Нирджа (2016) Online

As i have discussed before, there has been a change in Indian Audience's movie choices last few years. Indians have started to appreciate Contemporary Cinema and is separating slowly from its cliché filled days of musicals. Bollywood for last few years have been evolving into something bigger and better. The trend it seems is still going strong.

Another trend which has been set since last 4 or 5 years: We have had many movies with strong female lead, having feminist approach. From English Vinglish(2012) to Queen(2013) and from last year's Dil Dhadakne Do to Masaan. We have had so many movies with positive perspective of females. And that trend is still on with latest Neerja.

Director Ram Madhvani's debut feature film is a strong well acted biopic with emotions filled to its core. The Movie will leave many viewers teary eyed. I want to thank the whole cast and production team of Neerja for introducing me to the brave and fearless Neerja Bhanot. The Youngest recipient of India's highest Bravery Award for saving hundreds of lives in a plane hijack.

Sonam Kapoor blends right into the core of Neerja's character, this is clearly her best movie of the career leaving her acting in Raanjhana way behind. She plays the character of a flight purser of a Pan Am flight who is also a struggling model. Neerja has recently been divorced from an arrange marriage and is a huge Rajesh Khanna's fan. Her first flight as a purser gets hijacked by terrorists.

Another actor who has done a commendable job is Shabana Azmi, she is so compassionate as the mother of Neerja that you can feel the pain and loss through her character.

In its essence Neerja is not just a biopic, its a drama with thrilling ride of tension. Perfectly paced and well directed, the movie is a must watch. I have not discussed much because i do not want to spoil the ,movie for you. So go and watch it. Neerja- 9/10:Must watch www . filmicsite.wordpress .com

Life has to be bigger not longer! The film, Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization in Karachi. How she bravely handled the situation is what the film has been made on.

Director is the real hero of this movie. Ram Madhvani describes every part, every scene of the film very wonderfully. Along with the writers, he is not giving outside of the track and thus, this film is a gem of 2016! Shabana Azmi has done a fantabulous job in the character of Neerja's mother. Though, she has not much dialogues, but her expressions show her emotions, and they are very real that everyone was crying literally. When she gave a speech on Neerja in the end, I was not able to control my emotions. Tears were flowing continuously. She will be the winner of best supporting actress in the major award ceremony undoubtedly.

Sonam Kapoor has given career best performance. She could've been portrayed her well. But, whatever she has given is acceptable. Yogendra Tikku as Neerja's father and Shekhar as Neerja's friend are good and suitable. The man who portrayed Khalil, the angriest terrorist, has done a fantastic job. He looks like a pure terrorist. Others are good, too.

Music is given by Vishal Khurana and lyrics has been penned by Prasoon Joshi. All the songs are listenable again and again. Background score is also suitable and helps to build the terror as well as the excitement.

Connection with Rajesh Khanna, Neerja's past describing her marriage issue, her father's advises, her handling of the passengers, her smartness of not taking the U.S. citizens' passports, her calmness, her love letter written by her lover, her love towards her duty, her sacrifice - everything is just so perfect. I'm no getting over from it. This is probably one of the best films of this year.

I salute you from the bottom of my heart to Neerja Bhanot, the actual one. She has been rewarded Ashok Chakra by the government of India. Though, Airlift was a good one, but, this deserves support from the audience. This is definitely better than Airlift. Please, it's my humble request to all that go and watch out the story of the brave girl, Neerja. Her mother told that Neerja was prettier than Sonam. Yes, the photographs in the end credits give the approval to this statement. A girl, aged 23, lost her life while saving the passengers during her job. Watch it and think that where we reached till now! Massive respect!

It doesn't always happen in bollywood that a movie stays right on track till the very end. Usually, the ill-fitted humor or obtruded songs take the starch out of the story line. I found that problem with airlift!

But this movie is almost free from all such distractions and the director has been very disciplined. Shabana Aazmi has stolen the show with her immaculate acting. I was quite skeptical about Sonam Kapoor's acting capabilities in a movie backed by such a strong script, but thankfully no emotional scenes have been imposed on her and her aptness has been used very smartly by the director!

'Aisa Kyun Maa' song is quite emotional and beautifully spun into the fabric of the movie.

