Story
The story is about how the 7/11 serial train bomb blasts affected and agonized the lives of Mumbaikars. The director has taken the lives of 5 unrelated individuals of Mumbai city and explored how it affected them.

Story 1: Rupali Joshi (Soha Ali Khan) is an excellent journalist for a leading Indian news channel. She does not mind resorting to cruel way of reporting by grilling the bereaved family who just lost their bread winner. In the 7/11 bomb blasts, she loses her fiancée. And the same lady is being grilled and probed by her own TV channel for some exclusive story. The rest of the story is all about how she realizes how merciless she was when she worked as reporter.

Story 2: Suresh (Kay Kay Menon) is born and brought up in Mumbai as a hardcore Hindu activist. He hates Muslims and suspects that all Muslims are traitors of India. The rest of the story is all about how he realizes that Muslims are fine individuals just like him.

Story 3: Thomas (Irrfan Khan) is a labor settler (coffee vendor) from Chennai. He is thrown out by a posh shopping mall security as he is poor. And he resorts to the fun of making fake calls about bomb in malls and evacuate temp. The rest of the story is all about how he realizes his mistakes.

Story 4: Nikhil (Madhavan) survived in that bomb blast because he got into 2nd class coupe of the train instead of his regular 1st class. The story is all about how he goes through that agony and distress of just missing the bomb blast.

Story 5: Tukaram Patil (Paresh Rawal) is a cop who is on the verge of retirement. Sunil Kadam (Vijay Maurya) is a young rookie in the police department. Kadam wants to be honest and make a difference to the society. The experienced Tukaram tells him the hard realities in police department.

Actors:
Kay Kay Menon is charming in the role of Hindu fanatic. Madhavan is exceptionally good as the agonized man going through depression. Paresh Rawal shows the other side of himself as an actor and his body language as the feeble retiree is superb. Soha Ali Khan fits the bills. Vijay Maurya is intense as the rookie cop. Irrfan Khan is cool as the coffee vendor.

Technical departments:

Story - Screenplay - direction: The story of the film is weaved by five different stories related to the same event. Hindi films like Life in Metro, Salaam e Ishq are the films that came with similar narrative in the past. 'Crash' is one Hollywood film that comes close to this narrative where lives of different people are related to one incident is interwoven. Screenplay of the film is good. Direction by the debutant Nishikant Kamat is honest. The following are heart-touching scenes in the film:

1. When Rupali Joshi is asked to give some bites to her own TV channel when she was frantically searching for her missing husband in the hospitals.
2. When Nikhil's wife reasons with him how worried she was when she heard about the bomb blasts.
3. When Suresh visits the dwellings of Yousuf and meets her mother and the mother's treatment that follows.
4. Thomas waiting outside hospital to know the well-being of the old-man and giving him a flower when he is discharged from the hospital.
5. Tukaram's encounter with Suresh towards the climax of the film
6. Sunil Kadam's agony when he is stopped from doing his duty for the first time.

Technical departments: Technically, the film is just fine. Cinematography is good. There are not many songs in the film as it belongs to a serious genre. Editing is alright.

Analysis: "Mumbai Meri Jaan' is a reflection of the agony mumbaikars had gone through after the 7/11 train blasts. This film is an honest effort which should be appreciated by everybody. However, the graphical description of injured people in the blast location and in the hospital is very disturbing. This film is not for people who look for entertainment and fun in the movies. If you are the kind of guy who appreciate serious and idealistic cinema, Mumbai Meri Jaan is worth a watch.

Jeevi reviews of previous films
Phoonk
God Tussi Great Ho
Bachna Ae Haseeno
Singh is Kinng
Jaane Tu ya na jaane
Halla Bol
Saawariya
No Smoking
Dhol
Dhamaal
Darling
Aag
Buddha Mar Gaya
Marigold
Chak De India
Gandhi My Father
Cash
Partner
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Tara Rum Pum
Bheja Fry
The Nakesake
Water
Red
Nishabd
Eklavya
Parzania
Black Friday
Guru
Bhagambhag
Kabul Express
Baabul
Dhoom 2
Vivah
Don
Dor
More Reviews

Tell us how you liked this review