User reviews

As i have discussed before, there has been a change in Indian Audience's movie choices last few years. Indians have started to appreciate Contemporary Cinema and is separating slowly from its cliché filled days of musicals. Bollywood for last few years have been evolving into something bigger and better. The trend it seems is still going strong.

Another trend which has been set since last 4 or 5 years: We have had many movies with strong female lead, having feminist approach. From English Vinglish(2012) to Queen(2013) and from last year's Dil Dhadakne Do to Masaan. We have had so many movies with positive perspective of females. And that trend is still on with latest Neerja.

Director Ram Madhvani's debut feature film is a strong well acted biopic with emotions filled to its core. The Movie will leave many viewers teary eyed. I want to thank the whole cast and production team of Neerja for introducing me to the brave and fearless Neerja Bhanot. The Youngest recipient of India's highest Bravery Award for saving hundreds of lives in a plane hijack.

Sonam Kapoor blends right into the core of Neerja's character, this is clearly her best movie of the career leaving her acting in Raanjhana way behind. She plays the character of a flight purser of a Pan Am flight who is also a struggling model. Neerja has recently been divorced from an arrange marriage and is a huge Rajesh Khanna's fan. Her first flight as a purser gets hijacked by terrorists.

Another actor who has done a commendable job is Shabana Azmi, she is so compassionate as the mother of Neerja that you can feel the pain and loss through her character.

In its essence Neerja is not just a biopic, its a drama with thrilling ride of tension. Perfectly paced and well directed, the movie is a must watch. I have not discussed much because i do not want to spoil the ,movie for you. So go and watch it. Neerja- 9/10:Must watch www . filmicsite.wordpress .com

The story of Neerja Bhanot is one of courage in the face of grave danger. It is a story that needed to be told and should have been told much earlier. Sonam's acting capabilities will surely be silenced by her portrayal of Neerja. But there is room for improvement. Neerja epitomizes professionalism. There are moments in the second half where the plot seems to drag. But the climax is powerful and makes up for that. Very touchy scene in which she reads out a letter by her abusive husband. Azmi, gave a knock-out performance as Bhanot's mother. With hardly any sign of self-indulgence, Sonam gives a solid performance. Good screenplay by Saiwyn Quadras. Excellent direction by Directed Ram Madhvani. Much much better than Mary kom.

"A fact of life we all die. But the positive impact you have on others will be a living legacy. Catherine Pulsifer.

It doesn't always happen in bollywood that a movie stays right on track till the very end. Usually, the ill-fitted humor or obtruded songs take the starch out of the story line. I found that problem with airlift!

But this movie is almost free from all such distractions and the director has been very disciplined. Shabana Aazmi has stolen the show with her immaculate acting. I was quite skeptical about Sonam Kapoor's acting capabilities in a movie backed by such a strong script, but thankfully no emotional scenes have been imposed on her and her aptness has been used very smartly by the director!

'Aisa Kyun Maa' song is quite emotional and beautifully spun into the fabric of the movie.

Life has to be bigger not longer! The film, Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization in Karachi. How she bravely handled the situation is what the film has been made on.

Director is the real hero of this movie. Ram Madhvani describes every part, every scene of the film very wonderfully. Along with the writers, he is not giving outside of the track and thus, this film is a gem of 2016! Shabana Azmi has done a fantabulous job in the character of Neerja's mother. Though, she has not much dialogues, but her expressions show her emotions, and they are very real that everyone was crying literally. When she gave a speech on Neerja in the end, I was not able to control my emotions. Tears were flowing continuously. She will be the winner of best supporting actress in the major award ceremony undoubtedly.

Sonam Kapoor has given career best performance. She could've been portrayed her well. But, whatever she has given is acceptable. Yogendra Tikku as Neerja's father and Shekhar as Neerja's friend are good and suitable. The man who portrayed Khalil, the angriest terrorist, has done a fantastic job. He looks like a pure terrorist. Others are good, too.

Music is given by Vishal Khurana and lyrics has been penned by Prasoon Joshi. All the songs are listenable again and again. Background score is also suitable and helps to build the terror as well as the excitement.

Connection with Rajesh Khanna, Neerja's past describing her marriage issue, her father's advises, her handling of the passengers, her smartness of not taking the U.S. citizens' passports, her calmness, her love letter written by her lover, her love towards her duty, her sacrifice - everything is just so perfect. I'm no getting over from it. This is probably one of the best films of this year.

