Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata

Terror and terrorism admit of only one character: brutality. As such, they are beyond justification and ought to remain beyond forgiveness. Yet the stories that emerge from acts of terror are often far more complex and, at times, profoundly heroic—not from the perspective of the perpetrators, but from that of the victims, survivors, and those who rise in defiance of violence. After a string of commercial disappointments, Kangana Ranaut returns to the big screen with Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, a 127-minute dramatization of the extraordinary events that unfolded at Mumbai’s Cama and Albless Hospital during the horrific 26/11 terrorist attacks. Drawing upon real incidents and inspired by the courage of healthcare workers such as nurse Anjali Kulthe, who helped save more than twenty pregnant women, the film seeks to illuminate a chapter of the tragedy that remains insufficiently remembered.

Cinematically, the first round of applause goes to Kangana Ranaut for not only playing Cama nurse Geeta Madhav Gandhare with professional efficiency but for also not overshadowing her colleagues Girija Oak, Smita Tambe and the others who play her fellow nurses. It is as an ensemble cast should be, screen time shared by all. In real life, a resounding round of applause has been long overdue for the feisty nurses of Cama who worked fearlessly and tirelessly on a night they were not trained for. Nobody was prepared for a terror attack on Mumbai where blood was splattered in restaurants, roads, railway stations, five-star hotels and a hospital.

ड्यूटी फर्स्ट…! बस यह कहा और निकल गई काम पर। बीमार बच्चे को छोड़, अधूरा खाना छोड़, आधी नींद छोड़, फुनफुनाती सास को छोड़, भुनभुनाते पति को छोड़, खुद अपनी खराब तबियत को पीछे छोड़ वह पहुंची अस्पताल और यूनिफॉर्म पहनते ही उसके भीतर आ गई सुपर पॉवर। जी हां, यह होती है नर्स। ऐसी ही एक सुपर नर्स अंजलि कुल्थे और उन जैसे कई कर्मठ कर्मियों के साहस को सलाम करने आई है यह फिल्म जो न सिर्फ पूछती है बल्कि बताती भी है कि कौन हैं हमारे असली ‘भारत भाग्य विधाता’। 26 नवंबर, 2008 की उस मनहूस रात मुंबई की छाती को ज़ख्मी करने आए दस पाकिस्तानी आतंकियों में से दो इस्माइल खान व अजमल कसाब कामा अस्पताल में भी जा घुसे थे। तब महिलाओं और बच्चों के इस अस्पताल के स्टाफ ने साहस का परिचय देते हुए सारे मरीजों को यहां-वहां छुपा कर वार्ड के ताले व बत्तियां बंद कर उन्हें बचाया था। इसी स्टाफ में थीं नर्स अंजलि कुल्थे जिन्होंने उस रात न सिर्फ 20 गर्भवती महिलाओं को बचाया बल्कि बाद में ज़िंदा पकड़े गए एकमात्र आतंकी अजमल कसाब को पहचानने में पुलिस की मदद भी की थी। इस फिल्म की नर्स गीता का किरदार उन्हीं अंजलि से प्रेरित है।

How many times are filmmakers going to revisit the same crime scene? To what end? Some stories fatigue themselves. After the gruesome terrorist attacks of 26/11, a cottage industry mushroomed. There were films like Ram Gopal Varma’s The Attacks of 26/11 (2013) so close to the action it felt immoral; Hotel Mumbai (2018), which looked at the massacre from the perspective of those working at the Taj; and Major (2022), a biopic on one of the martyred Majors. Shows, too, cropped up, Nikkhil Advani’s Mumbai Diaries 26/11 (2021), which looked at the massacre from the perspective of those working in the hospital; State of Siege: 26/11 (2020), about the military operation. Dread became cinematic inspiration. Trauma porn, a vision of delight. You need to be an exceptional storyteller to make this story feel worth telling.

She has had a choppy ride at the box-office of late. Her last four Hindi releases (Thalaivi, Dhaakad, Tejas and Emergency) underperformed big time. Could Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, a female-centric film set in a hospital under a terror attack, be the throw of the dice that could turn things around for Kangana Ranaut? The actor spares no effort, leading the charge with admirable restraint in a survival thriller that does well to never get ahead of itself. It stays well within and thrives on the limits that it sets for itself. On her part, Ranaut, whose banner Manikarnika Films is the lead producer, ensures that she does not become bigger than the film, which often tends to be the bane of Bollywood movies that are bankrolled by stars.