‘State of Siege: Temple Attack’ Movie review: Akshaye Khanna to the rescue
Ken Ghosh directs the second film in the Zee5 series.
The State of Siege series on Zee5 is for those who will never get their fill of Islamist terrorists with kohl in their eyes and sadism in their hearts. We meet a particularly nasty bunch of these gents in the second chapter. While the web series State of Siege: 26/11 (2020) revisited the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, the movie Temple Attack is a fictionalized version of the terrorist raid on the Akshardham complex in Gandhinagar in 2002.
Like in 26/11, the focus is on the highly-trained National Security Guards. Commando Hanut Singh (Akshaye Khanna) leads a team to rescue a minister’s daughter somewhere in Kashmir. The operation doesn’t go as planned, leading to doubts about Hanut’s capabilities.
Hanut gets his shot at redemption when a group of men invades the Krishna Dham temple in Gujarat and holds its staffers and visitors hostage. Hanut, who happens to be in the city as part of the chief minister’s security detail, lands up at the temple and proceeds to fire away against orders.
Written by William Borthwick and Simon Fantauzzo and directed by Ken Ghosh, the 110-minute film aims for maximum nerve-shredding through tensely choreographed action sequences. Frequent inter-cutting reveals that the commandoes and their adversaries are equally matched and motivated. The urgent background score suggests that a bomb will go off any minute. The terrorists’ handler (Abhimanyu Singh) frequently barks orders over the cellphone. As the cat-and-mouse games escalate, the brutal terrorists kill at will and prepare for a grand finale to their dastardly plan.
The state’s chief minister (Samir Soni) largely stays out of the picture. The civilians who are used as hostages or cannon fodder are mostly forgettable too. Despite the presence of Gautam Rode, Vivek Dahiya, and Parvin Dabas as various NSG personnel, the honors belong to Akshaye Khanna’s Hanut.
Both actor and character are admirably professional and restrained, suggesting that it’s all in a day’s work for both of them. Temple Attack is Khanna’s first foray into the digital space. True to form, the maverick actor has chosen a launchpad in which he is one among many but still able to stand out because of sheer star power.
Rating: 2.5/5
Platform: Zee5
Director: Ken Ghosh's
Director Ken Ghosh's latest movie State of Siege: Temple Attack is a mediocre action-thriller that works only because of a sincere Akshaye Khanna. It revolves around what happens when an NSG officer, who lost a friend because of an error in judgment during an operation, tries to neutralize those behind the attack on a temple in Gujarat.
Half-baked characters A film or series revolving around a hostage situation can work only if each and every character is fleshed out in detail. The global phenomenon of Money Heist is a case in point. It registered as each character -- right from 'The Professor' to Arturo -- got ample scope in the grand scheme of things. Similarly, Nagarjuna's movie Gaganam hit the right notes as the action felt organic and relatable.
This is exactly where Temple Attack falters. The opening 40 minutes, which should have introduced the viewer to the film's world, fall flat as the writing is as rushed as can be. Most of the characters haven't really been explored well enough. This makes most of the sequences feel staged rather than relatable. Things would have been different had the makers tried to focus on promising such plots as the bond between 'Chintoo' and his father and the track involving Major Samar.
Coming to the performances, Khanna salvages the film with his impressive work. He emotes with his eyes and adds depth to most scenes with his remarkable voice modulation. The rest of the cast-- which includes actors such as Gautam Rode, Sameer Soni, and Vivek Dahiya -- does not get much scope. Akshaye Oberoi's 'Special appearance' registers as the character is mentioned throughout the narrative.
Final thoughts
While it's encouraging to see an actor of Khanna's caliber embrace the digital medium, Temple Attack isn't the ideal launch vehicle for him. That said, he rises above a middling script, which bears testimony to his prowess. One can only hope that Temple Attack opens new avenues for the underrated actor, prompting him to take up better OTT projects in the near future.
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