Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
Akshay is tailor-made for this thriller, Lara nails it as Indira
Just like the well-tailored suits that Akshay Kumar has worn in Bellbottom, his role as an RAW agent is also tailor-made for him. Gritty, determined, suave and stylish, while keeping up with the retro look, he is stunning in this espionage thriller.
Bellbottom is the first film to release on the big screen since the reopening of theatres after the second wave of the pandemic. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the film is an edgeof-the-seat thriller with several nail biting moments.
Inspired from real life hijackings that shook the country in the 1980s, the film narrates the episode of Indian Airlines flight ICC 691 that takes off from Delhi and is overtaken by four terrorists on August 24, 1984. This was our fifth plane hijacking in seven years, and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi (played by Lara Dutta) has had enough. While she plans to let the Pakistani government negotiate with the hijackers (as the plane has landed in Lahore), undercover RAW agent Anshul Malhotra (played by Kumar), code-named Bellbottom, has a different plan. He wants to not only rescue 210 passengers but also capture the hijackers. How the team carries out India’s first covert mission, gives Bellbottom its main plot.
Tewari’s direction is well thought of and does not lose focus, and so is Rajiv Ravi’s cinematography that captures the cities — be it London or Dubai — beautifully.
Aseem Arrora and Parveez Sheikh’s screenplay is crisp, but the heavyweight dialogues or punch lines never arrive. Even with a runtime of just over two hours, the first half takes its sweet time to build up. Mostly light before the interval, it’s in the second half that the film picks up momentum. Especially the last 40 minutes of the film and the climax are brilliantly shot with VFX that doesn’t look shoddy.
Among more consistent things in the film is the performance by each actor. Dutta is terrific and confidently pulls off playing one of the most iconic political leaders of the country. Vaani Kapoor is charming as Kumar’s onscreen wife, and complements his character well. More was expected of Huma S Qureshi’s character, but she doesn’t leave any impact and appears in just a handful of scenes.
Then there’s Adil Hussain as another RAW officer. There is a subtle camaraderie between him and Kumar, which lends the film a tinge of humour. Zain Khan Durrani, as the merciless hijacker, reminds one of Jim Sarbh from Neerja.
One thing that could leave you scratching your head is perhaps Anshul’s appointment at RAW, and the story behind it. No spoiler here, but it does make you wonder how easy it is to get into one of the nation’s premium intelligence agencies.