9 years ago Wali Khan (Irrfan Khan) was sent into Karachi, Pakistan, by the Chief of R&AW Ashwini Rao (Nasser) to report the activities of the Most Wanted Man in India. 9 days ago Rudra Pratap Singh (Arjun Rampal) Indian Armed Forces, MARCOS unit, Zoya Rehman (Huma Qureshi) R&AW Explosives expert and Aslam (Akash Dhai...more
“D-Day starts off as a gripping thriller backed by great acting, but melodrama and an underdeveloped villain might disappoint.”
Review D-Day & earn 20 DM Points.*
I was hooked on the trailer of D-Day the moment I saw it. Rishi Kapoor as the menacing Dawood, an Argo like team to bring the most wanted man back & some slick looking visuals. But alas, what started off as one the most promising thrillers in recent times, ended up as an average joe Bollywood masala flick.
4 Covert operatives in Pakistan are assigned a job of bringing Dawood back. Irrfan has a family in the 10 years he's been there and is emotionaly attached to them, Arjun Rampal is an ex-army man who find love in the arms of a prostitute(Shruti), a driver who works for Dawood who was an ex-criminal converted to an Asset & Huma Qureshi.
The film starts off with a bang with their operation to nab him being the opening scene. The first half shows us their preparations & ends on a high note with Dawood somehow getting off. The 2nd half is more of drama-less thriller as the 4 replan their mission & eventually nab him.
Their are multiple issues with the film. Firstly, Dawood is not half as menacing as they show him in the promos but just a mere caricature. The way they move around nabbing him in the 2nd half is quite childish as it almost seems like catching a local thug in Mumbai city. The songs are one too many & should have been reserved for the soundtrack CD not the film.
The actors all shine, those notable are Irrfan as always, Arjun Rampal in what I would call his best performance to date & the motley crew of supporting actors. Shruti Hassan springs a huge surprise & is superb in the film. Rishi Kapoor has a very poorly written character that doesnt help his cause.
Director Nikhil Advani comes on the back off 2 very poor films (Chandani Chowk & Patiala House, not including Delhi Safari) & succeeds halfway. At the interval point, I got out thinking this could very well be a gamechanging thriller but alas, it turned out to be the opposite.
The climax is pulled to a point that you will pull your hair out. All in all, this one has great action, good performances, a half-baked star that gets badly hit by the curse of the 2nd half. A good one-time watch if you go in with no expectations.
