By Akshay Acharya Mumbai, Nov 26 : .As India remembers the 13th anniversary of the massacre of innocent civilians by Pakistani terrorists, and the martyrs in uniform, this is a summary of the web series and films that told their stories.
FILMS The Attacks of 26/11: This Ram Gopal Varma directedorial presents a sequential account of the events that occurred on that fateful night.It is the only Indian mainstream cinema that chronicles the attacks.
The movie shows the entire story, from the planning, transit, and execution of the attacks to Ajmal Kasab being captured alive and how the administration managed to control the situation.
Nana Patekar plays Rakesh Maria, the former Police Commissioner of Mumbai.
The film, which was released in 2013, follows a non-linear storytelling approach as the officer recounts the events in an official inquiry.
Varma had previously told IANS that there were no more terrifying attacks than those in New York on September 11, 2001.
But I thought the attack on Mumbai was more shocking because of the sheer audacity with which they were executed.
Taj Mahal: This French-Belgian thriller-drama was directed by Nicolas Saada.It was released in 2015.It tells the story from the point of view of a victim, a young girl who travels to Mumbai with her parents after her father is posted to Maximum City.
The family decides to stay at the Taj Mahal Palace until they have their accommodation.The fate of the family takes an unexpected twist and the little girl is forced to stay in the hotel while her parents go out for dinner.
The film was also shown at the Venice Film Festival due to its narrative and storytelling.
One Less God: Lliamworthington’s 2017 film, One Less God, recasts the horror at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel attack from the point of view of both the perpetrators as well as the hotel guests held hostage by gunpoint.The film is based on true events but the two perspectives are fictional.
Hotel Mumbai: This action thriller, directed by Anthony Maras from Australia, tells the story of the courage of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel staff who went beyond their duty to serve guests and helped with rescue operations.They also stood by them through thick and thin.Based on the documentary “Surviving Mumbai”, the film stars Jason Isaacs, Jason Isaacs, Anupam Karer, Armie Hammer and Nazanin Booniadi.
Maras shared his thoughts on the film with IANS.”It all began when I saw Surviving Mumbai’.We had easy access to the transcripts as well as access to those who had lived through it.We spent a lot of time listening to their stories and focusing on them.We had the pleasure of meeting them in person or by video calling to get a sense of what it was like to live through such an experience.
Maras and John Collee, his co-writer, had solid source material in the form interviews, documents from Kasab’s trial, victim statements, transcripts of satellite communications between terrorists and their handlers, provided by the police, and trhe local authority.
WEB SERIES
State of Siege – 26/11: The Zee5 eight episode series is based upon the authoritative book ‘Black Tornado : The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11’ written by Sandeep Unnithan.The series is directed by Matthew Leutwyler, Prashant Singh and stars Arjan Bajwa and Jyoti Gani, Vivek Dashiya and Tara Alisha Berry.
The thing that makes ‘State of Siege 26/11’ different from other books is the way it presents the story through the eyes of NSG commandos.They took control of the situation from Mumbai Police in November 27 and neutralised terrorists by November 29.This allowed for civilian movement to be restored and rescued the city from the clutches of the gunmen.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11: Recently, we had the Prime Video series “Mumbai Diaries 26/11” directed by Nikkhil Avani.The eight-episode series stars Mohit Raina and Konkona Sen Sharma, Prakash Belawadi and Sonali Kulkarni.It also features Satyajeet Dubey as Satyajeet Dubey.
It follows the story medical professionals as they manage the massive influx of victims and provide treatment despite crumbling healthcare infrastructure.
Advani explained to IANS why he told their story.
You can see the drama inherent in saving lives, and then you get to learn about the lives of the unsung heroes: the doctors and nurses.
Advani described the strength and resilience displayed by the medics.
It made me realize that these first responders and medical professionals, who work under extreme pressure in government hospitals, do the most courageous work almost every day.
DOCUMENTARIES
Terror in Mumbai: This HBO documentary examines the multiple perspectives of security and administrative failures.Fareed Zakaria of CNN wrote ‘Terror in Mumbai’.This documentary combines eyewitness interviews, surveillance video and intercepted calls between the terrorists and their Pakistani controllers.
Mumbai Massacre: An episode from the acclaimed US-UK coproduction ‘Seconds From Disaster,’ which was directed by Stan Griffin.It reveals the security flaws that allowed Lashkar-etaiba terrorists to kill at will.
The episode features the accounts of survivors who recount their experiences and describe what happened on one of those dark, long and horrifying nights in Mumbai.
OTHER FILMS
Surviving Mumbai: A Victoria Midwinter Pitt directedorial broadcast in 2009.”Surviving Mumbai” is a television movie that follows a narrative style of documentary.It tells the story through the eyes of survivors who describe how they overcame the odds and managed to keep their nerves together in a very difficult situation.
Shahid: Hansal Mehta’s 2012 biographical drama is based upon Shahid Azmi, a lawyer and human rights activist.Rajkummar Rao stars in the film.
It examines the case Faheem ansari, who was charged with the 26/11 attacks but was later found not guilty due to lack of evidence.Faheem was Azmi’s last case before being killed by his assailants.
Embrace: This short film of 15 minutes, which was made by Los Angeles-based Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla in 2014, tells the story about a couple from America who visit Mumbai for a vacation, but become trapped in Taj Mahal Palace after the terrorist attacks.As their friends are killed, the couple holds on to their sanity.
They realize that all hope is lost and that no help will come their way.They make a life-altering choice to reunite with their son, whom they left behind in the homeland.
The aftermath of 26/11 attacks is portrayed in the 2015 movie Phantom: Kabir Khan.It stars Saif Ali Khan, an ex-serviceman who is forced into service by R&AW in order to exact revenge on the men who planned and coordinated the attacks.
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