15 August,2019 11:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Mayank Shekhar
Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan in a still from Mission Mangal
This is actually a pretty sweet, syrupy film, in a schmaltzy sort of way, full of Hallmark card type quotable quotes, on success and life, and all that jazz. To a point that you may even forget sometimes that it's entirely a space-mission movie to begin with. And, indeed India's first of its kind.
What kind, specifically? Detailing how scientists at the cash-strapped Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) managed to pull off the world's first take-off to Mars on its maiden attempt, in 2013, and in fact became the first Asian country to do so. The mission was named MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission); in Hindi, Mangalyaan.
How did India manage this feat? If you go by this film, and I have no reasons to believe otherwise, through much "jugaad". That word being India's recent contribution to the English language, meaning "a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way." And while rocket science sounds all fancy, it isn't quite like being an astronaut, you know. What we do know about scientists? That they do extremely sedentary work, with a lot going on in their heads and/or computer screens, for sure; but very little happening on the ground. How do you make such folk interesting enough for a feature film; more importantly reaching out to widest audiences, which is toughest still?
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As you can see again, through a lot of Bollywood jugaad! Having super-star Akshay Kumar (as the dapper chief scientist) on board, and of course releasing the film on Independence Day, guarantees bums on seats, for one. But how does one keep them glued? Through humanizing stories of scientists on screen - their love, life, pakoda, lahsan, maa, baap, biwi, boyfriend... Basically make this about people like us.
Which is what scientists are as well. And that's the image from the success of Mangalyan that went out to the world, and pretty sure, inspired the making of this movie (directed by debutant Jagan Shakti, with a touch of R Balki): A group of saree-clad ladies, who could pass off for any other aunty-jis next-door, leading and celebrating first Indian flight to the planet men are supposed to come from. The irony was lost on no one. I'm sure you've seen that press photograph. It became a symbol of women's empowerment.
Google if you haven't. But don't be too disappointed if you figure that absolutely none of the leading ladies in this film - Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari, et al - instantly resemble the super female scientists from that iconic pic. At least Vidya Balan is slightly modelled on the part she plays. Frankly, the lovely Balan as the deeply passionate ISRO project director, juggling her job with jostling with her family, is all you need to be drawn to this film, that mixes home science with rocket science. And, hell, this auntyji can dance!
As for the actual science itself, it seems like a far too simplistic, superficial series of eureka moments of epiphany. Here's the thing though - in case that bothers you. It did bore me in parts. You know where this film is headed. Most movies suffer from what's called the 'curse of the second half' - set-up all great, but falling flat on the face by the end of it. This is a rare one that reverses that principle. It gets much better towards the end!
Until then, you've hopefully been entertained through comedy and drama. If science and the space mission was all you wanted to see, there's always a National Geographic documentary on Mangalyaan, playing on YouTube near you.
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