Hotel Mumbai

The 26/11 Attack of Mumbai still feels so fresh.This was a tough movie to sit through.

Set on Mumbai on the fateful day of the attacks this story focuses mainly on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Apollo Bandar Colaba,and the absolute nightmare of the staff and guests trapped inside. All of us know how this story is going to turn out ,we know 100's were killed many were rescued,we know the staff was exemplary in their service beyond that they were expected to do.Like Titanic we know this is a disastrous story and we already know what is going to happen at the end.But what makes this a tough movie to sit through is ,for the first time you see  terrorists as living, breathing people with thoughts,emotions,convictions. It's a Stark reminder that this terrorists were kids, brainwashed and have been sent here,who were promised that their family will be taken care of financially. You can see the level of brainwashing when you see them just so casually walking around chatting making jokes and suddenly raining fire on whoever is unfortunate enough to be in their eyesight.

The characters are well designed. The Sardar man(Arjun) played by Dev Patel does get the moment of talking about he's Pagdi Pride and then using the Pagdi cloth to bandage a dieing person. Arjun a waiter at the hotel who despite of a pregnant wife at home doesn't abandoned the hotel when he had a chance to.

Anupam Kher,plays the head chef, a man completely dedicated to his job. When he asks his guests to be quiet or the terrorists will hear them and come in  you stop breathing for a second.

In one of the scenes in the film the terrorist is holding a gun on an Iranian British Actor Nazanin Boniadi playing the role of Zara and the terrorist is getting instructions from the other side on his phone call constantly telling him to shoot her.Zara starts chanting a prayer . The terrorist is immediately taken aback and starts shouting and can't get the guys to shoot her. It's a small moment but hits like a punch.

Throughout the movie you're just thinking what you would do if you were present in that situation.

This film is not about the organised rescue operation. It's about all those people who were trapped inside the hotel for 3 days.

This movie gives a respectful tribute to the Mumbai police who fought with whatever resources they had and saved lives even before the commandos had left Delhi.

Despite an international production a lot of the dialogues are in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and only switches to English when needed.

Though you know what the end is going to be it still has this small mysteries in between to keep you stuck to the movie throughout.