Docudrama recounts 2008 Mumbai massacre
Caribbean L BQ ife, April 5–11, 2019 49
By Kam Williams
On Nov. 26, 2008, radical
Islamists from Pakistan
launched a series of coordinated
attacks around the city
of Mumbai which would claim
174 lives and leave hundreds
more wounded. Within hours
of the raid, the authorities
were able to secure all of the
sites except for the legendary
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
The jihadists ostensibly
picked the legendary 5-star
resort as the location for a
final showdown because of its
image as a getaway spot for
rich and famous Westerners.
The siege there would last four
days, since the local police
were outgunned by the terrorists
who were armed to the
teeth with bombs, hand grenades
and automatic weapons.
Directed by Anthony Maras,
Hotel Mumbai is a harrowing
docudrama which recreates
the horrific events which
transpired inside the Taj. In
making his movie, the firsttime
filmmaker relied heavily
on Mumbai Massacre, a 2009
documentary composed of
survivors’ recollections of their
nightmares.
This fictionalized account,
which changes names and
conflates characters, primarily
revolves around the ordeals
of Arjun (Dev Patel) and David
(Armie Hammer). The former
is a selfless Sikh waiter who
exhibits extraordinary heroism
in an effort to save as
many of the hotel’s traumatized
guests as possible. And
the latter is a frazzled tourist
desperate to reunite with his
wife (Nazanin Boniadi), baby
and nanny (Tilda Cobham-
Hervey).
Besides these protagonists,
the film features a profusion of
simplistically-drawn supporting
players, a la your typical
disaster flick. There’s the
Russian playboy (Jason Isaacs),
an elitist, world-class chef
(Anupam Kher), a deferential
butler (Alex Pinder), and so
forth.
After the motley ensemble is
introduced, the burning question
left to be answered is which
of these trapped victims will be
able to remain undiscovered by
the bloodthirsty assassins until
the Special Forces Unit finally
arrives from Delhi, some 800
miles away. For, the terrorist
cell in control of the building
is portrayed as religious zealots
blinded by the prospect of
paradise promised by The Bull
(Pawan Singh), the operation’s
diabolical mastermind.
Yes, the hotel is ultimately
retaken and order is
restored. Nevertheless, the
S.W.A.T. Team’s belated triumph
remains overshadowed
by the sobering reality of so
many lives senselessly lost. In
sum, an uplifting tale of heroism
and survival, as well as a
haunting reminder of the evil
that men do.
“Hotel Mumbai”
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity,
bloody images and pervasive
violence
Running time: 123
minutes
Production Companies:
Thunder Road Pictures /
Xeitgeist Entertainment
Group / Arclight Films
Electric Pictures
Distributors: Bleecker
Street
Dev Patel in “Hotel Mumbai” (2018). Kerry Monteen
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