Movies that tell stories from the 26/11 Mumbai attacks typically focus on the terrorists, the security forces, or the national tragedy that occurred as a result of these terrorist actions. Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata takes an entirely different approach than all of the films released about the Mumbai attacks so far. Its trailer steps away from the well-known headlines and focuses instead on the ordinary nurses, ward boys and doctors working in Cama and Albless Hospital in Mumbai, ordinary people who were placed in extraordinary situations on one of the darkest nights in the history of the city.
The trailer starts off with everyday struggles of healthcare workers and not with patriotic slogans and big, heroic acts. The weariness, the struggle and often the invisibility of the health worker is so apparent to yet another person who has never known that type of experience. This type of realism allows for the viewer to be immediately emotionally connected to the footage. When the terror attack takes place and the hospital becomes a war zone, the realism portrayed through the contrast of normal everyday life to the often-chaotic nature of the hospital is the trailer’s greatest strength.
Kangana Ranaut’s character is portrayed much more modestly than any other big screen role that she has ever portrayed. Rather than playing an over-the-top, heroic character, she portrays a nurse who has to make impossible decisions in unimaginably high-pressure situations. The trailer hints at how her character grows from being an overlooked caregiver to becoming a symbol for resilience. The success of this trailer is that the viewer sees that the heroics portrayed have been earned rather than presented on a silver platter.
From a visual standpoint, the film’s design is primarily focused on creating tension through a survival thriller with images of darkened hospital hallways, blackouts, scared patients, babies stuck in the hospital, and the constant threat of danger, and all of these elements contribute to creating a truly unsettling environment. The film’s trailer builds suspense through uncertainty, rather than action – who lives, who does not, and how long can courage withstand fear?
One of the more amazing aspects of the trailer is its focus on recognizing heroes who usually do not receive recognition. While the entertainment industry tends to focus on military leaders, politicians, and larger-than-life heroes, Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata puts the spotlight on people whose contributions are rarely acknowledged by the entertainment industry. The film’s premise, ‘courage often belongs to people who seek no recognition’, comes across loud and clear.
The supporting cast seems to possess a strong presence in the trailer, as opposed to simply being background characters. The trailer’s emphasis on heroic acts of courage demonstrates that this production is about not just one person’s journey, but rather about an entire community of healthcare workers who refused to leave their patients.
There are also some moments in the trailer that seem like they were performed with heightened drama or felt like they were written just to elicit an emotional response from the audience rather than being genuine. The filmmakers face the same challenge as all films based on the events of 26/11; that is, how to balance telling a dramatic story with the requisite sensitivity in portraying the events of a real-life tragedy. Only time will tell if this movie has been able to strike that balance, but so far, the reactions online have been generally positive towards both the premise of the film as well as Kangana’s performance, even though some of the creative choices in the trailer have been called into question.
Even still, the main success of Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata as a trailer is that it engages us in curiosity, while reminding us that history isn’t only defined by those in the spotlight, but also by those who are in the background fighting to protect innocent lives at times of chaotic disaster.
Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata has the potential to be more than just another drama about the tragedy of 26/11; if the filmmakers can maintain the raw emotion and tension depicted over this two-and-a-half-minute trailer, this film could serve as a heartfelt tribute to the unknown heroes who shielded humanity from the horrors of terrorism in their moment of greatest need.