As everyone knows, Neerja is based on the brave airhostess who lost her life saving many others during the unforgettable Pan Am hijacking of 1986. When it comes to hijacking dramas, the first and the best film that comes to my mind is United 93, a terrifying drama set on the only flight that crashed on an empty paddock during the infamous 9/11 attacks. As far as I can remember, Bollywood's last attempt in this genre was the mediocre Shiny Ahuja film, Hijack. So it was with some trepidation that I went to watch Neerja, but in the end, I was simply bowled over!

The biggest positive I can say about the film, and I would want to say right at the start itself, the film never lets down the spirit of Neerja Bhanot. While Bollywood biopics have the tendency to put masala in stories of real life personalities, Neerja thankfully avoids that! If Neerja was a hero in real life, Ram Madhvani is the real hero of the film. It is to his credit that he has made such a compelling drama that will keep you on the edge of your seats. The entire hijacking situation is so brilliantly shot that you feel that you are a part of the life threatening drama. The tension you feel in the scenes are palpable, especially when the terrorists realise there is no hope for them and they become reckless. The docu style camera work heightens the sense of claustrophobia in you. The background score is tense and brilliantly done. But where Ram Madhvani actually scores is how he shot the final moments of Neerja's sacrifice – intense yet emotionally wrought. If those scenes don't bring tears from your eyes, your heart is definitely made of stone. Another thing that worked for the film is the casting. From the main leads to even the supporting ones, everyone has done Justice to their roles. The makers must be lauded for choosing relative new comers in the other roles, as it works in creating a sense of realism. The actors playing the terrorists totally look their part, especially the one playing Khalil. But the film would not have been what it is, if it was not for the film's main leads. Despite her limitations (her voice is still not so easy to adjust), Sonam is the heart and soul of the film. This is a role that she can show her detractors and ask them to just shut up! She is terrific, especially in the second half, where her eyes speak a lot, of fear, of courage. Shabana Azmi is great, as always and her final speech will definitely make you cry if you haven't started yet. Yogendra Tiku, who plays Sonam's father in the film, is another actor to look out for. In his debut film, composer Shekhar Ravjiani is pretty likable in his small role. Also, if a scene or two would have shown about how the Indian Government reacted to the situation, it would have been great.

Neerja's last words to her mother in the film is a famous Rajesh Khanna dialogue about Pushpa and her tears! Even though I hate them a lot, you just can't leave the hall with dry eyes! Aamir, you have more company in the crying club.

Go watch one of the best Hindi films made in recent times ASAP!

The story of Neerja Bhanot is one of courage in the face of grave danger. It is a story that needed to be told and should have been told much earlier. Sonam's acting capabilities will surely be silenced by her portrayal of Neerja. But there is room for improvement. Neerja epitomizes professionalism. There are moments in the second half where the plot seems to drag. But the climax is powerful and makes up for that. Very touchy scene in which she reads out a letter by her abusive husband. Azmi, gave a knock-out performance as Bhanot's mother. With hardly any sign of self-indulgence, Sonam gives a solid performance. Good screenplay by Saiwyn Quadras. Excellent direction by Directed Ram Madhvani. Much much better than Mary kom.

"A fact of life we all die. But the positive impact you have on others will be a living legacy. Catherine Pulsifer.

This movie could not have been a better tribute to Neerja.

Her sacrifice and courageous act should never be forgotten. You feel a sense of pride knowing that she cared about saving as many lives as possible on that day.

The story was well done and I have to applaud the cast, especially Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi, who played their respected roles amazingly.

As a Pakistani, I believe this movie deserves continuous recognition and it is a must watch for everyone to understand why Neerja truly is India's daughter.

Thank you for making this movie!

