A lot of chat is going around veteran film producer Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani-owned Pooja Entertainment facing heavy financial losses due to back-to-back flops, with crew members going public about non-payment of dues. Amid all this, a complaint has been registered at the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) regarding the non-payment of dues.&nbsp;

Recently, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari&nbsp;shared that the production house owes Rs 33.13 lakh to director Tinu Desai, who helmed Akshay Kumar’s Mission Raniganj, as reported by the news agency PTI

Besides this, the production house also owes Rs 31.78 lakh to over 250 crew members who had worked in Mission Raniganj, Tiger Shroff's Ganpath (2023), and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024) starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. All three films were big flops at the box office.&nbsp;

In March 2023, Tinu Desai complained&nbsp;to the Indian Film &amp; Television Director’s Association (IFTDA). As per the information available, the director was supposed to receive Rs 4,03,50,000, but he has only received Rs 3,70,36,092 so far.&nbsp;

The director started working on the survival drama Mission Raniganj in February 2022 until October 6, 2023, the release date of the film.&nbsp;

“A written complaint was filed by the director of Mission Raniganj regarding non-payment of his dues of ₹33.13 lakh from Vashu Bhagnani last year in March. We’ve been following up with Pooja Entertainment but still they haven’t made the payment. They have said by July end they will clear the dues,” the FWICE president said.

FWICE President&nbsp;also revealed that they&nbsp;kept delaying the payments despite writing several letters to Pooja Entertainment. The president further revealed that in February this year, the production house sought “time to pay, citing Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding via an email dated February 20, 2024, to IFTDA”. However, no reply and payment was made later.&nbsp;

In March, FWICE wrote another letter to the production house. Replying to which, “they again sought time to make the payment saying they would do so after the release of their film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”.&nbsp;

The production has promised to clear the dues by the end of July. If they fail to do so this time, then FWICE workers will stop working on their projects. &nbsp;"This is unfair what they are doing, they are leading a luxurious life, and when it comes to paying the dues they are making excuses. In their latest email, they have said they will clear the dues by July end but if they don’t do so then our workers will not work on any of their films,” the FWICE president added.

(With inputs from agencies)

A lot of chat is going around veteran film producer Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani-owned Pooja Entertainment facing heavy financial losses due to back-to-back flops, with crew members going public about non-payment of dues.

A lot of chat is going around veteran film producer Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani-owned Pooja Entertainment facing heavy financial losses due to back-to-back flops, with crew members going public about non-payment of dues. Amid all this, a complaint has been registered at the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) regarding the non-payment of dues. Recently, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari shared that the production house owes Rs 33.13 lakh to director Tinu Desai, who helmed Akshay Kumar’s Mission Raniganj, as reported by the news agency PTI Besides this, the production house also owes Rs 31.78 lakh to over 250 crew members who had worked in Mission Raniganj, Tiger Shroff's Ganpath (2023), and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024) starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. All three films were big flops at the box office. In March 2023, Tinu Desai complained to the Indian Film & Television Director’s Association (IFTDA). As per the information available, the director was supposed to receive Rs 4,03,50,000, but he has only received Rs 3,70,36,092 so far. The director started working on the survival drama Mission Raniganj in February 2022 until October 6, 2023, the release date of the film. “A written complaint was filed by the director of Mission Raniganj regarding non-payment of his dues of ₹33.13 lakh from Vashu Bhagnani last year in March. We’ve been following up with Pooja Entertainment but still they haven’t made the payment. They have said by July end they will clear the dues,” the FWICE president said. FWICE President also revealed that they kept delaying the payments despite writing several letters to Pooja Entertainment. The president further revealed that in February this year, the production house sought “time to pay, citing Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding via an email dated February 20, 2024, to IFTDA”. However, no reply and payment was made later. In March, FWICE wrote another letter to the production house. Replying to which, “they again sought time to make the payment saying they would do so after the release of their film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”. The production has promised to clear the dues by the end of July. If they fail to do so this time, then FWICE workers will stop working on their projects. "This is unfair what they are doing, they are leading a luxurious life, and when it comes to paying the dues they are making excuses. In their latest email, they have said they will clear the dues by July end but if they don’t do so then our workers will not work on any of their films,” the FWICE president added. (With inputs from agencies)

Vashu and Jackky Bhagnani's firm owes Rs 33 lakh to Mission Raniganj director: Report

Akshay Kumar starrer&nbsp;Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue&nbsp;has been released in cinemas. As India is celebrating 'National Cinema Day' on October 13th, the filim, which had a muted opening, is offering low ticket rates.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/aarya-season-3-trailer-sushmita-sen-is-back-to-fight-it-out-for-her-children-645939">Aarya season 3 trailer: Sushmita Sen is back to fight it out for her children</a>

On National Cinema Day,&nbsp;the ticket rates will be flat at Rs 99 rupees across all the national chains: PVR, Cinepolis, and INOX combined, the makers said in a release.

