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Ranneeti: Balakot and Beyond

Farhad Dalal
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

India taking on Pakistan has got to be a popular genre, both in ICC tournaments and for the Hindi Film Industry. How would you otherwise explain the excessive use of this theme right from Pathaan to Gadar 2, to Fighter, Tiger 3 and Yodha and now the new Hindi webshow Ranneeti. I personally do not have a problem with the genre provided there is a certain sense of intellect associated with the proceedings without making anyone look silly on celluloid. Only then would it attribute to a thrilling ride of one upmanship without tilting the proceedings in favour of any one particular side. Another aspect of such content is to label them as propoganda, a word which is nowdays loosely used if you don’t agree with a certain ideology. I usually like to go a step deeper in understanding the content on whether it is atleast communicating the intended emotions effectively even if were to fall in the propoganda category(critics don’t quite have that luxury, you see). I first did come across the teaser of Ranneeti way back in August last year but the show kept getting delayed after every announcement, only to see the light of the day today as I speak. Based on the Balakot strikes, another subject tried and tested in several films like Article 370 and Fighter(covering the Pulwama attack), I was slightly skeptical getting into the show. So then does Ranneeti manage to impress, let’s find out in my review here.

Story & Screenplay

Ranneeti : Balakot and Beyond follows the story behind the planning and execution of a series of strikes(some off the battlefields too) following the Pulwama attack. If you have been familiar with the the media reports back in 2019, then you would realise that this is a fictionalized documentation of the turn of events following the Pulwama attack. The story here did run the risk of being labeled as jingoistic but thankfully the writers Sudeep Nigam, Maitreyi Bajpai, Ramiz and Anuriddha Guha steer clear of this sentiment, often taking the route of the technicalities that were prevalent behind the scenes. This cerebral approach is rather understated and makes for a fresh perspective which is a far cry from the mainstream depiction of the event that we were used to viewing on celluloid. My minor criticism does lie with its meandering screenplay standing at 9 episodes ranging from 30 odd minutes to 50 odd minutes that were compelling nevertheless but they felt a tad too long, particularly towards the backend of the drama. 

The drama does begin bang on with the Pulwama attack before briefly shifting the proceedings to a past timeline wherein you aee introduced to the protagonist, a righteous man grounded by the authorities for a previously leading a failed mission years ago. The tongue in cheek humour is prevalent initially with the protagonist dismissing a film on the armed forces, something that he felt too dramatic. As a parallel and a more important plot point, there is an intel about a possible attack, something that transpires in the form of Pulwama, only for the Indian authorities to assemble a team to strike back against the neighbours. And the story here is a beat by beat documentation covering the multiple turn of events in the form of the Balakot strikes to the arrest and release of Wing Commander Abhinandan(the character’s name is Abhimanyu here) to eventually a game of one upmanship between the two countries. 

As tried and tested as this subject might have been, the proceedings are pretty engaging given how articulate the planning of the events transpires on the show. The planning is indeed meticulous often revolving around the possibility of the opponent’s next move at various junctures, only to frequently outwit them by being two steps ahead. So while I was familiar and slightly fatigued with the main plot of how the attacks eventually were carried out, the writing did draw me in with its planning which was intrinsic and understated while depicting the geo-political backdrop and the escalating tensions between the two nations pretty well. A parallel track involving the presence of spies across the border did add the much needed urgency in the drama as well resulting in several tense moments. 

My only criticism with the drama particularly in its final act was that it did get slightly more meandering as opposed to a crisper finish which would have ensured a better impact for the show. There was a minor continuity issue too wherein an episode featuring a subplot was abandoned until 2 episodes later, thereby only delaying the proceedings. Amidst this though, the geo-political equations between all the major stakeholders who were only indirectly involved, is shown quite well. All of this culminates in a verbal shootout between the two nations eventually resulting in triumph while briefly setting things for its next season, quite effectively by borrowing a thread from the past timeline. Overall, the screenplay is well written and makes for an engaging watch.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are understated while discarding the theme of chest thumping jingoism that accounts for a well articulated watch. And it was such a relief for character not using the word ‘Janaab’, something that I would term as a revelation. The BGM is pretty decent and heightens the escalating tensions at various points in the drama. The cinematography is really good backed by good VFX(something that was a worrying factor for me from the onset) that accounts for some interesting frames along the way. This included an incredible one-take action sequence in the third act that made for an exhilarating watch. The editing is good only mildly a little wavering in the third and final act. Director Santosh Singh does an incredible job in weaving a drama with utmost sensitivity taking special care not to soar over with the intended emotions. Also, it did take a good amount of skills to keep the drama consistently cerebral, something that ensured for an engaging product. The direction is really good here wherein the written material is definitely elevated with some special directorial skills.

Performances

The performances are incredibly good by the ensemble cast. Snehil Mehra as Shipra, Roshni Sahota, Jason Tham as Tony, Spruha Joshi as Poonam and Neha Iyer, all have their moments to shine. Suneel Sinha as Sodhi, Priya Bathija as Ayesha, Sunil Saaraswat as Najib, Smaran Sahu as Haider, Mir Sarwar as Hammad, Mark Bennington,  Samvedna Sulwalka as Shireen and Saadhika Syal as Zara are excellent additions to the cast and all of them are wonderful to witness onscreen. Umar Sharif is really impressive in his character while intimidating with his presence and his impeccable body language. Aakanksha Singh as Richa has a good screen presence in an overall job done pretty well. Prasanna Ventatesan as Wing Commander Abhimanyu is supremely impressive with his body language and demeanor, and he delivers a dignified performance. I was quite impressed with Elnaaz Nourozi who is quite good as Netra while excelling in multiple combat sequences. Satyajeet Dubey as Iqbal is wonderfully restrained with his character in what was a sincere and an earnest effort by him. 

Ashish Vidyarthi as Dutta is excellent to witness here in a character that was so well measured without once going overboard. Ashutosh Rana makes for a brilliant nemesis, something that was the need of the hour here, and he is such a natural onscreen. It is always a pleasure to watch and witness a great acting moulding himself according to the character. Lara Dutta Bhupathi as Manisha is an epitome of grace with her character. Her dialect and pronunciation of words are so polished and understated that it accounted for quite a towering act. Jimmy Sheirgill has always been a prolific and a consistent performer. Here too as Kashyap, he is brilliant to witness, always being well within himself and never once going overboard. His performance was in the cerebral space wherein his understated antics were an absolute joy to witness.

Conclusion

Ranneeti – Balakot and Beyond is a cerebral documentation of war and one-upmanship often pivoting on technicalities, and boasting of good performances that makes for a compelling watch. Available on Jio Cinema.

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