The Attacks Of 26/11

Starring: Nana Patekar, Sanjeev Jaiswal, Atul Kulkarni

At: Big Cinemas & others, Rated: 5.5/10

When Ram Gopal Varma got permission to enter the Taj Hotel premises just three days after the 26/11 attacks, there was a huge controversy around it. For Varma, he was just taking a round around the hotel to satisfy his idle curiosity. ‘At that time, I had not intended to research for my film,’ he had said back then. As the film unfolds, one realises that Varma has used his this first hand impression all through the film.

Attacks of 26/11 is all about gore and bloodshed. Told from the perspective of the Joint Commissioner of Police, played by Nana Patekar, the film lacks in real substance. There are no hard hitting questions that are answered. No real issue that is raised. Even Ajmal Kasab’s character is not well sketched out. Performances wise, everyone has done a good job. With special mention of Sanjeev Jaiswal who looks like the dreaded terrorist.

However, one feels that Varma should have given him a little more on screen time. Jaiswal appears and then escapes into oblivion. Patekar, too doesn’t look his menacing best as a tough cop.

There are some special moments in the film, especially the first scene when the fishermen notice six men with red gunny bags embark on their journey. And the one scene where policemen are shown throwing pebbles at the leopold Cafe just to make sure that the terrorists are not hiding.

Barring these scenes, Attacks... is a little too violent with camera angles lingering on mangled dead bodies a wee bit too long. Given this subject, there is much more that one would have expected in a RGV film but sadly this one disappoints on most accounts.