The National Cinema Day is the best chance for the audiences to watch the film.

Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue, directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, showcases the relentless dedication of the team led by Jaswant Singh Gill, who rescued a group of trapped minors.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/did-you-know-jada-pinkett-smith-and-will-smith-dont-celebrate-their-wedding-anniversary-645822">Did you know Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith don't celebrate their wedding anniversary?</a>

Mission Raniganj box office -

The film opened with disappointing numbers at the box office. However it had a decent jump. So far, the film has earned &nbsp;Rs 16.95 crore ( 182 million) in India.&nbsp;

Mission Raniganj is getting tough competition from Pulkit Samrat's Fukrey 3 and Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan.

The film also stars&nbsp;Parineeti Chopra, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Ravi Kishan, Varun Badola, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.&nbsp;

WION's Shomini Sen gave a positive review to the film, writing, ''Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller.'' <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-mission-raniganj-review-akshay-kumar-saves-the-day-in-an-over-the-top-survival-thriller-643177">Read the full review here:</a>

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&nbsp;

Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue has been released in cinemas. As India is celebrating 'National Cinema Day' on October 13th, the filim, which had a muted opening, is offering low ticket rates.

Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue has been released in cinemas. As India is celebrating 'National Cinema Day' on October 13th, the filim, which had a muted opening, is offering low ticket rates. Aarya season 3 trailer: Sushmita Sen is back to fight it out for her children On National Cinema Day, the ticket rates will be flat at Rs 99 rupees across all the national chains: PVR, Cinepolis, and INOX combined, the makers said in a release. The National Cinema Day is the best chance for the audiences to watch the film. Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue, directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, showcases the relentless dedication of the team led by Jaswant Singh Gill, who rescued a group of trapped minors. Did you know Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith don't celebrate their wedding anniversary? Mission Raniganj box office - The film opened with disappointing numbers at the box office. However it had a decent jump. So far, the film has earned Rs 16.95 crore ( 182 million) in India. Mission Raniganj is getting tough competition from Pulkit Samrat's Fukrey 3 and Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan. The film also stars Parineeti Chopra, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Ravi Kishan, Varun Badola, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya. WION's Shomini Sen gave a positive review to the film, writing, ''Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller.'' Read the full review here: WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

National Cinema Day: Watch Mission Raniganj for just Rs 99 in India

This week, Bollywood's new releases, Akshay Kumar's Mission Raniganj and Bhumi Pednekar's Thank You for Coming, got a slow opening at the box office. Kumar's Mission Raniganj has been all over the headlines for months now, and Bhumi's sex-comedy film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Despite so much buzz around both films, the films had a poor start. 
 
Helmed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the film, which also features Parineeti Chopra, Kumud Mishra, and Ravi Kishan, minted Rs 2.85 crore (Rs 28.5 million) on its opening day. When compared to Akshay's last release, OMG 2, which raked&nbsp;Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million)&nbsp;on its opening day, the numbers of the rescue drama are way below the bar. Mission Raniganj is Akshay's second-lowest opening after the actor's Selfiee, released earlier this year. 
 
As per Sachnilk, the film had an overall 11.83 per cent Hindi occupancy on the opening day.&nbsp; 
 
Thank You For Coming to the box office collection 
 
When compared to Mission Raniganj, Bhumi Pednekar's film performance was even more disappointing. The film, starring Kusha Kapila, Shehnaaz Gill, Shibani Bedi, Dolly Singh, Karan Kundrra, and Anil Kapoor, earned Rs 1.06 crore (Rs 10.6 million)&nbsp;on its opening day. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote that the film with the ''A'' certificate has attracted a large share of the audience in urban areas.&nbsp; 
 
Adarsh wrote on X, ''#ThankYouForComing attracts its share of audience at urban centres, despite multiple films [new + holdover titles] to choose from… A good start, considering the smart release strategy [screen count: 550 / limited shows] and ‘A’ certificate… Fri ₹ 1.06 cr. #India biz.''

