D-Day. A political thriller based on a secret mission by India to capture one of the most wanted criminal hiding in Pakistan. This one is best work of Nikhil Advani after cult Kal Ho Naa Ho. There is some gripping screenplay, nicely sketched characters, a purpose and above all solid acting by three male actors; Always reliable Irrfan Khan, evolving Arjun Rampal and champion of his second innings Rishi Kapoor. Huma and Shruti also do good in their small but important parts. The sub-plots of Arjun- Shruti and Irrfan's family are handled with care and lot of emotion. Although movie fails to end on a high note but you still feel satisfied because there is lot to enjoy and care in this two and half hours long mission. It deserves a watch!!

Movies on the Government intelligence and covert operations have been very rare in India. In fact it has been very hard to find an thought provoking movie to see. This was a trend that was ultimately left forgotten in the 90s. Previous films on this theme have not proved a success. Movies such as 'Drohkaal' were impressive for their time but never managed to get a bigger audience. The genre itself has rarely been depicted in a genuine manner. A majority of films present this in a very amateurishly way. 'D Day' is is a honest effort that realistically has revived an old theme. The film portrays characters in desperate situation and believe in doing the righteous duty in-spite of putting their lives on the line. The covert operation itself is shown in greater detail as it progresses from stage by stage to the actual event. The film presents the story of 3 R.A.W agents (Research analysis wing) agents. Irfan Khan and Arjun Rampal are living normal lives being in a relationship with their wife's as well as keeping their real identity a secret. Huma Quereshi joins them later posing as a student. After a failed attempt to apprehend Iqbal Seth at his daughters wedding in a high rise hotel, they decide to their attempts to bring back to India a terrorist. Initially their abduction plan does not succeed and are forced to shift gears to stay alive and fight for survival as the Indian Government is intent on killing them. Meanwhile the gangster Iqbal has his political associates turning sides against him as they are afraid that links with him will be exposed to the Indian government. As well as a being a thriller the film does succeed in conveying a message and tries to paint a grim picture of high authority and intelligent authorities in today's times. Working for the military is not only a high risk profession, but also a duty that does not guarantee survival. And when circumstances on duty in change there can be can be no assurance of loyalty. The unique element of the film besides the story is Irfan Khan's sub plot involving his family. How he sacrifices their trust, love and safety is heart wrenching. He is truly the highlight of the film. Arjun Rampal impresses as the tactical officer. His expressions are on the mark and suit his character. Plays the role with conviction. Huma Qureshi gives good support to a male cast as the explosives expert. She suited the character and got under the skin very well. This was a pleasant surprise coming from a director whose previous venture was a box office flop. He has ingeniously directed the film in tone with it's theme. Nikhil Advani co written the script with three writers. He has beautifully balanced elements of a spy thriller with a true life character. All roles of the actors were well developed and were integral to the story. The pacing is perfect and the story progresses without flaws smoothly. The film is set in Pakistan but shot entirely in Gujarat, India. Overall a recommended film if one is searching for a redeeming entertainment.

Nowdays many films are being made showcasing Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim, earlier too we had glimpses of him in Black Friday, Shootout at Lokhandwala and also Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. D Day is made by Nikhil Advani who debutted with Kal Ho Naa Ho and then made flop films like CCTC and Patiala House but he makes a comeback in a diverse genre and makes D DAY. The film does remind one of Zero Dark Thirty but yet it's superbly handled and not just copy paste stuff. Nor does it end up being a typical Hindi film, actually the treatment is very different and looks like a Hollywood film. The film starts superbly and you need to keep your attention on the film as it isn't your typical commercial film. The pace is swift and the scenes are superb.The scenes involving Irrfan, Huma are superbly handled though the prostitute track could be avoided yet it is well handled. The way the story transforms till the end is superbly handledDirection by NA is superb Music in limited doses is good though situational Duma Dumb is superb though Rajpal's antics are out of placeRishi Kapoor in yet another grey shaded role after Agneepath and Aurangzeb is superb in his role, He proves yet again why he is in demand Arjun Rampal is superb in his role, Irrfan Khan steals the show with a superb performance, Huma Qureshi is excellent in her part Shruti Hassan is good, Nassar is good too Chandan Roy Sanyal last seen in Kaminey is superb rest are adequate

