Mission Istanbul: Mission Disaster review

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Yasser usman reviews Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul

Mission Istanbul is beyond any review. The only aim to write this piece is to save at least a few people from a migraine of the highest order. It defies all logic, ridicules even the medium of cinema itself and yet the makers actually have the guts to believe that audience are fool enough to like it.

Let's take a look at the characters of this senseless mission-

Ø Vikas Sagar (Zayed) is a pass out from IIT but he became a journo. Sunil Shetty is an army man but he also chooses to become a journo. But they never do the things normally identified with news reporters ie; reporting and filing stories.

Ø Vivek Oberoi plays a Turkish Commando and is always grinning without any reason. He himself is a commando and expects the poor journos to save his country.

Ø Ghazni (Niketan Dheer) is the CEO of the news channel Al Johara (we all know where this came from) and is supposed to be the most respected man in Istanbul. But either he dances in discotheques or plans terrorist activities. Whenever he gets time from these activities he......nah he doesn't attend editorial meetings but does bodybuilding ;-) Wow!!!

Ø And yes we also have Abu Nazeer (an Osama Look alike) and even George Bush reading a book about India...hilarious. Though they utter serious dialogues but those scenes are the only comic relief.

Ø Female protagonists Shriya Saran and Shweta Bhardwaj...they do...just forget it guys!!!

Ø Abhishek bachchan in an absurd item song looks as disinterested as the audience.

So these are the characters of Mission Istanbul. Do we need to tell about their actions as well? Forget it I said.

Story...huh...

Vikas Sagar (Zayed Khan) is a Journalist with a leading news channel (TV channels should seriously check the credentials of film makers before lending their names to any film). Vikas accepts a 3-month assignment from a Turkey based TV channel Al-Johara (sounds familiar na!!!). Al-Johara wants to set up its base in India. Vikas reaches Istanbul and realize that Al-Johara is actually a terrorist organization promoting and sponsoring terrorist activities in different countries. These operations are carried out from the 13^th floor of the Al-Johara building. Someone has to invade the 13^th floor and destroy the network. And this what is the Mission Istanbul. Journo Zayed has to save the world (and we thought only Americans do it!!!). So after about 2 hours and 30 mins of this ridiculous mission, the world is saved but the audiences watching the film are almost dead. The big question is- Who will save them?

The subject truly had the potential of becoming a superb thriller. It had all the required elements like the misuse of news in promoting terror, the terrorist-media network in some countries and the double-standards of the developed nations. But the script writer and the director made a complete mockery if the subject.

Technically too, the film isn't flawless. The camerawork is just average. It completely failed to capture the real essence of Istanbul. The music is nothing to talk about. Screenplay is terrible and so are the dialogues.

The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia. His CV carries 'pearls' like Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, Ek Ajnabi and Shootout At Lokhandwala (his only claim to fame). One has to be really exceptionally talented and gifted to make a disaster like Mission Istanbul. Apoorva lakhia truly is. Do not waste your time and money on this Mission Disaster.

[rating:1]