Summary
This series is certainly a journey and encapsulates a serious event.
This review of Amazon Original series Mumbai Diaries 26/11 does not contain spoilers.
Read the ending explained for Mumbai Diaries 26/11.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11 is based on the real events of 2008 where terrorists shocked the city at a hotel, putting the area under siege for four days. The terrorists started their attack on November 26 bringing tragic losses, changing the city forever.
I must confess I knew nothing about this particular terrorist attack, which is strange considering we’ve spent 20 years having the word “terrorism” splashed into our faces. Amazon’s Mumbai Diaries 26/11 turns its attention to Bombay General Hospital and its team of medical staff. The series attempts to honor the efforts of those four days, and the heavy toll faced from such traumatic events.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11 is heavily dramatized, putting in a concerted effort to make sure the story is as action-filled as possible; even a “sense of anticipation” fills the room. The production team and cast have ensured that medical procedures and emergencies are at the forefront of many scenes, bringing an authentic look of a hospital in a panic. The series takes no half-measures to present an under-resourced hospital, allowing the audience to understand what’s at stake coupled with a city under siege.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11 does struggle to balance character-driven stories and the tragedy at hand. Everything is an emergency, yet the characters appear to have time to delve into urgent matters and slow down time. Character development is appreciated, but it requires a suspension of belief in the scale on which this story is presented. The series is angling for the entertainment factor rather than a timeline of events, and while it works, the writers never truly nail the story concept. Perhaps a shorter series would have sufficed to bring a stronger emphasis on the terror attack and less importance to delve into the minuscule problems of each character.
However, the cast does put on a show. There’s certainly a buy-in for the script which further enhances the tragedy of the story. By the time audiences reach the final episode, they may feel exhausted by the events. Mumbai Diaries 26/11 presents the ordeal as a war; terror versus humanity, and showing bravery in an unprecedented and violent moment.
This series is certainly a journey and encapsulates a serious event.
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