Phantom, Review: RAW-hide Rambo

Saif Ali Khan comes in for Salman, Katrina stays put, so do the London locales and the secret agent assassin theme, as director Kabir Khan tries to go one up on his last outing in the genre, Ek Tha Tiger (2012). He has claimed that Tiger was unrealistic, whereas Phantom is close to reality. That claim is highly debatable. Phantom is indeed inspired by real and devastating, events that wreaked terror in Mumbai, in November 2008, killing 167 persons. That does make it realistic, but only in its references. In the film, the villains are made to pay for their misdeeds with their lives, which is mere wishful thinking, a prop to fan nationalistic fervor, in an attempt to deliver populist patriotism. In reality, only one terrorist was apprehended in Mumbai, and hanged.

Phantom is slicker, and more adrenaline tapping, than Tiger, but divested of Indian-Pakistan flash-points, it might not have the impact it does. That, again, is wishful thinking, for what we see is what we have: the tale of an Indian assassin, who traces and kills all the Pakistanis he has been told are terrorists, their ‘handlers’, and terror plotters, across three continents. On the macro scale, it is pulsating and punch-packed. On the micro scale, it is riddled with loopholes and a lot of taken-for-granted action pegs that the writers and the director might have felt cine-goers will either not have time to notice, or willfully overlook.

India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which is the name of its espionage and counter-espionage agency, has a new recruit, Sumit (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), who sarcastically comments to his boss, Roy (Sabyasachi Chakrabarty) that all India ever does after Pakistani terror attacks is to stop playing cricket with the neighbour. Roy reminds him that the government will not sanction any official offensive action, which is when Sumit suggests they recruit a ‘non-entity’ by the name of Daniyal Khan to carry out a mission of find and kill, even venturing into Pakistan itself.

Daniyal is a (wrongfully) disgraced army officer, who lives in seclusion in a remote snow-clad mountain, without any identity papers or records, a ‘phantom’ (not enough in it to make it the film’s title, with obvious connotations about other, earlier, comic-book and film uses of the same name; but then, ‘Daniyal Khan’, the working title, wasn’t any better). Initially, Daniyal is highly reluctant to go on this suicide mission, where all he is promised is, if he ever returns alive, a reinstatement in the army, for no real reward can be given to a ‘phantom’. Moreover, the operation will be officially unsanctioned. So, if he is caught, he will be disowned.

After Roy himself persuades him, Daniyal agrees, and his first move is to head for Chicago, where American-Pakistani terrorist David Headley is serving a long prison sentence. Daniyal fakes an accident and the culpable homicide lands him in the same jail as Headley. After weeks of meticulous planning, he kills Headley, and then arranges for the ‘presumed dead accident’ victim to emerge unharmed, leading to his immediate release. He then heads for London, looking for Sajid Meer (Mir Sarwar). Meer, another marked terrorist, has undergone plastic surgery, but is vaguely known to RAW agent Nawaz Mistry (Katrina Kaif), who helps Daniyal identify him, based on his personality traits. This marks the beginning of an ‘eliminating partnership’ between the two, in the course of which they develop feelings for each other. Nawaz plays a key role in taking him to the Middle East as well as Pakistan, where his most coveted target, Haaris Saeed, has fanatical following. But Daniyal will stop at nothing to settle scores.

Why should an ex army officer and his wrongfully discredited son (so, so predictable) have no contact with each other for a decade or more defies all logic. Pakistani agents can enter Daniyal’s parental home with amazing ease, but it takes them ages to learn of his identity and designs. Both Daniyal and Nawaz have a short back-story that emerges only late in the film, as another example of lazy, predictable screen-writing. How is it possible that the only record of Daniyal’s 30-35 year life-span is a teenage picture, found with his mother (Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal), and a newspaper clipping about his discharge? How does a total stranger sit in at a meeting of the RAW top brass without the Chief being aware of his identity? What makes Sumit confident that Daniyal’s military discharge is qualification enough for the mission? Daniyal is not shown undergoing any serious training, except some flashbacks about how to use weapons and poisons, and how to trace his victims. Is that enough to take-on an international ring of terrorists, the army background notwithstanding?

Why does Daniyal go to ridiculous lengths to fake an accident, tearing through 50 miles of Chicago traffic and spreading destruction, if all he wanted was a jail rap? Again, the professional stunt-man, a heavy pro, is picked-up by Pak agents like a helpless fly! Neither Roy, nor his Pakistani counter-part, Haider (Denzil Smith), seem to be doing anything, except talking to their staff or their Ministers. Every planned act of Daniyal depends on sheer luck and co-incidence, and it always works out, never mind the preceding cliff-hangers. Sajid Meer is followed for miles and even accosted by the duo, but fails to see anything suspicious in them—some dreaded terrorist this! But one must stop before the147 minutes the film lasts, and give credit where it is due: the 147 minutes (one source gives it 135 min.) do not weigh too heavily on Phantom’s shoulders.

