Mission Majnu is an Indian Hindi-language thriller that owes a lot to the spy genre. It was directed by Shantanu Bagchi and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Amar Butala, and Garima Mehta. Starring Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna. The film is set in 1971 and follows the story of a covert operation that took place in Pakistan. The film is based on true events that had far-reaching consequences and were important moments for the Indian secret service.
The story of an Indian spy braving incredible danger in an operation on Pakistan’s land certainly resonates with its audience in India. The film was meant to be released in May 2022, but when that date fell through, a June 2022 release was announced. However, plagued with delays, it was held back and eventually released on January 20th, 2023. The delays impacted the film, and it was rumored that a theatrical release was on the cards, but this never happened, leaving the film to premiere on Netflix in January 2023.
The delays also meant that for starlet Rashmika Mandanna, who stars in the production, this should have been her Bollywood debut, but her next film, Goodbye, was released before Mission Majnu. Rashmika had received the offer to star in the film during the lockdown and was thrilled as this would have been her first Bollywood film. She had previously starred in other productions, including a Kannada film called Kirik Party, and Telugu films, including Dear Comrade.
A lot of the main action was filmed in two locations. Firstly, Lucknow, which is the capital city of Utter Pradesh, can be found in the middle of the Heritage Arc. The location has been used in many film productions, as it has a unique mix of old and new areas. Perhaps one of its most famous buildings is the stunning Bara Imambara which is a huge tourist attraction. Principal photography for the film began in Lucknow in February 2021 and finished in September of the same year.
Mumbai was the second main location for the Bollywood spy thriller, and some images from the location were shared by some of the team on social media. It should be noted that Mumbai is often considered the home of Bollywood movies, but there are often some misgivings about the nature of Bollywood itself. The term Bollywood actually refers to the country’s Hindi film industry as opposed to the popular belief that it refers to the Indian film industry. There are other films made in different languages in India, leading to terms such as Kollywood and Tollywood.
Mumbai has always been associated with culture and the arts, and before cinema, the theatre was huge in Mumbai. The Parsi theatre productions often contained a mix of reality and fantasy, and dance and music, and the films that would arrive were hugely influenced by this style. It is still apparent even today, with films still echoing the styles of the theatre of the past.
