What is it all about?
Can a taut edgy thriller strike a chord with the audience without being intelligent... making them think for a while and then relish them with a hope, change and cheers for a new India.. `D-Day' does that...
We never know when will be India's most notorious who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan will be brought to India and what will happen... When will our Indian Army will be able to teach him a lesson..But `D-Day' does that for the audience at least on screen..
Director Nikhil Advani after the touchy `Kal Ho Na Ho' forgettable `Salam -e- Ishq' and decent "Patiala House' pushes up his ante with the support of DAR Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment to give a high octane, pulse- quickening actioner relevant in today's time with a crowd pleasing end result which overshadows the intelligence and cry for possible depths in this `filmy' hunt for India's most wanted criminal.
The Story
Divulging much details will act as a spoiler.. Nikhil Advani and his team of writers Ritesh Shah and Suresh Nair weave an intriguing plot where Raw undercover agents Wali Khan (Irrfan), Rudra Pratap Singh(Arjun Rampal) , Zoya Rehman (Huma Qureshi) and Aslam (Aakash Daahiya) are send by the Chief Ashwini Rao (Nasser)on a mission to bring back the Most Wanted Man in India and what happens and how all of them fight their own demons in this due course.
What to look out for
Nikhil Advani very impressively pushes up his ante as a filmmaker.. known for his glossy feel good rom coms and family entertainers like Kal Ho Na Ho and Patiala House.. Nikhil rolls up his sleeves for a gripping, action packed thriller which goes an extra mile by kicking the required patriotisms amongst the audience mind in the end.. such movies are in constant danger of losing focus, turning political, and not raising the required hormones.. `D-Day does what is required sticks to its thrill, make the audience involved with the principal characters, makes them feel for them..
The settings looks authentic and Nikhil gets fantastic support from his production designers Mukesh Chhabra and Rita Ghosh who do a splendid job.. Costume Designers Niharika Jolly and Sheetal Sharma deserve special mention.. all of them make us feel like we are in Karachi..
Tom Struthers gritty, raw and high adrenaline action keeps you hooked.. right from the start your are `in' for a rewarding thrilling experience.
Niranjan Iyengar and Ritesh Shah's dialogue are to the point and the best comes out during the climax..
Music is another highlight and the song picturisation is innovative especially 'Alvida' has turned out really well. Tushar Kanti Ray's cinematography is apt.
D-Day boost some exhilarating performance from its lead.. where Rishi Kapoor adds another feather to his glorious cap of versatility.
Irrfan Khan again proves why he is one of the finest actors in India.
Arjun Rampal is excellent; he surprises you with his raw elegance.
Aakash Daahiya is fine.
Huma Qureshi - the B-town raw quotient of oomph gives a super performance and makes her impact amongst this brigade of male talents around.
Shruti Haasan impresses with a difficult role.
Sriswara is a fine talent, Nasser is brilliant as ever. K.K. Raina as the Pak General is good, Chandan Roy Sanyal as the nephew of the `Don' makes himself being noticed.
What Not
Nikhil Advani falls prey to the push and pull of artistic excellence and commercial cinema.. D-Day has all the opportunity to make Nikhil Advani have a cinematic statement but he sticks to the popular and massy route where the abduction of India's most wanted is at the utmost importance no matter if it comes without any layers, depth and cinematic intelligence.. still the length could have been trimmed for at least 10 minutes or so..
Conclusion: D-Day is a relevant, pulse-quickening actioner with a patriotic kick powered by some stellar performance and good music. Go for it.
Rating ***and 1/2
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