'The Ghazi Attack': Submerged in mediocrity

Film: "The Ghazi Attack"; Director: Sankalp Reddy; Cast: Rana Daggubati, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon, Rahul Singh, Om Puri and Taapsee Pannu; Rating: ** Purportedly an underwater war film set in 1971, "The Ghazi Attack" is the story of the triumph of India's submarine S-21 over Pakistan's PNS Ghazi, a submarine set out to destroy INS Vikrant. On the face of it an interesting premise, it could have been an engaging film, replete with drama, action and patriotic fervour. Instead, it is a forced attempt at including all these ingredients in a mediocre fare that makes for tedious viewing sans any entertainment quotient. Captain Ranvijay Singh (Kay Kay Menon), a hot-headed and nationalistic commander, spearheads the submarine S-21 along with a specially appointed officer named Arjun (Rana Daggubati) and second officer, the loyal and subservient Devaraj (Atul Kulkarni), when it sets out on a mission to combat Pakistan's PNS Ghazi led by a clever commander Razaak Khan (Rahul Singh). The two-hour film is set in the interiors of the submarine and the manner in which the trio fight obstacles, overcome differences and lead India to victory forms the crux of this tale.