Director Kabir Khan (Kabul Express, New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan) is a name to reckon with. Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan is being touted as the biggest money-spinner in decades, while his earlier films had their share of appreciation too. Here, he is out to out-do Hollywood, and, as one character says in the film, “If the Americans can do it (strike at the enemy in his den), why can’t we (India)?” So, if Hollywood cannot have enough of rogue nations, hostile dictators and hidden cachés of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ (WMD) being eliminated inside enemy lines, with bullets being pumped by the thousands and explosions/car-wrecks vying to be counted with them, why should India wait for the likes of Headley and Haafiz (renamed Haaris, as a flimsy cover-up) Saeed to be brought to real justice, which, according to him, means death? Why can’t India’s RAW hand over the job to its own Rambo and get on with it?

In a passing comment, it is mentioned that Pakistan is itself a much bigger victim of terrorism than India, with more than 50,000 people having been victims of internal attacks. Though an undeniable fact, the serious irony and gigantic paradox was lost in the din. Killing an adversary using a poison spray that leaves no trace is something RAW admits it learnt from Mossad. We are also reminded that America is funding the rebellion in Syria, again a blunt jab that got lost in transition. Kabir made a documentary in 2001, called The Titanic Sinks in Kabul. Carrying the ship into the Arabian Sea (Mumbai’s Orca Dive Club standing in for the real thing), and re-tracing the route taken by the terrorists who came by sea from Karachi to Mumbai (organic unity in motion?), he works out a ‘tribute to Titanic’ like ending in Phantom. Soon afterwards, he cuts to a poorly written but well-acted last scene, outside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, the heritage edifice that bore the brunt of the arson and killings in 2008.

After his home production, Agent Vinod, Saif Ali Khan dons the spy mantle again, with some finesse. Long gone are the awkward speech, the chocolate features and the on-the-lean-side physique. He is intense, macho and mature. Katrina Kaif, in a first-pairing with Saif, looks serious, and her speech has improved, though the makers have played safe on her accent, casting her as a Parsee, who grew up in Mumbai, with family in Africa, running an international consultancy/NGO, out of London, speaking Kurdish with the natives. There is no skin show, nor is there any dancing for the body fatale. After New York and Ek Tha Tiger, Katrina Kaif has teamed-up with Kabir Khan for the third time in Phantom. Do their initials have anything to do with it? Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub (Raanjhana, Dolly Ki Doli, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, All Is Well) has great potential. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty (Dil Se, Khakee, The Namesake, Parineeta) has either undergone a crash course in Hindi/Urdu, or his voice is ably-dubbed.

Shahnawaz Pradhan as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief ‘Haaris’ Saeed has a lot of shouting to do, and a similarity in looks and physique to thank for the ‘notoriety’ that has led to his going underground, though even the persona might largely be the handiwork of creative make-up and costume designers. As Ameenabee, Sohaila Kapur (actor-turned acclaimed director Shekhar Kapur’s real sister) is a treat to watch. Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal is wasted in a brief, inconsequential role and Denzil Smith (an unusual piece of casting) makes good use of his theatre training, though he hits a falsetto occasionally. A brilliant performance comes from the actor who plays the snack-bar owner in Pakistan. If anybody knows his name, do let me know too. I’ll add it in an update.

Music should have been restricted to the background score. The songs, with a lot of Punjabi words and sufi expressions, are irritating distractions. Good work by Aseem Mishra (cinematography) and very good work by editors Aarif Sheikh, Aditya Banerjee.

Right through the film, for every clever twist, there are two co-incidences and two loop-holes. Likewise, for every piece of pithy dialogue, there are two clichés. So, if you have decided to watch the film, don’t think too much while the game is on. There’s enough bang for your buck. If you still get ahead of the break-neck pace and start reflecting, that’s your (bad) luck!

Rating: ***

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su0gJWOd00M

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*S. Hussain Zaidi is an authority on the Mumbai underworld, from the 80s to present day! Phantom is loosely based on his latest novel, Mumbai Avengers, while Black Friday, about the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was made into a film by Anurag Kashyap a decade ago. Retired Lt. Gen. Sayed Ali Waris is the hero of the novel, not one Daniyal Khan. And he is not on a solo mission, but leads a team of daredevil agents: a sharp policeman, a suave tech expert, a cerebral scientist and two battle-hardened army officers. “They strike like lightning even as they are pursued by the Pakistani army and the ISI, combing through Sweden, Istanbul, Dubai, Pakistan and Singapore.” So, considerable liberty has been taken with the story and locales, credited to Kabir, Parveez Shaikh and lyricist-dialogue writer Kausar Munir, who was part of the Tiger team too.

*Phantom being banned in Pakistan and the imperative need to change the name of its principal bad guy from Haafiz Saeed to Haaris Saeed are hardly surprising developments. But was anybody expecting this, found on the MSF’s Facebook page yesterday? Excerpts:

New Delhi, August 27, 2015: “Doctors without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, in French) has become aware that its name is being used in promotional interviews for the new film “Phantom”. Additionally, one of the film’s main characters is portrayed as working for MSF. We would like to clarify that MSF has never been consulted or even contacted over the content of this film and is not associated with it in any way.

MSF is also very concerned that in the trailer for the film, a character portrayed as working for MSF is seen holding a gun. MSF also has a strict no guns policy in all our clinics and we do not employ armed guards. None of our staff would ever carry a gun. Any portrayal that suggests otherwise is dangerous, misleading and wrong. We have contacted the film’s production team and are taking legal action in order to correct this dangerous misrepresentation of our organisation and its work.”