NEERJA: This is a Masterpiece, a movie that's going to be kept in the league of classics. It seldom happens that a Director achieves such a finesse in his first major project but Ram Madhvani, who has been directing award winning commercials for over twenty years, defies all conventions giving us an amazing experience that reminds us of the types of Dark Knight. The best thing Ram did is to keep the dialogs in each characters' native language that gives it a feel of real time cinema. The background music creates an ambiance of tension making you feel traveling in the same plane that got hijacked in Karachi in 1986. The cinematography is so real as if you are watching the events happen live. The dark shades ensure that colors don't snatch away the tense mood throughout. The sets, the interiors, the costumes, the make up are so real to recreate the time when this event happened. And above all, it is powerful performances by everyone in the frame that keeps you holding your breathe, that keeps you getting lumps in your throat, that makes your heart beat fast and at some times makes your eyes wet. Sonam Kapoor has unexpectedly given her not only career best performance but also one of the best Bollywood has witnessed over the years. Her body language, costumes, make up, expressions, and slang all look perfectly aligned with what could be expected out of the protagonist. Shabnana Azmi as her mother nails it down with her speech in the end. She proves that art is age defiant and she still can give audience the goosebumps. And the character that despite carrying no stardom yet succeeded to leave a strong impression on my mind is that of the anger dominated terrorist who reminded me about the Joker in The Dark Knight. His intense performance really deserves an applause for it is he who succeeds in making audience feel the terror the victims might have felt in reality. Too good a movie with perfection delivered in every aspect. No way it could have been even a little better than what it is. This one is going to stay a long time in my mind. DEFINITELY A MOVIE NOT TO BE MISSED FOR ANY REASON. RATING 10/10

I am glad that a movie was made(an inspiration) on the life of the late Neerja Bhanot. Frankly, if not for the movie, I'd not have known(like many of us) or be reminded about the brave air hostess or the Pan Am hijacking. So, the effort behind this cinema has to be applauded. Besides releasing this tribute, the noteworthy achievement of the movie has been the construction of the hijacked plane(looks amazingly convincing on screen), the music, the edge of the seat tension and the heartwarming mother-daughter relationship.

Although the film has its share of flaws(including the weak final moments in the plane), it's a work that's to be appreciated for the attempt to show us what it must have been like for a young lady to make split second decisions to save hundreds of lives under extreme circumstances. The movie can provoke you to think how you'd have reacted(as a passenger or staff) in such a situation and if you'd have been as daring or defiant.

Talking about the performances, although Sonam Kapoor got a great role, the greater performance came from Shabana Azmi as her mother. She was simply stellar and probably the highlight of her role is at the end, when she speaks about her daughter. The speech is a heart wringer. Talking about Neerja the character, to essay it is like once in a lifetime opportunity even among the best & brightest in Bollywood(the casting team surely didn't search beyond Bollywood names). Indeed Sonam Kapoor is talented but still very young. They say an actor is only as good as a director who directs him or her and I felt, Sonam could have been guided better especially in some of the do or die, emotionally draining scenes which could have been a struggle even among industry veterans. It was like asking her to do a Picasso or Michaelangelo painting and expect the work to be as good as the original! Even so, given the responsibility & importance of the role, Sonam does exceedingly well but her finest yet as an actor? Maybe but hope to see better. But she has proudly proved here what she is capable of. And now, let me humbly say, the actor who truly steals the show in Neerja is Jim Sarbh as one of the terrorists Khalil. A brilliantly crazy, maniacal performance!

Where did I think the movie is a let down? For one, like I said, the movie makers failed Sonam Kapoor especially in few very difficult to do scenes where she could have been guided better(and also with some of the child actors). And then I was disappointed with how the climax moments in the hijack were shot, specifically the camera angles. I can't tell more really without it being a spoiler. Another scene is when Khalil pins Sonam to the wall demanding for the American passports - that scene too could have been captured better(without me revealing more).

The movie is a one-time watch. Watch it, if you will, to get a glimpse of how extraordinarily daring Neerja Bhanot was.

Once in a few years comes a story so compelling and true that one needs to watch it...and when you get treated with sheer brilliance on screen from the direction to acting to casting, you could not ask for a better deal..

The soft hearted ones like me will need a lot of tissue throughout the movie and there will be moments when you would want to cry out loud for the helplessness of a Mother who has no option but to stay strong...The relation of Mother-Daughter is portrayed beautifully and Sonam does justice to a role tailor made for her (and I say this not being a fan of Sonam's acting)...Shabana Azmi delivers a power-packed performance just as was expected of her..

All in All a wonderful movie...a movie that jolts you somewhere and make you want to rise to a few occasions in your daily life too, where a little bravery if not as much as Neerja showed can be portrayed..

Must Watch!