I salute you from the bottom of my heart to Neerja Bhanot, the actual one. She has been rewarded Ashok Chakra by the government of India. Though, Airlift was a good one, but, this deserves support from the audience. This is definitely better than Airlift. Please, it's my humble request to all that go and watch out the story of the brave girl, Neerja. Her mother told that Neerja was prettier than Sonam. Yes, the photographs in the end credits give the approval to this statement. A girl, aged 23, lost her life while saving the passengers during her job. Watch it and think that where we reached till now! Massive respect!

This movie could not have been a better tribute to Neerja.

Her sacrifice and courageous act should never be forgotten. You feel a sense of pride knowing that she cared about saving as many lives as possible on that day.

The story was well done and I have to applaud the cast, especially Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi, who played their respected roles amazingly.

As a Pakistani, I believe this movie deserves continuous recognition and it is a must watch for everyone to understand why Neerja truly is India's daughter.

Thank you for making this movie!

Without being a fan, I've seen some Bollywood films in the past few months. Not bad at all. But, this is by far the best of them. And, most difficult to achieve as a genre, thriller with a big plane hijack. True story. Very touching. I almost cried. And I'm not a guy who cries easily. Bollywood filmmakers are experts in tearjerker stories and they have a long tradition in melodrama(remember Raj Kapoor?) But, this is not, as usual, a fiction story, this is truth, it happened for real in 1986. Sonam Kapoor is very good in the title role, Neerja Bhanot, the heroine of the Pan Am flight 73. Then the actors interpreting the terrorists, they are all very natural and convincing, you feel like living that hijack, assisting those real terrorists in full action in front of you. Shabana Azmi, impressive as the mother of Neerja. There have been many movies, most of them made in USA, with the same subject, airplane hijacking: "Ransom" (1975), "Raid on Entebbe" (1977), "Airport" 77 "(1977), "Passenger 57 "(1992), " Con Air "(1997), " Air Force One "(1997), to name just a few. This one is better than all. It made me think also at "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), directed by Sidney Lumet. Last but not least, Jim Sarbh, the actor who plays the terrorist Khalil, not only physically resembles very well Gian Maria Volonté in "For a Few Dollars More" (1965), but has something of his style of acting and his personality. One last thing, the real Neerja Bhanot, who gave her life to save 359 passengers, was also a model and, except for her inner beauty, was of a great outer beauty.

'Neerja' is a Sincere effort, but it never becomes remarkable! Neeraj Bhanot's courage remains incomparable, but I wish, the film was made better.

'Neerja' is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986, when the flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization.

'Neerja' has a solid first-hour, but turns mawkish post intermission. I was engrossed when the tension was initially build & Neerja's turn from fright to courage, held my attention. However, the final 30-minutes aren't strong enough. Even the monologue in its final moments, appears more mawkish, than affecting.

Saiwyn Quadras & Sanyuktha Chawla's Screenplay is nicely structured & offers some arresting moments, but the second-hour isn't forceful enough. Despite such a powerful subject, 'Neerja' doesn't become what it should've. Ram Madhvani's Direction is skilled. He's handled the film well. Cinematography is finely done. Editing is mostly sharp. Background Score is fantastic. Vishal Khurana's Score is wonderful.

Performance-Wise: Sonam as Neerja, delivers a career best performance. The otherwise under utilized actress sinks her teeth into the part & performs like never before. Shabana Azmi is remarkable. Her portrayal of Neerja's tormented Mother, deserves all the praise. Yogendra Tiku as Neerja's Father, is equally competent. Shekhar Ravjiani does his brief bit well. Others lend fair support.

On the whole, 'Neerja' isn't perfect, but its good in parts & very well-acted nonetheless.

Hollywood filmmakers could learn a few things from filmmakers in India when it comes to making a movie about a true story. The drama "Neerja" (NR, 2:02), about one of India's national heroes, is a prime example of that. This story needed no embellishments, and screenwriters Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyukta Shaikh Chawla along with Ram Madhvani, directing only his second feature film, clearly understand that. No typical Hollywood phrases like "inspired by a true story" or "based on true events" were needed. These Indian filmmakers respected history enough to tell this story as it actually happened, accurate in the film's major plot points and its relatively minor details. Hollywood, THIS is how you tell a true story.

Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor) is a 22-year-old flight attendant, about to celebrate her 23rd birthday. She's a happy and vibrant young woman, as we see during a birthday party early in the film. We also notice how beautiful Neerja is. She was a model, but her emotionally abusive husband pressured her to quit so she could spend more time and energy tending to his needs. Eventually, Neerja made the socially difficult decision to get a divorce. She then went to work for Pan Am Airlines. Neerja's mother, Rama (Shabana Azmi) asks her to leave the airline and go back to modeling. "I like my job," is Neerja's reply. So, in the early morning hours of September 5, 1986, Neerja drags herself out of bed and gets ready to go work a flight from Mumbai to New York, by way of Karachi, Pakistan and Frankfurt, Germany. Her boyfriend, Jaideep (Shekhar Ravjiani) shows up at her parents' house to drive Neerja to the airport. He hands her an early birthday gift and makes her promise not to open it until her birthday, two days later.

This is a big day for Neerja. It's her first time being a lead flight attendant, a promotion which turns out to be very fortunate for the passengers and crew of Pan Am Flight 73. When the plane lands in Karachi to pick up more passengers for the next leg of its scheduled flight, four of those passengers turn out to be terrorists with the Abu Nidal Organization. As they begin to take control of the plane (which is still on the ground), Neerja quickly warns the flight crew, who at first hesitate, but then follow protocol and abandon the cockpit so they can't be forced to fly the plane. The hijackers demand that new pilots be sent to the plane, but are forced into lengthy negotiations with Pakistani authorities. Throughout the ordeal, Neerja helps her fellow flight attendants keep calm and leads them in taking care of the passengers as well as possible. As the standoff between the terrorists and airport officials drags on, we periodically see short flashbacks of Neerja's past, showing us who she is as a person, how she got to this point in her life and why she's able to remain strong in such extraordinary circumstances. On the plane, we see Neerja continually insist on being the one to deal with the terrorists personally. In doing so, she puts her own life at risk – increasingly so when she secretly works against them and as the terrorists become more and more agitated until this true story reaches its dramatic and shocking conclusion.

From an American perspective, "Neerja" is a combination of 2006's "United 93" and 2013's "Captain Phillips", but it's even more remarkable when you realize that what Neerja accomplished was through her own singular strength of character and force of will and with the help of only a handful of similarly brave flight attendants. The first few scenes of the film and the flashbacks that we see during the hijacking are well-placed and, more importantly, provide excellent character development which makes the audience feel that they are really starting to get to know Neerja as a person. The acting is excellent and the film is well-paced and not exploitive in any way. Neerja isn't shown as a super woman – just a virtuous and determined one. The hijackers aren't being shown in order to make any political point – only because they were violent men who did terrible things. The ending isn't there to make the film overly emotional – just true and factual. (Hollywood filmmakers, are you paying attention?) The great thing about this film for westerners is, for most of us, the story is fresh and new. Yes, the movie is in Hindi with English subtitles, but English-speaking Movie Fans who are open-minded enough to give a "foreign film" a shot will be richly rewarded. More than "just" a story about a famous young Indian woman, this story involves Americans in a significant way, and, even if it didn't, Neerja's heroism knows no nationality. Her actions represented humanity at its finest and should be a lesson to all of us. I'm very thankful that the Indian filmmakers responsible for this movie had the talent and the integrity to tell the story so well and so truthfully. Neerja deserves no less and audiences need no more. "A+"

Neerja is the true story of Air-Hostess Neerja Bhanot. Not revealing any spoiler because you already know How this film is going to end. Sonam Kapoor deserved a film like this in her career because She was trying very hard to play a strong character from the beginning. The part of Neerja was little under acted but it was visible that She was giving her best. The direction was great too but I can't figure this out why tense films like this requires Songs? I hated that moment of film very much. I hope this film don't flop so more quality driven film will be made. Thank You Neerja team for telling the tale of Neerja Bhanot to Indian masses.

