Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond Review (Episodes 1-3): Jimmy Shergill, Lara Dutta’s Fine Performance Elevate This Series With Disappointing VFX!
Propaganda or not, you decide!
India’s retaliation to the ISIS-planned Pulwama attack will go down in history. Our brave air force pilots had taken the daunting task of air strikes on terrorist camps located in Pakistan’s Balakot. Many movies and series inspired by this event have been made till now, and here’s a new series titled Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond currently streaming on JioCinema. The 9-episode series stars Jimmy Shergill, Lara Dutta, Elnaaz Norouzi and Ashutosh Rana in lead roles, and is directed by Santosh Singh. As the title suggests, this series not only focuses on the planning of the air strike but also digs deep into the various media narratives and how the team faces the challenging task of rescuing an Indian pilot from Pakistan. I watched the first three episodes of this series, and while the storyline was quite predictable, I found the characters played by Jimmy Shergill and Lara Dutta very intriguing. Here’s a short review to decide whether you should watch Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond or not!
Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond (Episodes 1-3)
The first three episodes of Jimmy Shergill and Lara Dutta starrer Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond revolve around the plotting and execution of the gut-wrenching Pulwama attack by the ISIS on Indian soldiers and the country’s strong response with the Balakot air strike that destroyed many terrorist camps. Jimmy Shergil plays Kashyap Sinha, a former RAW agent who digs deep into the Pulwama attacks to come up with a strong action plan and prove himself again after a failed mission in Serbia. Ashutosh Rana plays the ISIS operative, Lara Dutta aces the character of a strong-headed woman whose expertise in modern warfare comes in handy to plan and execute the mission of India’s air strike on Balakot. Elnaaz Norouzi plays an agent of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad and Satyajeet Dubey plays the character of India’s undercover agent working with the terrorist organisation.
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What Works?
Performances
In the first three episodes of Santosh Singh’s Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, the actors deliver convincing performances. Jimmy Shergill as Kashyap Sinha shines throughout. Kudos to the writing as well! Kashyap Sinha has this tendency to deliver punchlines with a straight face and Jimmy Shergill is just flawless in these moments. The actor also portrays the internal fight of living the life of an ordinary agent after serving as a field agent. The simplicity yet the firmness to prove himself again is an impressive trait of the character and I am interested to see the character’s arc in the upcoming episodes.
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Ah, loved Lara Dutta’s confidence and energy in the first few episodes of the series. Her character has a charming personality and she also comes with a controversial past. Lara Dutta’s dialogue delivery is classy, just what her character demands. The character’s dress is also a symbol of the confidence she carries. Jimmy Shergill and Lara Dutta’s characters have a past and I was digging their chemistry throughout.
Ashutosh Rana as the ISIS operative is just effortless. His witty and wicked character was conventional and predictable, however the actor made it look interesting with his performance. Elnaaz Norouzi is convincing and I look forward to the more deadly aspects of her character in the next episodes. Satyajeet Dubey plays a naive and innocent undercover agent but by the end of the third episode, we see a surprising transformation in his character.
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Pace
The storytelling of Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond is also decent, and there are hardly any moments in the series which I found stretched or unnecessary.
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What Doesn’t Work?
The biggest problem that I had during the first three episodes was the repeated nature of Balakot’s narrative. While the plot brings some fresh angles, especially in the form of characters, Ranneeti has a predictable storyline in the first three episodes. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons with other films inspired by the same event. Some characters like the Pakistani officials or the terrorists look caricaturists and have been portrayed in a similar stereotypical way. It’s like, we’ve already seen enough of that! The VFX was not up to the mark and was one of the elements that could not hold my attention.
Verdict
Jimmy Shergill, Lara Dutta and Ashutosh Rana starrer Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond yet again deals with the themes of patriotism, India-Pakistan enmity, terrorist groups and a little more built on the foundation of the Balakot air strike. Jimmy Shergill and Lara Dutta’s characters are interesting to watch, at least in the first three episodes. and I am expecting the same in the other 6 as well. The cast has delivered an impressive performance despite the flaws in the scripts and the redundant narratives. The makers could have done a better job with the visuals tho! Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond further delves into the lies spread through media and becomes more complex which can make the web series an interesting watch. With 9 episodes each of approximately 45 minutes of running time, this series on JioCinema can be added to your weekend watch, and well, it’s on you to decide whether the series is propaganda or not!
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