I've been looking fwd to watch this movie from the time the trailer was released. The trailer n content did seem promising, however considering it was a woman eccentric movie, i really wasn't expecting much.Little did i know it was based on true event.While watching the movie, one can definitely feel the tension and you tend to resonate with the whole situation, forgetting you're watching a movie. It was indeed an heroic act by the late neerja, hats off to her!! I have never been a fan of sonam as to me she's been a wannabe or just a fashionista.But hey i changed my mind now. Her performance was commendable. Sonam did justice to her character by bringing it alive in the movie.Shabana azmi should be applauded..she portrayed the agony of a mother n i could instantly feel the pain a mother goes through knowing her child is in danger. Must say the entire team has done a great job by documenting the tragic incident that happened back in 1986, n they took blessings from the deceased family. It's never easy making a story of a real person who lost her life, relentlessly trying to save lives of 360 hostage on-board..loved the part how she acted out fast n brilliantly under the most unusual circumstances by alerting the pilot's n also insisting on having the cabin crews to collect the passport to only hide away all the American passports..watching this movie reminded me of the recent tragedy of the missing flight of MH370 that hasn't yet gotten any closure..do watch the movie to pay tribute and respect to an untold story of a young brave heart that should be known to the world.

Hollywood filmmakers could learn a few things from filmmakers in India when it comes to making a movie about a true story. The drama "Neerja" (NR, 2:02), about one of India's national heroes, is a prime example of that. This story needed no embellishments, and screenwriters Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyukta Shaikh Chawla along with Ram Madhvani, directing only his second feature film, clearly understand that. No typical Hollywood phrases like "inspired by a true story" or "based on true events" were needed. These Indian filmmakers respected history enough to tell this story as it actually happened, accurate in the film's major plot points and its relatively minor details. Hollywood, THIS is how you tell a true story.

Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor) is a 22-year-old flight attendant, about to celebrate her 23rd birthday. She's a happy and vibrant young woman, as we see during a birthday party early in the film. We also notice how beautiful Neerja is. She was a model, but her emotionally abusive husband pressured her to quit so she could spend more time and energy tending to his needs. Eventually, Neerja made the socially difficult decision to get a divorce. She then went to work for Pan Am Airlines. Neerja's mother, Rama (Shabana Azmi) asks her to leave the airline and go back to modeling. "I like my job," is Neerja's reply. So, in the early morning hours of September 5, 1986, Neerja drags herself out of bed and gets ready to go work a flight from Mumbai to New York, by way of Karachi, Pakistan and Frankfurt, Germany. Her boyfriend, Jaideep (Shekhar Ravjiani) shows up at her parents' house to drive Neerja to the airport. He hands her an early birthday gift and makes her promise not to open it until her birthday, two days later.

This is a big day for Neerja. It's her first time being a lead flight attendant, a promotion which turns out to be very fortunate for the passengers and crew of Pan Am Flight 73. When the plane lands in Karachi to pick up more passengers for the next leg of its scheduled flight, four of those passengers turn out to be terrorists with the Abu Nidal Organization. As they begin to take control of the plane (which is still on the ground), Neerja quickly warns the flight crew, who at first hesitate, but then follow protocol and abandon the cockpit so they can't be forced to fly the plane. The hijackers demand that new pilots be sent to the plane, but are forced into lengthy negotiations with Pakistani authorities. Throughout the ordeal, Neerja helps her fellow flight attendants keep calm and leads them in taking care of the passengers as well as possible. As the standoff between the terrorists and airport officials drags on, we periodically see short flashbacks of Neerja's past, showing us who she is as a person, how she got to this point in her life and why she's able to remain strong in such extraordinary circumstances. On the plane, we see Neerja continually insist on being the one to deal with the terrorists personally. In doing so, she puts her own life at risk – increasingly so when she secretly works against them and as the terrorists become more and more agitated until this true story reaches its dramatic and shocking conclusion.

From an American perspective, "Neerja" is a combination of 2006's "United 93" and 2013's "Captain Phillips", but it's even more remarkable when you realize that what Neerja accomplished was through her own singular strength of character and force of will and with the help of only a handful of similarly brave flight attendants. The first few scenes of the film and the flashbacks that we see during the hijacking are well-placed and, more importantly, provide excellent character development which makes the audience feel that they are really starting to get to know Neerja as a person. The acting is excellent and the film is well-paced and not exploitive in any way. Neerja isn't shown as a super woman – just a virtuous and determined one. The hijackers aren't being shown in order to make any political point – only because they were violent men who did terrible things. The ending isn't there to make the film overly emotional – just true and factual. (Hollywood filmmakers, are you paying attention?) The great thing about this film for westerners is, for most of us, the story is fresh and new. Yes, the movie is in Hindi with English subtitles, but English-speaking Movie Fans who are open-minded enough to give a "foreign film" a shot will be richly rewarded. More than "just" a story about a famous young Indian woman, this story involves Americans in a significant way, and, even if it didn't, Neerja's heroism knows no nationality. Her actions represented humanity at its finest and should be a lesson to all of us. I'm very thankful that the Indian filmmakers responsible for this movie had the talent and the integrity to tell the story so well and so truthfully. Neerja deserves no less and audiences need no more. "A+"