NEERJA: This is a Masterpiece, a movie that's going to be kept in the league of classics. It seldom happens that a Director achieves such a finesse in his first major project but Ram Madhvani, who has been directing award winning commercials for over twenty years, defies all conventions giving us an amazing experience that reminds us of the types of Dark Knight. The best thing Ram did is to keep the dialogs in each characters' native language that gives it a feel of real time cinema. The background music creates an ambiance of tension making you feel traveling in the same plane that got hijacked in Karachi in 1986. The cinematography is so real as if you are watching the events happen live. The dark shades ensure that colors don't snatch away the tense mood throughout. The sets, the interiors, the costumes, the make up are so real to recreate the time when this event happened. And above all, it is powerful performances by everyone in the frame that keeps you holding your breathe, that keeps you getting lumps in your throat, that makes your heart beat fast and at some times makes your eyes wet. Sonam Kapoor has unexpectedly given her not only career best performance but also one of the best Bollywood has witnessed over the years. Her body language, costumes, make up, expressions, and slang all look perfectly aligned with what could be expected out of the protagonist. Shabnana Azmi as her mother nails it down with her speech in the end. She proves that art is age defiant and she still can give audience the goosebumps. And the character that despite carrying no stardom yet succeeded to leave a strong impression on my mind is that of the anger dominated terrorist who reminded me about the Joker in The Dark Knight. His intense performance really deserves an applause for it is he who succeeds in making audience feel the terror the victims might have felt in reality. Too good a movie with perfection delivered in every aspect. No way it could have been even a little better than what it is. This one is going to stay a long time in my mind. DEFINITELY A MOVIE NOT TO BE MISSED FOR ANY REASON. RATING 10/10

.....Sonam still can't act! That woman can't cry for s*** and her dubbing skills are AWFUL. For those who think she acted well(considering her standards), go back and watch the scene where she cries after singing and her miserable dubbing sense during the first 15 minutes of the movie is cringe-worthy. She got better, but that's not called "good acting", just nope. Unnecessary songs (why, Bollywood, why?) and a few ridiculously slow paced scenes aside, it is a decent watch. Engaging storytelling, but the direction could have been better. Seriously, I like watching movies of this genre and the direction failed to satisfy me. Needed some more effort in the casting arena as well. The editing of this movie is plane brilliant(see what I did there?). The camera work makes it an engaging affair. You should watch it once and you'll like it just the way you liked Airlift. ;)

Ms. Neejra Bhanot was such a heroic human being, that she deserved a much better adaptation to cinema than this medium acting & direction film.

The only thing I do appreciate about this film is that it revealed her heroic story in such a way that made me read more about it and sharing it with others. Neejra worked hard all her life to pave her way to success, and worked hard as well to save so many others. Being brave, caring and diligent was part of her unique character.

As an Israeli her story saddened me deeply. I truly ache the loss of her family,and of all families who lost their beloved because of these Palestinian terrorists. Only people fueled by hate could have harmed so many innocent people who had nothing to do with the Palestinians claim for destruction. I am sorry for your loss. RIP Neejra. You should have been 53 yo by now ): RIP hero.

I'm compelled to write this review for the movie Neerja. This is a mockery. It fails in every aspect of narration. I do realize that Indians have this 'adjustment' mentality but this piece has the ability to push even an Indian beyond his adjustment tolerance.

Worst possible direction for such an epic story and casting is poorest to honest. The extras are horrible in the movie. They are neither interested in active story nor there was any effort made to groom them for the scene.

Screenplay is the real buzz kill. It switches to personal story from a high point hijack scene at an abrupt point, it kills all the moment gained so far. And fails to push the movie back to similar pace.

I hardly remember listening to any soundtrack or music score. Such an emotional roller coaster movie subject with thrilling scenes and music doesn't make slightest attempt to harness those situations. An utter failure from music point of view.

Shabana Azmi tries to steer the entire movie with her performance alone. And the rest of the crew fails to do justice. She must credited for being the only scorer here for the movie.

And I'm very particular about cinematography and this had the worst cinematography one can imagine. Eye of the movie never attempts to make me feel the situation they are in. It was supposed to teleport me inside the plane but the plane was where it was. Never connected with the story.

There are specific scenes which could've been emphasized even more because they form the load bearing actions of the movie.

Novice director Ram Madhvani has given emotional tribute to Indian daughter. Script was really brilliant. Good to see the inclusion of dialogues of KAKA's filmography like Zindgi badi(Big) honi chhaiye, Lambi nahi. Great narration of story using flashbacks. Performance wise this movie has the best performance of Sonam. Great contribution of Shabana as mother of Neerja. She was terrific through the cinema. Yogendra and Shekhar were good in small role. Jim Sarbh surprised the audience with role of eccentric terrorist. Neerja shown another dimension for Bollywood. This genre of cinema must need support from audience to survive and spread blossom across the world.

