Neerja (Reviews & Spoilers)

Neerja has received better reviews than Airlift, making the Sonam Kapoor starrer the most critically acclaimed film of 2016. It’s also the best received film in the last 6 months or so.

Average Rating of All 'Neerja' Review - 4 stars

Neerja Review by Indicine Rating: ★★★★½

With Neerja, director Ram Madhavani gives us a film that is grim and hard-hitting, real and terrifying. Neerja is not a film that you watch for entertainment, it’s a depressing watch because a story where a 23 year old sacrifices her life to defend passengers on board her plane, is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. The pacing of the 2-hour long film is just right, giving the audience enough time to both digest the proceedings and get involved in the narrative.


Neerja Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: ★★★★☆

NEERJA is a must watch ode to the youngest recipient of the highest civilian honour Ashok Chakra for displaying extraordinary courage and human kindness. It is a film that will make you stand up for what’s genuinely Right without bothering about nationality, religion, sex, cast or colour of the skin. Most importantly as a movie watching experience, you’ll be glued to the movie screen with tears and admiration welling up in your eyes. NEERJA is a movie that will make you a better person. Don’t miss it!


Neerja Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: ★★★½☆

The film does have a couple of flaws. It tends to get a bit slow and manipulative in between. But these are small hiccups in a film that besides telling an inspiring, fearless story briefly comments on the need to bring up our daughters as fearlessly as we bring up our sons. Shabana Azmi nails it in that last scene.


Neerja Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: ★★★★☆

Kapoor isn’t far behind. She earnestly tries to recreate Bhanot’s fateful encounter with armed Palestinian terrorists. There’s no razzle-dazzle or swanky designer clothes to distract us from her performance and that’s a good thing. With hardly any sign of self-indulgence, Kapoor gives a real spin to the hijack ordeal. The scenes of her troubled past, in which she walks away from an abusive arranged marriage, are juxtaposed well with the hijack drama.


Neerja Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: ★★★★☆

The biggest positive I can say about the film, and I would want to say right at the start itself, the film never lets down the spirit of Neerja Bhanot. While Bollywood biopics have the tendency to put masala in stories of real life personalities, Neerja thankfully avoids that! If Neerja was a hero in real life, Ram Madhvani is the real hero of the film. It is to his credit that he has made such a compelling drama that will keep you on the edge of your seats. The entire hijacking situation is so brilliantly shot that you feel that you are a part of the life threatening drama. The tension you feel in the scenes are palpable, especially when the terrorists realise there is no hope for them and they become reckless. The docu style camera work heightens the sense of claustrophobia in you. The background score is tense and brilliantly done. But where Ram Madhvani actually scores is how he shot the final moments of Neerja’s sacrifice – intense yet emotionally wrought. If those scenes don’t bring tears from your eyes, your heart is definitely made of stone. Another thing that worked for the film is the casting. From the main leads to even the supporting ones, everyone has done Justice to their roles. The makers must be lauded for choosing relative new comers in the other roles, as it works in creating a sense of realism. The actors playing the terrorists totally look their part, especially the one playing Khalil. But the film would not have been what it is, if it was not for the film’s main leads. Despite her limitations (her voice is still not so easy to adjust), Sonam is the heart and soul of the film. This is a role that she can show her detractors and ask them to just shut up! She is terrific, especially in the second half, where her eyes speak a lot, of fear, of courage. Shabana Azmi is great, as always and her final speech will definitely make you cry if you haven’t started yet. In his debut role, composer Shekhar Ravjiani is pretty likeable in his small role.


Neerja Review by Zeenews Rating: ★★★☆☆

Here’s Sonam Kapoor’s, for once in a long time, beautifully portrayed biopic of Neerja Bhanot. Board the flight, for it’s safe, simply for Neerja – even if the plane goes down, you know you will remember this skinny, twenty-something undaunted air hostess for her never-ending commitment and kindness towards the passengers. ‘Neerja’ is definitely a white-knuckle ride, take it if you have the courage for it.


Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: ★★★★☆

Sonam is of course the lynchpin. Even when pushed well out of her comfort zone, she is completely convincing and real as the bubbly youngster with nerves of steel. Shabana Azmi informs her role with subtle nuances that add startling layers to the characterization. Yogendra Tiku, a competent actor who rarely gets the play he deserves in Hindi cinema, conveys the welled-up emotions of a father egging her daughter on to be in control of her own life.


Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: ★★★★☆

Every character is carefully crafted – Neerja’s fan moments for Rajesh Khanna are a delight and their culmination in the climax is a whopper. The relationship between Neerja and her mother is the most beautiful part in the film – it will choke you with emotion at every level leading to a crescendo as the film ends. In terms of screen time, Madhvani doesn’t have much of it to establish the bond between Neerja and her ‘close’ friend (Ravjiani). In spite of that, the emotions are still in the right place – that’s the director’s magic touch. From the time the screenplay gets inside the aircraft, every moment is edge-of-the-seat. Even though you know what’s in store next, you are left guessing.


Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: ★★★★☆

As for the direction, Ram Madhwani, who comes back to film direction after the 2002 film Let’s Talk, has done a commendable job. Madhwani has not focused only on the hijack drama, but has also offered glimpses of Neerja’s personal life, which makes the narrative more relatable. The section of the film once the plane is hijacked is taut, thrilling and terrific and will keep you hooked to the screen. The narrative unfolds so superbly that you end up rooting for Neerja’s life, despite the knowledge of her death. The realistic way the film has been shot and presented too works in its favour as there are no unnecessary scenes or over-the-top dialogues or cringe-worthy melodrama.


Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: ★★★★☆

Ram Madhvani’s detailed research on this topic is commendable and he brings out all the sides of her life but keeps himself detached from it. Even the scenes inside the plane don’t seem to be just from a single perspective. Ram has managed to bring out all perspectives to ensure the most accurate portrayal of the brave girl is brought out in front of the audience. The biggest victory is the Pam Am plane, which was entirely reconstructed matching everything to how it originally was. Saiwyn Quadras’s (writer of Marry Kom) dialogues and screenplay is so tight that not once it makes you feel disinterested.


Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: ★★★★★

Sonam Kapoor finally gets her due and a role she stands up to with her chin up. She absorbs Neerja and makes her, her own. I’m sure the Bhanot family, when they see the movie, will identify with their daughter through Sonam’s depiction of India’s brave heart. Neerja became the youngest recipient of The Ashok Chakra (posthumously) India’s highest peacetime military award for bravery. This followed awards from Pakistan and the US as well. Neerja died two days short of her 23rd birthday. NEERJA, the movie, celebrates one of our own. More importantly it celebrates humanity and service before self. A brave movie! A poignant tale! A movie worth going miles to see!


Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: ★★★☆☆

Minus the songs and the excessive schmaltz, ‘Neerja’ could have been outstanding. But still, the film holds, and hold us with it. Both Shabana Azmi and Tikku, as the parents hoping for the best and dreading the worst for their ‘Laado’ (Neerja’s ‘pet name’), are excellent. They shine a light on the tragically-cut-short life of their daughter, a true inspirational heroine whose deeds need more than a memorial. They need to be remembered.


Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: ★★★★☆

Ram Madhvani has crafted a story that will move the coldest of hearts. Nothing much happens in the film, action-wise, per se. But your gut is forever clenched, you’re always on the edge of your seat. There’s a sense of fear and foreboding, the burden of the knowledge of what is to come. Madhvani, along with writers Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh help get an outpouring of emotions from viewers.


Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: ★★★★☆

Neerja shows Madhvani’s meticulous planning as a director, even though it tilts in favour of some melodrama. The film arrives straight to the point and starts building a tension that remains with the audience till the end. Parallel narratives between Mumbai and Karachi bring out the conflict that ensued, and you subconsciously begin rooting for Neerja.


Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: ★★★★☆

Director Ram Madhvani and writer Saiwyn Quadras tell us the story flitting between time-lines. It’s masterful how the central character’s present situation (the hijack) takes her back to the days of her abusive marriage. These intercuts show us a unique insight into the probable workings of her mind at the time. And the fact that she chooses to remember what her father always said to her, “Galat kaam na karna, na sehna” (don’t do wrong, don’t tolerate wrong). Adding to the astute writing-direction are strong performances, sharp cinematography and editing, flawless production design bringing out the ‘80s in an elegant, understated manner, and wonderful songs.


Review by Raja Sen on Rediff Rating: ★★★★☆

This is the kind of performance that defines an actor, and Kapoor is so coolly evocative in the part — and her vulnerability so well captured by Madhvani — that I found myself rooting for her to escape, wishing that I knew the facts wrong and that Neerja made it out alive. If anyone, that sensational young woman deserved to live. The frequently claustrophobic, frequently handheld cinematography adds to the feeling of narrative turbulence even though the plane is stationary. Cinematographer Mitesh Mirchandani captures the rising anxiety with a perpetually moving camera and his frames are made special by abrupt pans: The view swings down suddenly, rapidly, to briefly peek at a nervous child peeing, or at a dog scratching himself restlessly next to his sleeping mistress. Madhvani paces the film masterfully, making for a highstrung but justifiably emotional narrative.


Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: ★★★★½

While dealing with a subject of this sort, it is easy to flounder and be tempted to go overboard with melodrama and overtures. But thankfully, Ram Madhvani stays sincere to the story in hand and presents us with a real, believable film that keeps you involved every minute of its two-hour duration. He also gets the best out of his carefully handpicked cast.


Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016

Fitoor – 2.3 stars

Sanam Re – 1.6 stars

Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars

Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars

Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars

Mastizaade – 1 stars

Airlift – 3.7 stars

Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars

Wazir – 2.5 stars

Dilwale – 2.5 stars

Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars

Hate Story 3 – 1.7 stars

Tamasha – 3 stars

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2.7 stars

Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 – 2.6 stars

You're lucky to have been able to see it. Sadly it's not releasing in my country so I'll have to wait.

I'm happy for team Neerja, all their hard work has paid off and their wish to have Neerja's story been known by a greater number is being fulfilled. 