Bravery has a new name and its Neerja. Neerja Bhanot saved the lives of 350+ passengers when a Pan AM flight was hijacked in Karachi Pakistan,by Libyan terrorists.She gave her life to save the lives of everyone on that flight and she was just a 22 year old, air hostess. The courage she showed, is something very special especially at such a tender age, she could have saved her own life first, but she did not.Neerja is a real hero, a real life superhero. Honestly words cant describe her bravery.India, Pakistan, and USA all gave there bravery awards to Neerja Bhanot. After watching Neerja, the date September.5/1986 will haunt me forever, but I will always feel a sense of pride for India's true daughter Neerja Bhanot. Neerja is close to a flawless film, the film is a realistic drama about a true event. A horrific event which is depicted in the film without any commercial trapping, the film grips you from the first frame, and Neerja doesn't let you go till the tear jerking climax. Neerja is a film which is taunt, thrilling, its shocking, its grim, and its a film with some flawless performances. But above all its one of the most heroic films I have ever seen.

Story wise the film is based on the life of Neerja Bhanot who was shot dead by terrorists when trying to save 3 children who hijacked Pan Am flight 73 in Karachi on 5 September 1986. The aircraft was carrying 361 passengers and 19 crew members. What happened on the flight during the 17+ hr hijack is what the film is about.

Acting wise Sonam Kapoor is a revelation, she is not Sonam, but she completely transforms into Neerja. The way she displays her vulnerability, and bravery on screen is completely awe inspiring. Has she already won the best actress award in February, well it seems like it. Its her career best act. Watch out for the scene, when she hides the American passports fearlessly. Shabana Azmi plays the relentless mother role to perfection. She plays the typical punjabi mother, but the way Azmi handles the role its something to marvel at. Her last monologue in Neerja will give you in goosebumps, and have you in tears. Yogendra Tiku was good. All the characters playing the terrorists were good and portrayed well, they weren't clichéd. The man playing Khalil was menacing to core and the best of the lot by far.

Neerja is a great film, and I don't have to hesitate even once before saying this. The film is shot so one feels a suffocated feeling as if the viewers are apart of the plane. Every character, every sequence feels realistic to the core nothing is commercialized, no cinematic liberties are taken. Neerja is very gripping from the first frame to the last, one never feels bored. What we are served up as viewers is a taunt, thrilling drama, which leaves one shocked and eventually in tears. The film has a dark tone, and some of the scenes will be hard to stomach for some viewers because of violence etc.The films last 30 min is when film is at its best, during the pre climax evacuation, and climax monologue. Bring tissues because you will surely cry in the last 30 mins of the film. I also loved how the film would overshadow the past and Neerja's character got strength from her past divorce, parents etc to handle the terrorists.The films music was average. The pace in 2nd half starts to slow down a bit. But these are minor flaws. One might call the film melo dramatic, but these melo dramatic emotions are real raw emotions one feels in a situation of this type that is shown in Neerja.

Overall I wont so much more other than go watch Neerja because its story about a real Indian hero, and because Neerja is a great film. This film will be remembered for a long time. Finally Salute to Neeraj Bhanot, thank you for being brave, when every one else was scared, you are a true hero.

4/5* or 8/10

Novice director Ram Madhvani has given emotional tribute to Indian daughter. Script was really brilliant. Good to see the inclusion of dialogues of KAKA's filmography like Zindgi badi(Big) honi chhaiye, Lambi nahi. Great narration of story using flashbacks. Performance wise this movie has the best performance of Sonam. Great contribution of Shabana as mother of Neerja. She was terrific through the cinema. Yogendra and Shekhar were good in small role. Jim Sarbh surprised the audience with role of eccentric terrorist. Neerja shown another dimension for Bollywood. This genre of cinema must need support from audience to survive and spread blossom across the world.

