200-crore mark. Ladies and family audiences, besides the youth, will patronise the film in a big way.
We get it. It’s hard to make intelligence look entertaining. But it’s harder to make intelligence look stupid. And yet, this is exactly what Mission Mangal manages to do. It takes the core ISRO team behind India’s historical Mars Orbiter Mission and turns their incredible story into a tone-deaf cross between a fourth-grade Science lesson and a woke virtue-signalling exercise. I’m all for massy dramatization, but this film is more like intellectual demonetization.

Clearly, one of the best films of 2019… Each character shines… High-concept film that keeps you hooked all through… Has potential to emerge Akshay Kumar’s highest grosser… Winner! The human interactions are the best part of the film. The downer is the science bits, clearly crafted for dummies. And it doesn’t help that the computer-graphics feel a tad tacky: after years of watching stunning space visuals in Hollywood films, the scenes here seem sub-par.It leaves a smile on the face. And you do feel a swell of pride as the ‘yaan’ comes into view and settles successfully in orbit. Despite the over-arching presence of the latter-day Mr India, ‘sab mangal hai’. All nicely set up, Mission Mangal is ready to soar into the stratosphere even as many questions hover over the film. How advisable is turning a serious science-themed drama into a populist entertainer complete with high drama and over-simplified plotting? On the evidence of what pans out on the screen, there can be no clear answer. Some parts of Mission Mangal do work; others don’t.This isn’t Mission Magnificent. But it isn’t Mission Mangled either. Mission Mangal is watchable, if not always exhilarating, if you can get over its excesses.