Hindi Cinema has not seen many well made, box office successes in the particular genre of spy-thrillers. Hence firstly, D-DAY & its makers deserve a special appreciation just for making a brave choice of this genre alone and then further it needs to be applauded for an exceptional execution which certainly reminds you of many well made foreign movies in the 'World cinema'. Plus its really a pleasant surprise that it's a Nikhil Advani film, the man behind KAL HO NA HO (2003), SALAAM-E-ISHQ (2007), CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA (2009) and PATIALA HOUSE (2011). As speculated, D-DAY is not just another Gangster movie from Bollywood as it may sound looking at its promos. Instead it's actually the first thoughtful film from our makers, which focuses on bringing back the most wanted man to the Indian Territory for justice and simply not interested in glorifying the crime mafia and The Don following the usual norms. Hence it's a welcome change as far as the subject is concerned and further it has been handled too with an equal amount of intelligence and courage.The film begins with a fabulous 10 minutes of a well conceived sequence wherein the Indian RAW agents are just about to meet The MAN, whom they wish to steal away back. And then its fast intercuts, well composed background score and the unusual camera movements simply give you an indication that this is not a routine stuff from the director this time, probably less appealing to the general public. At times the realistic indicative references of the wanted man, his son's big marriage and a renowned cricketer, makes you feel both exciting and scary (particularly the one in the Mosque). The first half has many similar well directed sequences and it truly feels like watching a great spy thriller made in an international style, rarely seen in Indian Cinema.Post intermission, the excellence continues but the pace drops for a while with some avoidable long sequences. The final moments of the film keep you guessing and then it offers a surprising twist leading to a largely satisfying end of a gripping film. But if only, they had taken care of some visible glitches, D-DAY could have become a winning masterpiece of Hindi Cinema undoubtedly.Pointing out its limitations, the basic storyline of the film is quite close to the concept of ZERO DARK THIRSTY (2013) and Shatrujeet Nath's novel titled THE KARACHI DECEPTION, which can entirely be called a fiction with an unimaginable Indian mission, to be imagined in dreams. Secondly, the added sub-plot of Arjun-Shruti love affair is completely forced in to cater the commercial needs of the project, since a hugely dedicated 'Army Officer' would never ideally indulge in such suicidal activities during his important national mission at all. Lastly, the terror of the Most Wanted Man in the first half, goes missing in the later reels and the Don's character becomes more of a caricature type in the concluding hour.However, moving over the above mentioned drawbacks, technically it's truly a well executed film made with some brave and honest intentions. Following an extremely quality narrative, not normally seen in our Hindi Cinema, D-DAY is sure going to impress the classes more than the masses. The art department never lets you feel the sets and that's exactly what an art director is trying to do in his given job. The camera-work reminds you of many well made international projects and never gives you the feel of watching a typical Hindi film. The writing and dialogues contributes a lot, except in the last hour where in the writers slightly go over imaginative and too easy in the final border crossings.The music section adds a new dimension to the film (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) with a worth listening Qawwali "Mera Murshad Khele Holi" heard after a long time and a well composed, written & sung track, "Alvida". In addition there is Rekha Bhardawaj superbly singing "Ek Ghadi" to complete an appreciable soundtrack by the trio.In the performances, once again we have Rishi Kapoor continuing his enjoyable journey of re-discovering the hidden actor, forgetting his own famous lover boy image of the past. It really takes guts to think of him as The Don, but the veteran does look, act and behave like him on the screen, quite astonishingly. Yet, I do wish the director should have emphasized on the terror factor more in the second half.As the RAW agents, Irrfan repeatedly gives a stunning performance caught in the dilemma, especially towards the end. Arjun surprises with an extremely intense performance, particularly excelling himself in the song 'Alvida'. Huma confidently manages to find her decent space standing in between the towering performers and Shruti Haasan shows another glimpse of her unexplored talent as the prostitute.In the supporting cast, Sriswara is a great revelation and both Aakash Dahiya and Chandan Roy Sanyal leave a lasting impact along with Nasser. K.K. Raina, Nissar Khan and Sandeep Kulkarni act well in their supporting acts but Rajpal Yadav was a wrong choice to begin the film as a singer.Altogether, D-DAY does have its own share of hiccups and some usual commercial insertions to make it more viable. Still, it remains the most innovative, well structured and well shot spy movie from Bollywood, surely deserving appreciation from the lovers of this particular genre. But it also has a strange contradiction as I felt, since the most impressive & emotionally moving sub-plot in its script (of Arjun- Shruti), also happens to be the only unwanted insertion in the movie as per its genre. And without it, D-Day would have been a totally focused and taut, high energy, fast paced, thriller unarguably.Hence with that strange paradox, I would like to recommend watching D- DAY as a must since this is indeed the next step in making GANGSTER movies thoughtfully taken by Bollywood.