The first thing a person should know if he/she decides to watch Neerja is that the movie makes you sad, very sad. The story building is such that it doesn't allow one much time before the hijack. The flashback scenes of Neerja's early life are poignant and inserted in all the right ways during the course of the movie. Sonam strikes gold for the very first time. Her acting skills have honed in these years but she still needs to sharpen the saw. Although she is better than what we have seen earlier of her, she still needs improvisation. But the good thing is that she fits into the role perfectly, which has enhanced her character further. Little disappointed I was in the scene when the terrorist asks her to sing. That scene could have been made and enacted in a very powerful way and could have left an everlasting impression on the mind of the viewers, but unfortunately it was just average. Songs are not too many and rightly so. In such movies one needs only background music and the right chords at the right moments. One particular song that left me in tears was "Aisa kyu maa'. Shabana Azmi as'Maa' was perfect. Actors of her stature don't need a validation and she was simply a delight to watch. The quiver and punch with which she gave her speech in the end of the movie gave her my heart. Also one more person who had my heart was Jim Sarbh. He was so brilliant as a terrorist that you can actually hate him to the core. The dialogue delivery and accent of all the actors playing terrorist was off the charts and consistent throughout. For Shekhar, one really can't say much about as he had only couple of scenes, but he was not bad. My only disappointment was the cinematography. It was too suffocated and up to the rafters. Could have been a little more fine. Overall a bittersweet movie experience. You can surely go watch it!

Neerja based on true events is almost an epic made over a 22 year old girl who dared to save 350+ passengers on board. While the director's choice to make a film was not a wise decision I guess. For such instances, documentary is quite good decision, which is usually avoided by Indian filmmakers. The story is handled very well from the beginning. But still, some nuances obstruct it from being it exceptional. The first half was quite slow and going nowhere. Some scenes were shown just to create a tense atmosphere but they didn't work out well.

Coming to the technical aspects, acting was much commendable. The lead actress is well directional and knows how, when and what to deliver. She has tried her best till date compared to each of her previous films. Music was one thing I believe should have been avoided, but it was arranged nicely with the pace of the film. The greatest part in technical support was cinematography. All the scenes shot in plane were shot with a hand-held camera which was used to make scenes real and terrifying. This film again is a must watch at least once for history and a girl who can derive a wholesome of trust and hope in each lives depicted.

Salute Neerja Bhanot. She is the real icon of peace and kindness. Real bravery actually saw in his character. Actually, the heroism of her life is shown in this movie. her life was full of joy, bravery, kindness, emotion, humanities, and of course heroism. Salute to her and salute her family for such a kindness for humanities.

I liked this movie. The story was good, rigid, concrete and the main punch may be "Based on a true story". I think this is not a biopic or biography movie. The movie just followed the few hours of the on board a Pan Am plane which terrorists had hijacked. The director tried to justify some other emotional attachment (like, her bad relation with her husband, her friend and some parties). Though the story was very good But the director needed to clarify this emotional attachment. These small incomplete things harmed the story's flow. The director unnecessary put some scene of emotion and character development was very poor (Neerja was a model or hostess? Same time or not? Was she divorced? What was the cause of the party at the beginning of the movie? What was the relation with the man who gave her lift to the airport? What was her mother, brothers name and what was her father's occupation?) I am not telling we need A to Z information but lack of information may not gave us the proper delight as a movie. Sometimes I felt the director only concentrated the onboard action and the activities and may forget about the rest of the story of neerja. The acting of lead characters are not satisfactory, music and background score was horrible, lack of information and clarity about the political and authority's activities at that time.

But after all of this, I want to say the movie was good because of the story and again I want to salute Ms. Neerja Bhanot.

Neerja Bhanot, a young purser, gave her life in her attempt to save the lives of many dozens of passengers on board Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists in September 1986. In so doing, she became a national symbol of bravery and heroism. Her story is well documented in this taut, inspiring and heart-touching thriller, which keeps its viewers on the edge of their seats as they witness this female hero fight for the lives of all those passengers who were forced to sit still and watch the atrocity of the four terrorists. Sonam Kapoor is the main lead here, and she makes the best of what many actresses would consider a dream role. This is clearly her best part, and she is very strong in her portrayal of Neerja's selfless bravery on board, as well as her steadfast determination not to succumb to societal mores in her personal life.

