Film: Code Name: Tiranga

Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Sharad Kelkar, Harrdy Sandhu, Rajit Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Shishir Sharma, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Deesh Mariwala

Director: Ribhu Dasgupta

Rating: 2 Moons

Parineeti Chopra, the actress who enchanted people with her bubbly self and lovable roles in the past, gets the title of an action heroine with Code Name: Tiranga. Shedding the image of a vivacious actress that was created over a period of time, she packs punches, beats up terrorists single-handedly and much more. But does the film do justice to her talent and illuminating screen presence? Certainly not. 

Code Name: Tiranga is an addition to the shoddily executed "action-thrillers" Bollywood saw in the past few months. Riding high on patriotism and 'mulk se wafadari', Ribhu's directorial does no good to the array of stellar actors giving their 100% to the film. Code Name: Tiranga opens with Dr Mirza Ali (Harrdy Sandhu) and Ismat (Parineeti Chopra)'s first meeting in a car. They are strangers in the foreign land of Istanbul. However, at a lightning speed, they fall in love with each other. Cut to two months later, it is revealed that Ismat is Special Op Durga Singh from Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). The drama unfolds at Mirza's friend's wedding. This is where the Indian intelligence agency expects the attendance of Khalid Omar (Sharad Kelkar). He is on the department's radar for nearly 20 years. 

Amid this, Durga and Mirza's relationship is at stake. While she is committed to performing her duties, her heart seeks his presence and support in her life. Code Name: Tiranga is marketed to be a thrilling and edge-of-the-seat cat-n-mouse chase between Indian agents and terrorists. But, the intention never really shines on the screen. 

Ribhu teams up with Parineeti once again after The Girl On The Train (2021). It was expected of him to make the actress shine just like she did in the Netflix film, but unfortunately, it doesn't happen. The character sketch of each actor is weak and wafer-thin. At times, the film feels like an insult to the intellects of qualified and brilliant R&AW agents who have been making the country proud. It makes you wonder whether the department permitted the makers to make a mockery of their sensibilities. 

The screenplay is convoluted to such an extent that you lose a track of the plot and feel disconnected. An interrogation sequence towards the end of the film is so silly that the seriousness that should be ideally felt is dissolved. Who asks, "Durga Kahan Hai?" to a fellow R&AW agent? If he really expects an answer, then there's no way to save that person. This is just one of the few examples of poor dialogue scripting. The twists and turns in Code Name: Tiranga are as hard as crushing sand with your hands. Even a person playing Candy Crush or PUBG would get more thrills than what these twists have to offer. 

It feels sad to see Parineeti try hard but suffer due to poor characterisation. To her merit, she owns the action sequences like a true boss lady. Parineeti deserves better roles, in action especially. Dibyendu Bhattacharya, despite being a weak role, manages to leave behind an impact. So does Sharad Kelkar. He's wasted but still makes space for himself in the film. Harrdy Sandhu's eyes do the best talking. Otherwise, he is just ok. Rajit Kapur and Shishir Sharma don't deserve such films. They are supremely talented for a bad script like this. 

While it was expected that the pre-climax would be good, it turned out to be the worst. More than an action spectacle, it turns out to be a caricaturish video game-like pre-climax with horrible VFX. Code Name: Tiranga is strictly for those who want to see Parineeti in her action avatar. The rest can simply avoid.

PeepingMoon gives Code Name: Tiranga 2 Moons