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThankYouForComing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThankYouForComing</a> attracts its share of audience at urban centres, despite multiple films [new + holdover titles] to choose from… A good start, considering the smart release strategy [screen count: 550 / limited shows] and ‘A’ certificate… Fri ₹ 1.06 cr. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> biz. <a href="https://t.co/KSD8MBkjNv">pic.twitter.com/KSD8MBkjNv</a>
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) <a href="https://twitter.com/taran_adarsh/status/1710515771921858689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Both films got a disappointing start at a time when Bollywood films are again dominating the box office, and films like Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan, Ranveer Singh's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, and Sunny Deol's Gadar 2, Richa Chadha's Fukrey 3, are attracting huge audiences back to the theatre. 
 
More about Mission Raniganj 
 
Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue has Akshay Kumar playing a mining engineer who rescued 65 miners from a coal field in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989. The film is based on an actual incident, and Kumar plays Jaswant Singh Gill, who led the rescue mission and saved the lives of 65 miners.

WION's Shomini Sen gave a positive review to the film, writing, ''Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller.'' <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-mission-raniganj-review-akshay-kumar-saves-the-day-in-an-over-the-top-survival-thriller-643177">Read full review here</a>:

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More about Thank You For Coming 
 
Directed by Karan Boolani, the film revolves around Bhumi Pednekar's character, Kanika Kapoor. The 32-year-old successful food influencer was born and raised by an open-minded single mother, Ms Kapoor, played by Natasha Rastogi. From her teens to entering her 30s, Kanika is on a mission to find Mr. Perfect, who ticks all the boxes. But, to date, despite several casual sexual encounters and love affairs, she has never experienced orgasm.&nbsp; 
 
Thank You For Coming review- 

WION's Pragati Awasthi writes, ''The movie doesn't have much to offer, but it still gives a 
very strong message about self-exploration and self-love. All the characters dress impeccably and exude pure south-Delhi vibes in every frame. The witty dialogues and one-liners will make you crackle. The music in the movie is good and sets the vibe of the film in the perfect way.'' <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-thank-you-for-coming-review-bhumi-pednekar-and-her-girl-gang-shine-in-this-sex-comedy-drama-643190">Read ful review here:</a> 
&nbsp;

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This week, Bollywood's new releases, Akshay Kumar's Mission Raniganj and Bhumi Pednekar's Thank You for Coming, got a slow opening at the box office. Kumar's Mission Raniganj has been all over the headlines for months now, and Bhumi's sex-comedy film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

This week, Bollywood's new releases, Akshay Kumar's Mission Raniganj and Bhumi Pednekar's Thank You for Coming, got a slow opening at the box office. Kumar's Mission Raniganj has been all over the headlines for months now, and Bhumi's sex-comedy film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Despite so much buzz around both films, the films had a poor start. Helmed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the film, which also features Parineeti Chopra, Kumud Mishra, and Ravi Kishan, minted Rs 2.85 crore (Rs 28.5 million) on its opening day. When compared to Akshay's last release, OMG 2, which raked Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) on its opening day, the numbers of the rescue drama are way below the bar. Mission Raniganj is Akshay's second-lowest opening after the actor's Selfiee, released earlier this year. As per Sachnilk, the film had an overall 11.83 per cent Hindi occupancy on the opening day. Thank You For Coming to the box office collection When compared to Mission Raniganj, Bhumi Pednekar's film performance was even more disappointing. The film, starring Kusha Kapila, Shehnaaz Gill, Shibani Bedi, Dolly Singh, Karan Kundrra, and Anil Kapoor, earned Rs 1.06 crore (Rs 10.6 million) on its opening day. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote that the film with the ''A'' certificate has attracted a large share of the audience in urban areas. Adarsh wrote on X, ''#ThankYouForComing attracts its share of audience at urban centres, despite multiple films [new + holdover titles] to choose from… A good start, considering the smart release strategy [screen count: 550 / limited shows] and ‘A’ certificate… Fri ₹ 1.06 cr. #India biz.'' #ThankYouForComing attracts its share of audience at urban centres, despite multiple films [new + holdover titles] to choose from… A good start, considering the smart release strategy [screen count: 550 / limited shows] and ‘A’ certificate… Fri ₹ 1.06 cr. #India biz. pic.twitter.com/KSD8MBkjNv — taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 7, 2023 × Both films got a disappointing start at a time when Bollywood films are again dominating the box office, and films like Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan, Ranveer Singh's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, and Sunny Deol's Gadar 2, Richa Chadha's Fukrey 3, are attracting huge audiences back to the theatre. More about Mission Raniganj Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue has Akshay Kumar playing a mining engineer who rescued 65 miners from a coal field in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989. The film is based on an actual incident, and Kumar plays Jaswant Singh Gill, who led the rescue mission and saved the lives of 65 miners. WION's Shomini Sen gave a positive review to the film, writing, ''Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller.'' Read full review here: More about Thank You For Coming Directed by Karan Boolani, the film revolves around Bhumi Pednekar's character, Kanika Kapoor. The 32-year-old successful food influencer was born and raised by an open-minded single mother, Ms Kapoor, played by Natasha Rastogi. From her teens to entering her 30s, Kanika is on a mission to find Mr. Perfect, who ticks all the boxes. But, to date, despite several casual sexual encounters and love affairs, she has never experienced orgasm. Thank You For Coming review- WION's Pragati Awasthi writes, ''The movie doesn't have much to offer, but it still gives a very strong message about self-exploration and self-love. All the characters dress impeccably and exude pure south-Delhi vibes in every frame. The witty dialogues and one-liners will make you crackle. The music in the movie is good and sets the vibe of the film in the perfect way.'' Read ful review here: WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Box office report: Mission Raniganj and Thank You For Coming get poor opening

Akshay Kumar turns saviour once more this time for filmmaker Tinu Suresh Desai's new film Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Escape. Based on a real-life incident that took place in Raniganj, a coal mining area in&nbsp;West Bengal, Mission Raniganj attempts to highlight the bravery of mining engineer and rescue specialist Jaswant&nbsp;Singh and how he led a daunting rescue mission to save 65 trapped miners in a span of 48 hours in 1989.&nbsp;

Survival dramas have a separate fan base and while the end is mostly predictable it is how the makers treat the film that makes all the difference.&nbsp;

Pitched as the great Bharat Rescue (to align with the proposed name change of India) <s>Bharat</s> Akshay Kumar plays Jaswant&nbsp;Singh who despite being a junior engineer leads a heroic and inspirational mission and rescues safely 65 trapped miners with the help of a makeshift capsule.

What's the story of Mission Ranignaj: The Great Bharat Rescue? 
 
In 1989, 65 miners got trapped inside a coalfield after a wall collapsed and water from level up flooded the area where miners were working. While a handful of them were able to escape on time, this group was unable to hear the emergency calls that their supervisor had made when the disaster struck.&nbsp;

The supervisor/manager of the site is a nervous man but summons his dependable aide Jaswant Singh (Akshay Kumar) to carry out an effective rescue operation.

The operation is not the easiest. Jaswant faces multiple hurdles. From jealous coworkers who want to sabotage his mission even before it begins to a lack of time as water levels rise dangerously high inside the coalfield to lack of information on how grave the situation is down there to structural problems related to lack of proper equipment drill holes for a rescue operation- Jaswant&nbsp;has to fight several odds.

How he surpasses these and other hurdles establishes- first- contact with the miners and eventually rescues them forms the rest of the story.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFf91hnpClI?si=2U6bszuyvHWLmgb3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

What works

Written by Deepak Kingrani and Vipul K Rawal, Mission Raniganj wastes no time in establishing the plot. The film is a little over 2 hours long and the narrative solely concentrates on the daunting rescue mission that Jaswant&nbsp;and his team embark on. And while Jaswant&nbsp;is shown playing the unassuming hero, devising a rescue operation on land, the narrative also shows the plight of the miners down under who, unable to contact anyone on land are unsure if they would even survive or remain trapped forever there. Actors Sudhir Pandey, Jamil Khan, Ravi Kishan, and Varun Badola play miners in the film- each playing their part well- each rising up to the occasion when there is a need -helping their fellow miners to survive as they wait for help to arrive.&nbsp;

It is a pacy narrative and one that keeps you hooked mostly with makers keeping the parallel plots to the minimum. Of course, Jaswant's familial life is shown amid the rescue operation, how he keeps a check on his pregnant wife (Parineeti Chopra) amid the rescue operation, some of the miners'&nbsp;families too are shown, and the rivalry between the manager of the mines (Kumud Mishra) and his immediate subordinate too is highlighted, but all these stories are weaved into the main plot.&nbsp;

What does not

While the film is thrilling, it does have a very shoddy VFX and over-the-top background score. In fact, most of the characters seem very dramatic and the reactions and emotions of each of the characters are amplified to a great extent just to evoke emotions. Except for Akshay Kumar, most overdo their roles. And to have credible actors like Kumud Mishra, Arif Zakaria, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Rajesh Kumar play their roles in an exaggerated manner is no mean feat but filmmaker Desai does just that. The result is a screechy 2-hour film that is high on thrills as well as theatrics.&nbsp; 
 
Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller, but I really wish they had toned down the theatrics a few decibels. It is ultimately an ode to Jaswant&nbsp;Singh aka Capsule Singh and his heroic act that helped save so many miners. The film is truly inspirational and celebrates humanity.&nbsp;Mission Raniganj&nbsp;releases&nbsp;in theatres on October 6.&nbsp;

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Akshay Kumar turns saviour once more this time for filmmaker Tinu Suresh Desai's new film Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Escape. Based on a real-life incident that took place in Raniganj, a coal mining area in West Bengal, Mission Raniganj attempts to highlight the bravery of mining engineer and rescue specialist Jaswant Singh and how he led a daunting rescue mission to save 65 trapped miners in a span of 48 hours in 1989.