Everyone is loving it. Neerja's familly, the public,  critics and celebs so I hope the team gets the recognition they deserve. 

The results are showing in the weekend collections which are amongst the best in the business, when compared with some of the other female centric films:

Mary Kom – 28 crore

Piku – 25.22 crore

Heroine – 25 crore

Neerja – 22.01 crore

Jazbaa – 15.24 crore

Kahaani – 15 crore

Alone – 15 crore

Mardaani – 14.34 crore

NH10 – 13.25 crore

Khoobsurat – 11.25 crore

Dolly Ki Doli – 10.76 crore

Queen – 10 crore

By Trisha Gupta


Neerja's heroism flows from farz—a trait we have lately forgotten how to honour in cinema and in public life.

Neerja released in the middle of February. I avoided watching it for weeks. I was worried I'd go the cinema and get hit by more of the chest-thumping nationalism currently bombarding us off-screen. Or at least injected with a saccharine-sweet version of it.

I was wrong. Neerja - starring Sonam Kapoor as the late Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am flight attendant who was killed by terrorists during a hijack in September 1986 -- is about heroism, not nationalism. It's about helping other human beings, not caring whether they belong to the same community/race/country as you.

In Madhvani's vision, Neerja tries her level best to safeguard all passengers on her flight. If American passport-holders seem the most vulnerable at one point, she tries her best to shield them; when it is children who need her, she goes to their aid.

In this regard, Neerja's impetus is different from another recent film about an unlikely Indian hero -Airlift. The two films are premised on strikingly similar scenarios - a group of ordinary people placed in a precarious predicament while outside their country of citizenship, with one among them catapulted by circumstances to a position of leadership.

But Airlift's protagonist takes the initiative to save these helpless people because they are his countrymen. In fact, Raja Menon makes Akshay Kumar's heroism turn on the emotional tug of something called 'the nation', while in fact mocking the procedural inefficiencies and powerlessness of that entity called 'the state'.

Ram Madhvani's film, in contrast, makes its heroism flow from something very ordinary; something we have lately forgotten how to honour, both in our cinema and in our public life: duty. And duty in Neerja is not to an abstraction called the nation, but simply to the responsibilities of your job, to correct procedure. And beyond that, to all human life.

Duty isn't too fashionable an idea these days. Unlike in the days when Hindi cinema was filled with stern-faced police officers doing their duty to their vardi by handcuffing their brothers, farz isn't a word we hear very often now. The law-abiding Nehruvian hero of a previous era had already been placed in a dilemma in the 70s and 80s by pitting his duty to the law against his duty to family - that division lies, in some sense, at the core of most justifications for corruption.

But in our post-liberalisation times, the idea of simply doing one's job has come to be associated with being boring, playing by the rules rather than thinking 'out of the box'. Perhaps it isn't entirely a coincidence that a film that seeks to recuperate the meaning of 'farz', to rescue it from its stodgy, stick-in-the-mud associations and turn it into something worthy of our greatest admiration, is about an event from the 1980s.

Madhvani builds up his protagonist's believability carefully. Why would an up-andcoming model, already appearing not just on TV advertisements but also on big hoardings for bridal-wear and on the back covers of magazines, stick with a job with terrible timings and a rather fraught social standing?

Shabana Azmi, in an outstanding turn as Neerja's pillar-of-support Punjabi housewife mother, often asks her daughter the same question. The only answer we hear Sonam Kapoor give in the film is the near-banal "I love my job". But by offering us brilliantly-timed glimpses of Bhanot's ugly (and thankfully short-lived) arranged marriage, the film's writers Saiwyn Qadras and Sanyukta Shaikh Chawla produce a powerful sense of what else might have driven this young woman.

To take your work seriously, Neerja implies, is crucial to achieving independence and identity— no matter whether that work is seen as work by others. In one telling scene, we listen to anasty letter from Neerja's husband, about how no "izzatdaar" (honourable) father would get his daughter to work as a model, and we are forced to think of how often female flight attendants deal with disrespectful male passengers, even today.

But the stand-out dialogue about duty in Neerja comes when the 22-year-old flight attendant's insistence on serving water and a snack to the hungry, thirsty passengers on board earns her the wrath of the armed hijackers.

As one of them tries to physically stop her, she looks straight into his eyes and says, "Sir, main sirf apna kaam kar rahi hoon. Apna farz nibha rahi hoon. Jaise aap nibha rahe ho. (Sir, I'm only doing my job. I'm doing my duty. Just like you are.)"

Something truly remarkable happens in this scene. An act of dull, everyday labour suddenly lit up with the radiance of something extraordinary— and simultaneously, the violent act of the terrorist-hijacker is, for one infinitesimal moment, charged with a sense of duty.However reprehensible his means might be, Neerja manages to suggest, the terrorist's ultimate goal is one he considers moral.

In a film that otherwise displays little doubt about its heroes and villains, this is a rare moment of rupture, a chink in the wall. But dialogue can only take place across such a chink. It is only by insisting on humanising those who seek to dehumanise us that any war can ever truly be brought to an end.

I'm so happy for team Neerja and the Bhanot family who put in so much effort to make this movie.