Many films and series were made on the dreadful 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and this is the first time that a true depiction of what has happened behind the scenes was presented.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11, web series revolves around everything that happened with the Bombay General Hospital as the backdrop and it’s available now on the leading digital platform Amazon Prime Video.
Story
It’s just like any other typical Government General Hospital where all kinds of bickering take place including the heated exchanges between a cop Mayank Bhat (Akshar Kothari) and a senior doctor Dr. Kaushik Oberoi (Mohit Raina) who cares for nothing except to do his duty despite all odds.
Three trainee doctors who report for duty Divya Parekh (Natasha Bharadwaj) who is from the famous doctor Parekh’s family, Sujata Ajawale (Mrunmayee Deshpande) from a remote village Latur, and Ahaan Mirza (Satyajeet Dubey) who had a heart of gold has to go through some traumatic events on that fateful day.
As soon as the shootouts were reported from various places in Mumbai on 26/11, the Bombay General Hospital started flooding with the injured and the dead making it chaotic all over. Its run against time and how all these frontline warriors despite several limitations go about their duties amidst tension-ridden atmosphere is the crux of Mumbai Diaries 26/11.
At the same time, Ananya (Tina Desai) the wife of Dr. Kaushik struggles to save the guests including the family of famous Dr. Parekh who got stuck in the Palace Hotel, and how she exhibits her bravery forms another arc of the story.
Mansi Hirani, (Shreya Dhanwantary), the courageous TV reporter who will go to any length to get the story puts her life in danger was another parallel track that shows the dedication and sheer determination of a journalist. Her character reminds Danish Siddiqui who was killed by Talibans in Afghanistan recently.
Performances
All the characters were significant including Vasu (Rishabh Arora) the naïve and timid security guard and brother of Vidya (Adhiti Kalkunte). Each and every character however small they are, they had their importance throughout the series and none of them can be ignored or sidelined and this is the best part of the series.
Mohit Raina belts out yet another memorable performance that stands tall among all after his sterling performance in web series, Bhaukaal in 2020 where he played the no-nonsense cop Navniet Sekera.
Prashant Belwade as Dr. Mani Subramanyam, Konkana Sen Sharma as Chitra Das, the Social Services Director, Balaji Gauri as Nurse Sneha Cherian, the trainee doctors Satyajeet Dubey, Natasha Bharadwaj, Mrunmayee Deshpande, Tina Desai, Shreya Dhanwantary, Pushkaraj Chirputkar as Samarth, the information provider who faces a tragedy in his life, Akshar Kothari, Mishal Raheja as Dr. Sahil who is a common friend of Dr. Kaushik, and Ananya, Mohini Sharma as old patient Paramjeet, Sandesh Kulkarni as ACP Mahesh Tawade, and Adithi Kalkunte all these will be remembered for a long time for their extraordinary performances that made everything look amazingly real.
Behind the scenes
Big thumbs up to Nikhil Advani and his team for the amount of research that has gone behind in presenting a series that was not only gripping but heart-touching.
Though there are many characters and story arcs, the screenplay by Nikhil Advani, Nikhil Gonsalves along with Yash Chhetija, and Anushka Mehrotra was spot on without any distractions.
The intensity of emotions and the underlying fear aspect were very well projected. The director duo Nikhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves need a special high five for their excellent storytelling ability that made Mumbai Diaries 26/11 an absorbing medical thriller against the backdrop of some real-life incidents.
Kaushal Shah, the cinematographer, Maahir Zaveri, the editor, Priya Suhas, the production designer, Vijay Ghodke, the art director, and Ashutosh Phatak, the music composer all deserve special mention for their stupendous contribution which was evident in every frame and scene.
Final Verdict
Mumbai Dairies 26/11 was a poignant tale of unsung warriors who has not left a stone unturned in saving the lives of people and providing the necessary care overcoming many challenges amidst the utter chaos around them.
Though there were fictitious elements incorporated in the series to sustain the interest of the audience, this series is a must-watch to admire the invaluable efforts and raise a toast to the bravery of many unsung warriors who endangered their lives to extend selfless service to the nation.
