Parmanu is a triumph for director Abhishek Sharma and lead actor John Abraham… The director, together with writers Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh, brings to life an important chapter from history… This is one story that had to be told…One of the best films to come out of the Hindi film industry… The film is gripping in its entirety, but the climax takes the film to another level… Deserves a standing ovation… DON’T MISS IT!
Sharma unashamedly plays the patriotic card. Without apology, he yanks our heartstrings and evokes a rush of pride when the bombs finally explode. Larger questions about megaton killing machines go unasked. Parmanu is so simplified that it could have been called Pokhran for dummies. You might question the authenticity and plausibility of what you see onscreen but it delivers on drama. I’m going with three stars.
On the whole, Parmanu – The Story Of Pokhran is a fair entertainer which has patriotic flavour and good drama as two major plus points. But lack of promotion is a dampener which will not let the film realise its full potential. Yet, it will prove an earning proposal. Collections will pick up in the weekend due to positive word of mouth.
Abhishek Sharma’s Parmanu – The Story Of Pokhran is a tale without a sting. In this anything-goes, post-truth film, fact and fiction are freely and selectively mixed to whip up patriotic fervour around a nuclear test that India conducted two decades ago. Those explosions in Pokhran were more about technology than military heroism. That distinction isn’t allowed to come in the way of the film’s priggish tone, which serves to uphold the skewed notion of strength and muscularity that is peddled nowadays for us to aspire to as a nation.
Despite its flaws, Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran deserves your time for the sheer bravery of the officials who carried out the covert mission due to which India is taken seriously around the world. Parmanu is a historical thriller we didn’t know we need. Watch it for those unsung heroes and take a moment to revel in the glory of their success.
There’s little that’s authentic about this film even though it’s based on a true event. As the result, the good story is ruined by the Bollywood emphasis on nation pride. We definitely deserved better movie on such remarkable story. Alas, no such luck here.
John Abraham despite all his limitations as an actor is extremely earnest not only in his performance but also in his intention to tell the Pokharan tale. His most honest moment comes towards the end when he breaks down in tears. Boman Irani is a delight to watch. He gives a controlled and classy performance as the PM’s secretary. Despite resorting to some very obvious tricks, Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran remains noble in its intention of telling a historic tale that made every Indian proud. It’s a good one time watch.
But the dizzying sense of urgency that makes a film thrilling is missing here. There are no nail-biting finishes or adrenaline-charged situations that would have sky-rocked Parmanu to stratospheric limits. While the premise is intriguing, the film doesn’t blow your mind away. Watch this if you want superficial knowledge about what went down as India aggressively joined the nuclear arms race.