Main Atal Hoon Movie Review, Read Full
Rating: 3/5
Director: Ravi Jadhav
Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Piyush Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey
Runtime: 2 hours 19 min
Storyline:
Directed by National Award winner Ravi Jadhav (of Natarang, Balgandharva, Balak Palak fame), Main Atal Hoon is the biopic of our esteemed Former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Pankaj Tripathi stars in the extraordinary titular role – portraying the myriad shades of Atal ji who was not only an honourable politician and statesman but also a thought-provoking poet.
Main Atal Hoon starts from Atal’s childhood and follows the ups and downs of his political career, while briefly touching upon his personal life and romance with Rajkumari Kaul. We also get a glimpse of his heartwarming bond with his father Krishna Bihari Vajpayee.
From his early days in college to the formation of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), to his part in establishing India as a nuclear power and more, Main Atal Hoon takes the audience on a riveting journey of Vajpayee’s life.
Main Atal Hoon Movie Review:
Main Atal Hoon is a Pankaj Tripathi film through-and-through. Tripathi has delivered an excellent performance, perfectly embodying Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s poetic charm and passionate speeches.
The transformation of Tripathi is more than physical – he has really gotten into the skin of Atal ji’s character. An immersive, pitch-perfect performance indeed.
Main Atal Hoon Movie Review:
But while Pankaj singlehandedly carries the film on his shoulder, for all its rousing speeches – Main Atal Hoon starts feeling less like a biopic and more like a documentary. The pacing is off and the conflict in the narrative seems to be missing. Too many speeches, not enough action.
Though the movie checks out all the crucial moments in Atal ji’s life but somewhere it still feels surface-level in its exploration and rings emotionally hollow, despite Tripathi’s utter conviction in the role.
Main Atal Hoon Movie Review:
Piyush Mishra leaves a mark with his stellar performance as Atal Vajpayee’s father, infusing some gentle humour in the film. Vajpayee’s fleeting romance with Rajkumari Kaul and his reconciliation with her later in life is quite interesting but that arc could have been explored a little more.
Apart from Pankaj, the casting of supporting members is quite spot-on especially Gauri Sukhtankar as Sushma Swaraj, Raja Rameshkumar Sevak as Lal Krishna Advani and Daya Shankar Pandey as Deendayal Upadhyaya.
With their uncanny resemblance to the figures they’re playing, the supporting cast helps in lending a more authentic feel to the biopic.
Hit Or Miss:
Definitely worth watching for the completely immersive performance of Pankaj Tripathi, who has totally surrendered himself to the process. In cinemas on 19th Jan. Go catch it in the theatres near you!
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