The story develops at a fast pace, and is spite of its proceedings being well-known to all, the audience still wishes for a different outcome. Due credit for this would go to the direction, which combines elements of a suspenseful thriller and a strong human drama. It is the ending, however, which is a little too sentimental, but there it's Shabana Azmi's turn to shine and she does as usual. One cannot but feel for this woman and her daughter, but it's always inspiring to see how the sacrifice of Neerja, just as noted in the film, manages to immortalize her, so much that thirty years later a film is produced in her memory, and audiences are running to watch it. In the long run kindness is never left unnoticed. Long live Neerja Bhanot, may her selfless bravery and heroic sacrifice will never be left unrecorded in the pages of history.

Neerja Bhanot is the youngest girl bestowed with ashok chakra,Posthumously.She died while saving passengers of Pam am flight from three hijackers at karachi airport.It's nice that bollywood is bringing obscure heroic-stories of Indians,airlift and now Neerja.

When the plane gets hijacked and chaos begins,neerjas daunting experience of her past failed marriage starts to appear while shifting from the current scenario to that,and sometimes with creative transitions matching continuity between the two scenarios.

Film's screenplay and taut editing filled the audiences with nervousness and apprehension till the hijack foiled by security personnel at last.Despite knowing the ending,that Neerja will going to be die,the sense of wait to reach the conclusion held nicely by Ram Madhvani(Director).

Hand-held camera-work suited completely,as in United93-hollywood film with almost the same subject.But its foolish to compare it with United93 as it was way better and an epic film.Performance of all protagonist are great but Abrar zaroor(Safrini,one of the terrorist) outperformed all.

There are bad movies made with no story, there are good movies made from very thin plots. But rarely, you come across a movie that is bad, even though the story/plot material was outstanding. This is one of those.

I rarely write reviews of movies, usually i find someone else's review i agree with. But, in this case, i had no choice, since this extremely ordinary movie has been hyped up just because it is an inspirational real life story.

This movie is boring, plain, has ineffective performances and does not do any justice to the actual story. It is tough to imagine how the movie could have been made any worse, even melodramas of 60s would be better than this. And who ever cast sonam kapoor for this needs to get their head checked. She has the acting range of a fish.

Bollywood has been experimenting a lot with biographies lately and I must admit it is doing very well. Following up to the Kuwaiti evacuation drama, Airlift, which released to critical acclaim earlier this year, we have another brilliant and thrilling biography which salutes a brave hero for her unprecedented loyalty.

Neerja (Kapoor) is a Mumbai-based flight attendant for the Pan Am with an ugly matrimonial past and a loving family. Hoping to move froward in her career by honestly doing her job, she boards her first flight as the head purser only to find it being hijacked at a transit airport by a group of terrorists with shades of sadistic characteristics. Her virtuous upbringing, brought about by her parents (played wonderfully by Azmi and Tikku), provides her strength and courage to help her passengers get to safety. The plot revolves around the terrorists' attempt to get the plane flying, while Neerja attempts to find a way out.

The story about the brave purser who takes a bullet to save more than 300 passengers needed to be told. And the film tells it beautifully, sampling right amounts of emotions and thrills. It is fairly evident from the beginning that the hijack attempt was going south causing the psychotic terrorists to pile a nerve and go berserk. Neerja, maintaining her posture, simultaneously reminiscing her past and the values showered upon her by her parents, fights for the passengers. It is a basic and essential tale of courage showcased by an ordinary woman in time of ultimate crisis, showing us that greatness can often be found in the ordinary.

The plot is gripping which will hold you, tug at your heartstrings occasionally, and will eventually make you weep. We know that terrorism is a curse, but watching this 120-minute thriller biopic will restore your faith in humanity, like the millennials nowadays say. With good use of musical montage and crisp dialogs, this one is well-directed and well-acted. Kapoor does a fine job, but still, somehow somewhere things were lacking. Maybe it's got something to do with her expressions, but the rest of the cast support the film well, especially Azmi who preaches at the end, during the whole scene which could have been done away with. But apparently, the makers wanted to give her the second most screen space in the film. Apparently. Rajviani is good.

While there are definitely things that could have been done better, this biopic is at least better than 90% of the Bollywood films released in the past 6 months.

BOTTOM LINE: Ram Madhvani's biopic, Neerja, is an edge- of-the-seat thriller that will get you to scream in annoyance and anger, will make you cry due to an emotional overload, and will ultimately make you happy to know that a young lady named Neerja Bhanot showed what bravery actually means. Highly recommended!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES