Mumbai Diaries 26/11 Review: There is a sense of irony that comes when in a scene from Mumbai Diaries 9/11, has Dr Subramaniam (Prakash Belawadi) tell a cop that the system cares more for victims in a five star hotel more than the poor people who are stuck at the hospital. That line would somehow also instigate the feeling we about the obsession filmmakers have with this tragedy, that it has been recreated multiple times, including the show I am writing about - Mumbai Diaries 26/11. Mumbai Diaries 26/11: Natasha Bharadwaj Reveals She Borrowed Lab Coat and Stethoscope of Her Doctor Mother For Amazon’s Web Show.

The city of Mumbai had seen quite a few terrorist attacks, though yes, nothing as audacious as when the city was held on siege by a group of armed men who came to the city on November 26, 2008. 13 years have gone by, but the scars are still there. Occasionally, though, some of our filmmakers do like dig around those wounds, in the name of tributes. I mean, America has the most expansive film industry in the world, and yet they have the decency to not keep monetising on the 9/11 attacks.

But only on the 26/11 attacks we already have a Ram Gopal Varma movie ('research' for which lost a late 'Chief Minister' his job), State of Siege: 26/11  - a series on ALTBalaji, an international film in Hotel Mumbai, a French-Belgian film called Taj Mahal and now Mumbai Diaries 26/11. There is also an upcoming biopic on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan made in Telugu, starring Adivi Sesh.

But as a reviewer, I have to keep my objections on milking a tragedy till it bleeds dry aside, and focus on the content in front of me. Mumbai Diaries 26/11, created by Nikkhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves, claims itself to be a tribute to the frontline warriors - the doctors and the policemen - who put their lives first in trying to save the city from the dastardly intentions of its attackers. Which it does, though the writing is often the bigger villain here.

While the events are inspired by what transfolded on that tragic night, the narrative is very much fictionalised and names of places and real people are changed. Taj Hotel becomes Palace Hotel, the fallen heroes like Hemant Karkare and Vijay Salaskar are given different names here, and the third act takes a large departure from what really happened that night.

Still, there are some brownie points I like to serve about the show is that it at least attempts to keep the focus on the medical personnel, only to keep losing that intermittently. The Bombay General Hospital - the main setting for Mumbai Diaries 26/11 - looks to be an amalgamation of Cama Hospital that was one of the places targeted, and St George Hospital where Karkare and Salaskar's bodies were taken. The idea to show the bravery of the doctors while the city around them was in palpable sense of fear made for a nice setup.

It also helps that the series starts off on a strong note. We are quickly introduced to the main players. We have Dr Kaushik (Mohit Raina), whose deeply committed manner of handling surgeries, that doesn't care for set rules, doesn't make him a favourite among the administrators and the police. He is also going through some trouble in his marriage with Ananya (Tina Desai), who, conveniently, is also the F&B manager at the Palace Hotel.

There is also Chitra Das (Konkona Sen Sharma), the social services director of the hospital, who has a soft corner for an elderly patient, who no one else seems to take seriously enough. We also meet three new resident doctors in Sujata (Mrunmayee Deshpande), Diya (Natasha Bharadwaj) and Ahaan (Satyajeet Dubey) - who join the hospital that fateful day, all three belonging to different strata of the society, and thus bringing along with them the discussions on societal disparity. And of course, how can I miss the most annoying character of the lot, Samarth (Pushkaraj Chirputkar), the hospital attendant with a gambling addiction that turns him into an insider for a desperate TV reporter Mansi (Shreya Dhanwanthary).

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The initial episodes felt good, more because the action is mostly set in the hospital confines, and the tracking shots capture the tense proceedings of the various ongoings. The character that leaves the most impact right from the start is Dr Kaushik, who, as the series proceeds, sees himself in crossroads with his professional ethics and populist needs. Mohit Raina, an otherwise likeable actor, is a complete revelation in the role, and it is both the actor and the character that makes watching Mumbai Diaries 26/11 worthwhile for some time. OTT Releases of The Week: Mohit Raina’s Mumbai Diaries on Amazon Prime Video, Tom Ellis’ Lucifer Season 6 on Netflix, Surbhi Jyoti’s Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai? On ZEE5 and More.

However, Mumbai Diaries 26/11 would have worked better if it solely focussed on our desi Grey's Anatomy team caught in a hell of a night. The urgency, the moral complications of a doctor's duty, the breaking down of anxieties and psyches, not knowing what's happening outside made for a claustrophobic setting, and also served the purpose of the series to pay tribute to our frontline warriors.

Instead, Mumbai Diaries 26/11 also covers the other terrifying aspects of that night, from the shootout at Marine Lines to the attack on the five star property that looks like Taj, but isn't Taj. I get it that the makers wanted to recreate what transpired that night, I also get it that they have to take some creative liberties. But changing major real events just to add more violence and drama in your story, that didn't need much, is not always excusable.

Like for example, we know that the cops were killed after they chased away the terrorists from Cama hospital, but in the series, the terrorists attack the hospital after their bodies were brought there. Also the kind of shootout that happens in the finale few episodes, feel like the makers taking way too much cinematic liberties when the story actually didn't need any.

The weakest is the Palace Hotel track, that felt more of a distraction than a genuinely moving subplot. Another major distraction is the focus given to Mansi's character, in an attempt to make her the sacrificial epitome of reckless journalism, Mansi's antics felt more stupid and her character a very annoying, reckless caricature, The media's irresponsible coverage of 26/11 attacks, wherein begin this super-obsession with competitive breaking news, deserves to be called out, but a little more tact and restraint could have been used here.

Ultimately, all the better moments lie in the medical drama, and that should have deserved more of the focus (and some trimming). Even there, the idea to give some of the characters moments to stop and have a quiet conversation on their backstories felt jarring, more so because of the situation they are in. Especially when the police are virtually put a siege on the hospital and fatally injured patients are being brought in.

Thankfully, it is the cast that makes even those weak moments watchable. I am becoming a fan of Raina, and his frequently committed performance. After Uri: The Surgical Strike and now this, he has also become a pro at making tensed running look so good on screen. Konkona Sen Sharma beautifully works around the anguish of headstrong woman, endangered by her fears and past trauma, into her character.

Natasha Bharadwaj, Mrunmayee Deshpande, and Satyajeet Dubey do a good job of capturing the frailties of the situation they are suddenly put in. For a change, it is nice to see Prakash Belawadi to not play an a-hole, but a caring administrator committed to the safety of his patients and employees. Balaji Gauri, Adithi Kalkunte, Akshar Kothari and Mishal Raheja are wonderful in their roles.

Yay!

- The Cast

- The First Act

Nay!

- Keep Digressing From Its Strongest Plot

- Third Act Takes Way Too Many Cinematic Liberties

- Should Have Kept the Soap Melodrama to the Minimal

Final Thoughts

Mumbai Diaries 9/11 would have been more effective as a thriller-drama if it had kept the focus purely on the hospital setting, while not taking way too much liberties with its inspiration. Still, the series deserves a watch purely for the committed cast, especially Mohit Raina, and some really good tracking shots. Mumbai Diaries 9/11 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2021 10:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).