Movie: Hotel Mumbai
Director: Anthony Maras
Starring: Dev Patel, Anupam Kher
Review: Eleven years after the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, Hotel Mumbai released yesterday in India. In 2008, a coordinated terrorist attack took place in the financial capital of India- Mumbai. Many places were attacked including the iconic Taj Hotel.
Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel and Anupam Kher in the lead roles depicts what took place inside the hotel. Kher plays the role of famous chef Hemant Oberoi who was the lead chef at the Taj in 2008. He left the chain in 2016 to start his own standalone restaurant- The Hemant Oberoi restaurant.
Hotel Mumbai is the telling tale of the employees of Taj, especially the kitchen staff (including Dev Patel playing a waiter named Arjun) who go over and above their duty to save the stranded guests.
The movie has some strong performances by not only Patel and Kher but also the other characters. The emotions you see are raw and real. The characters here are not heroes but ordinary people doing extraordinary things during times of trial. The characters are neither black or white but just the right amount of grey. They are not brave throughout the movie like your quintessential Bollywood hero. Instead, they too fear hopelessness when they realise that the police just might not be coming to save them.
Another great part of the movie is its background score, or the lack of it. Hotel Mumbai has a beautiful soundtrack but the director, Anthony Maras is not scared to skip it in parts he doesn’t seem necessary. And that is a brave thing to do.
Also, Hotel Mumbai has hundreds of moments that give you goosebumps and leave you with a lump in your throat. This is an emotional roller coaster that no Indian should miss.
You can watch the full review here.
Rating: 4/5
-Mrinaal Datt
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