Hotel Mumbai review: In November 2008, terrorists took to the streets of Mumbai and led calculated attacks on the Indian people. The incident took 164 lives and left 300 people injured. This film is a fictionalised account of those events, brought to the screen by seasoned shorts filmmaker, Anthony Maras, who writes and directs and is a well-staged and deeply empathetic account of those terrible events, largely within the confines of the five-star Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in the heart of the city.
Image credit: Courtesy of TIFF
Maras adopts a typical approach for this kind of film – focus upon a variety of characters all from different backgrounds. For example, we have two backpackers from Australia, rich hotel residents David (Armie Hammer) and Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), staying in the Taj with their live-in nanny Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), and also a Russian womaniser, played in delicious scene-stealing fashion by Jason Isaacs. There’s also the head chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher), and waiter Arjun (Dev Patel), just two of the hotel staff who aid guests as the terrorist wreak their havoc through the halls of the prestigious establishment. We also get an insight into the motivations behind assailants themselves (played here by Amandeep Singh, Suhail Nayyar, Yash Trivedi, and Gaurav Paswala), tracked from their initial arrival into the city, all of the way into the hotel taking out anyone they come across.
It’s harrowing stuff, as you may expect, Maras not holding back with the true horror of what went down ten years ago. The filmmaker splices archive footage into re-enacted stuff – the lines are very blurred, it’s that well-staged – sets perfectly constructed to recreate the Taj down to the final intricate detail. Like Paul Greengrass, the other filmmaker that instantly comes to mind who expertly handles this kind of subject matter, Maras brings a sensitivity to proceedings but isn’t afraid to shy away from the true horror.
There are set pieces, used to create tension, mostly involving Hammer and Boniadi’s new-born son, but surprisingly it never feels gratuitous. There’s always a feel present that no-one is safe, not even the big-name actor’s characters, another plus point that adds authenticity.
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Some of the characters do feel a little two-dimensional, and some of the dialogue a little hammy, but because of the overall acting quality on display, I was never bothered by it. Patel is particularly good, as too is the true hero of the piece, Anupam Kher as Oberoi, a true leader who unites his workers to save as many of their guests as possible. The fact that some don’t make it really tore into me and had me absolutely on the edge of my seat for most of the second half.
I’m not entirely sure if Hotel Mumbai will reach the heady heights of Oscar glory, but there’s a lot of quality on display here. Maras is truly a gifted, passionate filmmaker – one to watch – and the team that he has surrounded himself with are also truly exceptional. All of their input, along with the brilliant international adds up to an exceptional piece of work, one deserved of an audience. Just don’t expect to enjoy it.
Hotel Mumbai review by Paul Heath, September 2018.
Hotel Mumbai was reviewed at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Click here for all of our coverage.