To begin with I wanna say some good things associated with this movie. A trend is coming to India… a trend of sensible movies... where audience no longer appreciates bakwaaas very much. Neerja is even a step ahead as it presents us with a 'biography' of an extraordinary girl.

The movie is about how Neerja acts bravely in a tight situation of a plane hijack and helps rescue about 360 people out of a total of 380 members. Her bravery acts include hiding passports of American passengers, not panicking in a hijack situation, offering her duty and thus shedding passengers of their burden, opening the exit emergency door at the peak moment and most important not leaving till last passenger has been secured in her senses. At last she is killed but this martyr has secured a place that is not parallel to anything else.

I just wanted to convey a message to all biography makers. Do include credits or original people in your movies... example the award receiving part could have been shown with original mother, end credits of her new found love along with family members could also have been great.

Rating : 8.0/10

I went to see the movie after reading many user and critic reviews. The moment all the credits rolled up and that rock song started playing, I felt like killing all those users and critics -_-

**Camera** 20 minutes into the movie and you'll realize the cameraman had some personal grudges with Sonam Kapoor. In most of her scenes either camera is very shaky or jerky. In all the other scenes the frame was quite stable. Sudden out-of-focus and uncomfortable zooming into the scene is clearly observable.

**Music** There was this very gripping emotional moment when Sonam reads the letter, overall aura of the scene was very dramatic and kinda helpless depressing, just when I was about to connect to her character this song started playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39W9cxXZwPM -_- I could imagine the choir vocalist, smiling while recording this song! How can they brutally lift us (audience) from that emotional scene! If they would have removed that "AA AA EE", slowed the tempo and then added that song, I definitely would have cried like Aamir Khan, instead they thought only 10-15 year old will watch this movie and it would be too depressing for them -_-

**Sonam Kapoor** Biggest disappointment! Whoever said that in Neerja, Sonam is like Kangna of Queen deserves a tight slap. Sonam doesn't know how to act dysaniac! I mean that is the only thing anyone can act, except Sonam -_- while reading her husband rant letters she was so blunt that Shabana Azmi had to literally stand and shut her up by covering her face (saying "Beta Tumse Na ho Paega" in her mind) They way she replied to terrorists before distributing water, no voice modulation, no pauses -_- a news anchor reads teleprompter screen better than her. Except Sonam, everyone in the movie acted brilliantly (even Shekhar, a musician in real life)

Editing, storyline, screenplay, dialogues everything seemed so non-appealing that now I think they just made the movie for the sake of it, like making biopics is the new sexy. I am specifically furious on critics and users for giving a false image. The movie deserves nothing more than 3/5 or 7/10 (and that too only because of Shabana Azmi's speech and the end credits slide show of actual Neerja's pictures with "Jeete Hal Chal" in playback)

The movie was an amazing representation of a young woman that risked everything to protect her passengers and crew while aboard Pan Am Flight 73. It was truly wonderful to see Neerja Bhanot brought back to life in such a poignant and courageous manner. From the moment the movie starts to the moment it ends it gives you a true understanding of what the passengers and crew must have really felt like on the morning of September 5th 1986, the siege was quite hard to view but that part had to be played out for you as a viewer to completely understand what Neerja and her Pan Am colleagues risked to protect the passengers onboard. I am British and despite the movie being subtitled it didn't distract me whatsoever because of the sheer power of the acting and the way it played out for the duration of the film. I truly implore anyone than hasn't already seen the film to go and see it and I challenge you to leave not feeling a sense of sorrow because it's an impossible task! I left with tears in my eyes, the song that plays at the end "Jeete Hain Chal" finished it off beautifully. A truly excellent movie that told the story of a young woman and her crew who checked in for a flight to Frankfurt but changed the course of history forever.

I never liked S. Kapur on silver screen.

I am hard core Neerja Bhanot fan and proud of her sacrifices but coming to Sonoma spoor I really didn't she doing this role.

Because I feel there dozen's of actress who could have done this role 10 times better than her. She is the most backwash actress of Bellwood, fake, show off and I hate her presence on celluloid.

So kindly spare us.

From the cinematic horror.

Only neerja bhanot's mom character moved me by her acting skills.

I hope from next time film makers will get real actors on the board than this actress

There are bad movies made with no story, there are good movies made from very thin plots. But rarely, you come across a movie that is bad, even though the story/plot material was outstanding. This is one of those.

