A cleverly executed film.

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2019)

I am late to this party, but it was worth it. As much as i would strongly want to defend all those reviewers shooting the movie right at the temple, I'd rather shoot back the words. Hotel Mumbai has been on my watchlist since forever, and I am glad that I could finally put my brains to it.
This is one of those movies that I did not constantly judge, being a professional script writer, myself. The start to the movie is crisp, it gets to the point without beating around the bush, what I expect almost all the movies to do. The faster the problem, the better the screenplay. It gets very interesting with the initial violence. And for those complaining about it, please note that this is what has actually happened over those hours. As the screenplay progresses, it gets very very intriguing with the ways the characters are all settling down. An interesting aspect about the characters is that none of them reveal their attributes with their actions, it is often by the description or a remark that another character makes about them. This continues almost throughout the film.
The protagonist,Dev Patel has done a commendable job, however I wish he made a tad bit more impact being the conventional hero to the audience. Anupam Kher played an underdog, diligent, yet leaves an impression of a true hero. The other characters, each with their own inner and outer conflicts, specially the terrorists have an appreciable role.
It is very interesting how the director has staged everything in a confined space of just one huge hotel, though a task, it was well executed. However, the loose ends are quite visible themselves. Towards the end, the screenplay gets slightly clumsy and the most "dangerous" of them all fall flat every now and then, it almost seemed foolish.
Barring the flaws, it is a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a few nail biting scenes, and some unexpected situations that were detangled very cleverly by the writer. Overall, it is a must watch, and I give it an 8/10 stars.
Keep your cine mojo on.