Red Alert: The War Within (2010)

Touches You

Good movie but grossly overrated

An Exercise In Nonsense

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Anant Mahadevan hardly gave us great films as a director, but in this film he shows he has worth, this film also shows Suniel Shetty and Sameera in a different light, in fact people who criticise both as non actors should watch this film. The film after LAL SALAAM(2002) is a story of naxalities, but the treatment is superb, very authentic, except a little filmy climax The storytelling is hardly filmy, heroic, our characters are as real as possible. The film only falters a bit towards the end which as I mentioned is a bit filmy but that can be overlookedDirection is superb Background music is aptSuneil Shetty shows that he can act if given a proper role, rather then playing stupid comic roles, he is superb in his role and makes you forget him as a star Sameera Reddy too is superb in her role, The film has several character actors most leave an impact, Ashish Vidyarthi is superb as the leader of the naxalities, Makrand Deshpande is superb, Bhagyashree makes a superb comeback and is superb, Vinod Khanna has a brief role and does well,Naseeruddin Shah is superb in one scene he gets, Seema Biswas is as always,perfect, Ayesha Dharker as Radhaka is a surprise, she is superb, Gulshan Grover is good in his role rest are okay

There is a tendency to berate Bollywood movies among Indian viewers. This habit is probably what has currently kept this movie at 6/10 overall. This movie has no overacting, a very earthy local dialect, fast pace, slick editing, no black or white judgement and shows how completely unpredictable things are in the "War on Naxalism".Surprisingly, the film makes you feel for the Naxals even though the rampant real-world atrocities of various local, state and the Central Govts are not shown explicitly. I suppose either the director tried to get past the censor board or somehow got the idea that people would not like a pro-Naxal movie.However, the oppression of the people is quite clear through the realistic dialogue and hard-set expressions of the Naxal characters. You can see in their eyes, so to say, the ruthless cruelty and corruption of Govt officials that destroy rural India.There is nothing clichéd or expected, although the very end is a bit preachy but that frankly is the one solution that actually works in real life. So the film has got the preaching quite correct.If you think this is a regular action movie, you could never be further from the truth.In summary, a well-written, well-directed, well-acted realistic movie with a genuine message that tries to suggest a solution to the continuing war.To magnify any minor film-making related flaws and pass over the overall message and near-factual method of presentation, is to miss the whole point of this movie.A must-watch for every educated person who has an interest in sociology, history, India, poverty, economic warfare, governance, communism, corruption, abuse of power, or just plain realistic movies.

Made an attempt to see this film, as the sticker on the DVD case states that, it is based on a true story and also India being my birth place have a duty to keep myself updated of a crucial issue like Naxalism or Maoism called by various names depending on the region. Hats off to the producers of this film for having invested money in a project which is unlike mainstream Bollywood movies, where return on investment becomes risky. One can easily see the noble motive of its producers. Although there have been many films made in Hindi on this subject, but this one is definitely worth it, as it based on actual events and portrays the issue as close to reality as possible. If one sees this picture with above mentioned intentions, then one feels that the Producers of this film, have done Indian citizens a favour and the time spent to see this film was worth it.

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's 'Red Alert: The War Within' is an honest effort, that has some engaging moments, and a stellar performance by Sunil Shetty. However, the writing in the second hour lacks the bite.'Red Alert: The War Within' tells the story of a common man caught in a movement. The Common Man struggles to fight with the Naxalites and the Police. It's a journey that is filled with bloodshed and cruelty, but the commoner still survives it.Ananth Narayan Mahadevan has made an honest film in all respects. 'Red Alert: The War Within' is arguably his finest film as a storyteller. His work truly deserves brownie points. Screenplay by Aruna Raje, is super in the first hour, but lacks the bite post-interval. Also, the culmination doesn't leave any impact. How one wishes if these minuses could've been worked on! Performance Wise: Sunil Shetty is the life of the show. The once-known bad actor, delivers an amazing performance from start to end. He gets into the skin of the character. This truly ranks amongst the finest performances of recent times. Vinod Khanna is excellent in a brief role, while Seema Biswas shines in a strong supporting role. Sameera Reddy is alright. Ashish Vidyarthi, Makrand Deshpande, Bhagyashree, Gulshan Grover & Ayesha Dharker are satisfactory. Nasseruddin Shah hams in a tiny role.On the whole, 'Red Alert: The War Within' surely deserves a watch for the sheer honesty it's been made with, and also for the performances it packs in, especially by it's leading man.