I rarely write reviews of movies, usually i find someone else's review i agree with. But, in this case, i had no choice, since this extremely ordinary movie has been hyped up just because it is an inspirational real life story.

This movie is boring, plain, has ineffective performances and does not do any justice to the actual story. It is tough to imagine how the movie could have been made any worse, even melodramas of 60s would be better than this. And who ever cast sonam kapoor for this needs to get their head checked. She has the acting range of a fish.

I had high expectations for this movie, mainly due to the fact that the story is based on true and tragic events, but also for telling the heroic and devastating tale of Neerja Bhanot.

In the words of Batman: a hero is as good as his villain. The protagonist is trying to deliver her a-game acting, while the antagonists are just bunch of third degree actors whose acting is limited due to their incapability of communicating.

For the purpose of film making and thus the entertainment value, even a story based on true events needs some twists to let the viewer relive the monstrosity happened during the situation.

The terrorists not being capable of normally communicating in a language, leaves the whole plot a bit dull and boring.

Sonam Kapoor was perhaps not the right choice for this role, but I understand the casting: they wanted to make her look like Neerja Bhanot. But never did the film makers took her acting capabilities in consideration.

So this movie telling the heroism of Neerja Bhanot weighs more and considerate than critics being honest and judging the film for its flaws and dull plot.

It was totally not worth the wait.

Neerja is the true story of Air-Hostess Neerja Bhanot. Not revealing any spoiler because you already know How this film is going to end. Sonam Kapoor deserved a film like this in her career because She was trying very hard to play a strong character from the beginning. The part of Neerja was little under acted but it was visible that She was giving her best. The direction was great too but I can't figure this out why tense films like this requires Songs? I hated that moment of film very much. I hope this film don't flop so more quality driven film will be made. Thank You Neerja team for telling the tale of Neerja Bhanot to Indian masses.

.....Sonam still can't act! That woman can't cry for s*** and her dubbing skills are AWFUL. For those who think she acted well(considering her standards), go back and watch the scene where she cries after singing and her miserable dubbing sense during the first 15 minutes of the movie is cringe-worthy. She got better, but that's not called "good acting", just nope. Unnecessary songs (why, Bollywood, why?) and a few ridiculously slow paced scenes aside, it is a decent watch. Engaging storytelling, but the direction could have been better. Seriously, I like watching movies of this genre and the direction failed to satisfy me. Needed some more effort in the casting arena as well. The editing of this movie is plane brilliant(see what I did there?). The camera work makes it an engaging affair. You should watch it once and you'll like it just the way you liked Airlift. ;)

This movie is based on the final moments of a model cum air hostess Neerja Bhanot, where she died on a hijacked plane in an attempt to save the passengers. Although many people watching this movie know the final outcome, the scenes beautifully powered by Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi are a treat to watch. The moments especially focusing on Shabana Azmi and her attempt to keep hope in times of despair are gut wrenching and will definitely leave you in tears.

The story stays true to the real life, with no extra melodrama and no unnecessary song sequences. This movie, unlike many other stories, does not specify from the beginning that Neerja was a brave girl. We are with her when she is frantic, when she is remembering moments from her past abusive marriage. We see her develop as a character.

Majority of the film takes place in the plane and none of the scenes appear to be wasted. One particular scene where Neerja locks herself in the bathroom of the plane after a certain tragic incident is beautifully shot. The director and the cameramen skilfully compare the abusive husband with the terrorist and slowly Sonam gathers courage.

Honestly, I am not a big Sonam Kapoor fan. I have watched some of her movies and the only movie that I liked her in was Raanjhana. But in this movie, she acts literally from every pore of her body. She pulls off scenes involving intense emotions and scenes with some respite with utter grace. We get a good ensemble of large supporting cast in terms of passengers and Neerja's family.

This is a film which will definitely make you teary eyed.

Salute Neerja Bhanot. She is the real icon of peace and kindness. Real bravery actually saw in his character. Actually, the heroism of her life is shown in this movie. her life was full of joy, bravery, kindness, emotion, humanities, and of course heroism. Salute to her and salute her family for such a kindness for humanities.

