The Movie Review – Mumbai Meri Jaan

Star rating:

Movie: Mumbai Meri Jaan

Star Cast: Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Kay Kay Menon, R Madhavan, Vijay Maurya and others.

Director: Nishikant Kamat

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Writer: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi

Script: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi and Upendra Sidhaye

Released on Aug 22, 2008, ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ is a sensible movie worth watching. In today’s scenario where comedy, romance or great music are considered as the hit formulae for any movie, taste the difference (of course, for good) with Mumbai Meri Jaan. Showcasing the lives of five individuals in one of the busiest metropolitan cities, Mumbai, this movie unfolds the aftermath of 7/11 Mumbai train bombings on these five people and how in the end, they meet with a common climax.

Beautifully written and scripted by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi, this movie witnesses a power packed performance of six extraordinarily talented people. Paresh Rawal, who has always proved his acting mettle in all his movies, came out with yet another superb performance in this movie, playing the character of senior constable Tukaram Patil, who is on the verge of his retirement. His role as a patrolling constable is wonderfully supported by another brilliant performance by Vijay Maurya, playing the role of a junior constable, Sunil Kadam. The director, Nishikant Joshi has wonderfully captured their perceptual differences, with Sunil Kadam feeling strongly against corruption, while Tukaram suggesting him to only sit on the fence and watch. However, the climax belongs to Paresh Rawal. Kay Kay Menon playing the role of Suresh, a Hindu Extremist has been convincing in portraying the hatred carried by his character towards the minority, something that we get to see in many fanatics in real life. Nikhil, a simple office going guy played by R Madhavan suffered a train phobia after the serial bomb blasts. This character in particular, is touching as in some way or the other, we might have felt the same, had we gone through a similar experience. If you were waiting to watch Soha Ali Khan in a meaningful role, this is the movie to watch out for. Playing the role of a television journalist (Rupali), who believes in sensationalizing every news, she looked really impressive. How the Mumbai Train blasts result in a traumatic experience for her in the form of a personal loss and how she comes in terms with it, is an integral, thought-provoking part of the story. Last but not the least, the hilarious performance of Irrfan Khan as a tea seller who takes full advantage of a sensitive issue like terror attack adds another dimension to the entire film.

The uniqueness of this movie lies in its being away from preaching its audiences or asking them to be judgmental. It simply unfolds five different perceptions to a common incident. Wonderful direction and cinematography add a real touch to the movie, which helps the audience to connect with it. Hats off to the producer Ronnie Screwvala for financing such a wonderful film rarely made in today’s time.