Netflix has debuted the trailer for Mission Majnu, the streamer’s first major Indian release of 2023. An action-spy film starring Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna, Mission Majnu was originally designed as a theatrical release before being acquired by Netflix. It appears to be the latest in a new wave of nationalist-minded Indian movies in which the enemy is almost always Pakistan.
Malhotra plays a R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing) agent named Amandeep Singh, who is sent to Pakistan to gather intelligence about the creation of a nuclear bomb. Amandeep goes undercover as a handyman, and eventually starts a romantic relationship with a Pakistani woman named Nasreen (Mandanna). Torn between his loyalty for his nation and his love for Nasreen, Amandeep's resolve is put to the test against the backdrop of an escalating 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. "Majnu," by the way, is the equivalent of "Romeo."
Broadly speaking, Mission Majnu appears to be drawing heavily from the 2018 hit film Raazi, with which it even shares cast member Shishir Sharma. In Raazi, Alia Bhatt played an Indian spy who is married off to a Pakistani army officer, also against the backdrop of the 1971 War. But while that film took a surprisingly humanist approach to a very thorny geopolitical issue — it preached love not war — Mission Majnu is, at least based on the trailer, a more gung-ho action movie.
“Bharat mata ki jai (Long live India)!” Amandeep yells at the end of the trailer, after the movie's spy-craft, visual effects, and romantic subplot take center stage. For Malhotra, this is a return to familiar territory — among his most successful movies is Shershaah, a war drama in which he played a soldier who fought in the Kargil War between India and Pakistan. Mandanna, on the other hand, made a name for herself with South Indian language films, before debuting in Bollywood — the Hindi language industry — last year with the family drama Goodbye. This is her second Bollywood film. She will also star in Animal, opposite Ranbir Kapoor.
Directed by Shantanu Bagchi, Mission Majnu arrives on the heels of a slew of similar movies defined by chest-thumping nationalism, taking place during a particularly polarized period in India’s history. Last year, films such as Rashtra Kavach Om and Code Name: Tiranga incited similar sentiment, but failed at the box office. Even the Telugu language historical action film RRR, which has become a cult hit in the United States, contained symbolism and imagery that appeared to stoke religious sentiments.
Mission Majnu going to Netflix makes sense in the post-pandemic marketplace, which has become rather unwelcoming to anything that isn’t a big-budget spectacle featuring name stars. The movie is being released just a week ahead of the similar (but far more hyped) Pathaan, which will get a lavish theatrical release purely on the strength of its star-power. Pathaan features Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. Mission Majnu is slated for a January 20 release. You can watch the trailer here: