Wonderful heart touching movie. Review on Neerja

We know Neerja Bhanot’s story, but are curious nevertheless to see how it unfolds on the silver screen.Will the director go in for over-dramatic scenes in the name of ‘creative liberty’? Or, are we going to witness a film that is too ‘filmy’ to be inspired by ‘real events’?Perhaps the brickbats a recent film faced prompted the filmmakers to flash a disclaimer at the start:

The film is not a biography or a documentary on the brave Pan Am air hostess. For a second, it almost seems like a warning.But minutes into the film, all doubts are swept away. The movie is likely to be memorable for most, especially for Sonam Kapoor fans.The terrorists manage to board the flight with their ammunition, but the full extent of their plan is reduced when Neerja alerts the pilots, who run away. The real trouble then becomes the boarding zone where 360 passengers are left at the mercy of some trigger happy cynics.

Here is where an ordinary model-turned-air hostess rises to the occasion and the rest is history.Neerja shows Madhvani’s meticulous planning as a director, even though it tilts in favour of some melodrama. The film arrives straight to the point and starts building a tension that remains with the audience till the end. Parallel narratives between Mumbai and Karachi bring out the conflict that ensues, and you subconsciously begin rooting for Neerja.Madhvani adds personality to Neerja through her family: Her mother Rama(Shabana Azmi), father Harish(Yogendra Tiku) and two brothers absolutely adore Neerja and her zest for life. She is shown as a well adjusted happy person, but little do we know that Neerja carries a past that tugs at the heart. Madhvani shows his craft at this juncture by portraying a vulnerable heroine with a composed exterior.Here, the power of a good script is also evident. Actors know their marks and bring out little details with ease.At 122-minutes, the film stretches towards the end, but you are helplessly ensnared in its magic.The writer has crafted Neerja in such a way that most of her personality traits become visible: Neerja loves Rajesh Khanna, so does her family, and this star-fan connection becomes a defining moment in the film. You just marvel at the lucidity with which it happens.It’s an effectively narrated story that we all know, for why else will you look forward to unraveling a plot that has been widely documented. It makes you rise and salute Neerja, the extraordinary story of an ordinary person. Really a nice movie and family movie