Akshay Kumar turns saviour once more this time for filmmaker Tinu Suresh Desai's new film Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Escape. Based on a real-life incident that took place in Raniganj, a coal mining area in West Bengal, Mission Raniganj attempts to highlight the bravery of mining engineer and rescue specialist Jaswant Singh and how he led a daunting rescue mission to save 65 trapped miners in a span of 48 hours in 1989. Survival dramas have a separate fan base and while the end is mostly predictable it is how the makers treat the film that makes all the difference. Pitched as the great Bharat Rescue (to align with the proposed name change of India) Bharat Akshay Kumar plays Jaswant Singh who despite being a junior engineer leads a heroic and inspirational mission and rescues safely 65 trapped miners with the help of a makeshift capsule. What's the story of Mission Ranignaj: The Great Bharat Rescue? In 1989, 65 miners got trapped inside a coalfield after a wall collapsed and water from level up flooded the area where miners were working. While a handful of them were able to escape on time, this group was unable to hear the emergency calls that their supervisor had made when the disaster struck. The supervisor/manager of the site is a nervous man but summons his dependable aide Jaswant Singh (Akshay Kumar) to carry out an effective rescue operation. The operation is not the easiest. Jaswant faces multiple hurdles. From jealous coworkers who want to sabotage his mission even before it begins to a lack of time as water levels rise dangerously high inside the coalfield to lack of information on how grave the situation is down there to structural problems related to lack of proper equipment drill holes for a rescue operation- Jaswant has to fight several odds. How he surpasses these and other hurdles establishes- first- contact with the miners and eventually rescues them forms the rest of the story. What works Written by Deepak Kingrani and Vipul K Rawal, Mission Raniganj wastes no time in establishing the plot. The film is a little over 2 hours long and the narrative solely concentrates on the daunting rescue mission that Jaswant and his team embark on. And while Jaswant is shown playing the unassuming hero, devising a rescue operation on land, the narrative also shows the plight of the miners down under who, unable to contact anyone on land are unsure if they would even survive or remain trapped forever there. Actors Sudhir Pandey, Jamil Khan, Ravi Kishan, and Varun Badola play miners in the film- each playing their part well- each rising up to the occasion when there is a need -helping their fellow miners to survive as they wait for help to arrive. It is a pacy narrative and one that keeps you hooked mostly with makers keeping the parallel plots to the minimum. Of course, Jaswant's familial life is shown amid the rescue operation, how he keeps a check on his pregnant wife (Parineeti Chopra) amid the rescue operation, some of the miners' families too are shown, and the rivalry between the manager of the mines (Kumud Mishra) and his immediate subordinate too is highlighted, but all these stories are weaved into the main plot. What does not While the film is thrilling, it does have a very shoddy VFX and over-the-top background score. In fact, most of the characters seem very dramatic and the reactions and emotions of each of the characters are amplified to a great extent just to evoke emotions. Except for Akshay Kumar, most overdo their roles. And to have credible actors like Kumud Mishra, Arif Zakaria, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Rajesh Kumar play their roles in an exaggerated manner is no mean feat but filmmaker Desai does just that. The result is a screechy 2-hour film that is high on thrills as well as theatrics. Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai have made a film based on a real-life incident before. Rustom was a fictional account of the Nanavati Scandal, and terribly melodramatic. The film though fetched Kumar a National Award that year ( a decision that is debatable). The good news is that Mission Raniganj is not a cringe-fest like Rustom was. The other good news is that if you liked Kumar in Rustom, then you will also like Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It ticks mostly all the boxes that make for a good survival thriller, but I really wish they had toned down the theatrics a few decibels. It is ultimately an ode to Jaswant Singh aka Capsule Singh and his heroic act that helped save so many miners. The film is truly inspirational and celebrates humanity. Mission Raniganj releases in theatres on October 6. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Mission Raniganj review: Akshay Kumar saves the day in an over-the-top survival thriller