I liked this movie. The story was good, rigid, concrete and the main punch may be "Based on a true story". I think this is not a biopic or biography movie. The movie just followed the few hours of the on board a Pan Am plane which terrorists had hijacked. The director tried to justify some other emotional attachment (like, her bad relation with her husband, her friend and some parties). Though the story was very good But the director needed to clarify this emotional attachment. These small incomplete things harmed the story's flow. The director unnecessary put some scene of emotion and character development was very poor (Neerja was a model or hostess? Same time or not? Was she divorced? What was the cause of the party at the beginning of the movie? What was the relation with the man who gave her lift to the airport? What was her mother, brothers name and what was her father's occupation?) I am not telling we need A to Z information but lack of information may not gave us the proper delight as a movie. Sometimes I felt the director only concentrated the onboard action and the activities and may forget about the rest of the story of neerja. The acting of lead characters are not satisfactory, music and background score was horrible, lack of information and clarity about the political and authority's activities at that time.

But after all of this, I want to say the movie was good because of the story and again I want to salute Ms. Neerja Bhanot.

This type of real stories must have been told. Director Mr. Ram Madhvani work is good. Story line was clear in trailer itself. Screenplay by Saiwyn Qadras, offers few good and emotional scenes, like when mother is trying to get up her daughter. The chemistry between mother and daughter clearly reflects the bonding. An old lady asks to air hostess about her marital status, supposedly looking for bride for her grand son travelling with her, it looks real and makes you smile but this approach goes over board in many scenes too, like the flash cut of Mother doing a bit melodrama after getting the news of plane hijack, boy friend crying in the front of her hoarding, as if they were sure about the end. Main lead had pushed to sing a song and she sings 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani', it looks like a humorous scene but the place it comes you will be in dead confusion to laugh or feel irritation. Even it would be a real incident but writers should have been improvised it in touchy manner. Film starts on good note but then gradually slows down in first half. Second half starts on slow pace but maintains its pace in good way till climax. Hand held camera work gives much needed impact to build up the tension but they used this in home scenes too, which suffocates the scope of few relief. There was no scope for dialogues except the climax dialogues, which are very good but it should have been little crisp. Dialogues credit goes to Sanyukta Chawla Sheikh . Performance wise Sonam Kapoor as Neeraja Bhanot is impressive. #JimSarbah as terrorist Khalil is very good. His portrayal of character is so believable that you have to remind yourself that it is a movie. Shabana Aazmi shows her caliber in climax speech. One time watch is my request to support and pay respect to such type of selfless and brave human being like Neeraja Bhanot, who got bravery award from India, Pakistan and US, very rare combination of nations coming together to salute one person.

Dear Col Needham (IMDB founder),

I hope the infiltration by mediocre and average Indian movies into the IMDb Top 250 has not escaped your attention. Neerja is one such average Indian film which patriotic Indian users have overrated on IMDb.

To be fair, the film does get pretty good after the crappy title sequence (with the dance party at Bhanot's house) which is used to establish what a chilled out and nice person Bhanot was. But there are too many scenes to emphasize her goodness and this does get on your nerves. The scenes with the terrorists preparing to enter the airport were quite gripping. Though they were not particularly original or anything.

The way the writers slipped in Bhanot's flashback during the hostage situation was also nothing to write home about. It wasn't a bad idea. But nothing great came out of it. In fact, it was quite distracting.

The hostage situation did not seem to be well thought out by the director/writer. Sonam Kapoor (as Bhanot) takes unbelievable liberties inside the plane. At one point, she simply gets up and says I'm going to serve food for everyone during the hostage situation. And the terrorists just say yeah yeah. Wtf? It was such an irritating scene.

Jim Sarbh steals the show as one of the terrorists. But even he is handicapped by a lack of gripping scenes during the hostage situation and after a point he simply walks around snarling. Two of the other terrorists hardly have any space in the hostage situation.

Sonam's performance is unpleasantly average. She brings nothing to the role. Apart from the fact that her role is pretty one dimensional, Sonam's irritating voice, fake expressions and over made-up face are highly annoying. The casting choice itself was baffling since Kapoor looked nothing like Bhanot. Keerti Sanon or Kangna Ranaut would have suited the role physically.

Shabana Azmi has been phoning it in for quite some time now. This performance is no different.

The director/writer seem to have been intent on borrowing the style of films like Syrianna, Zero Dark Thirty etc.

Anyway Col, Shawshank Redemption and some of the superhero movies also deserve to be thrown out of the Top 250.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(4/10)