Rahul Desai
"Main Atal Hoon" disappoints as a 139-minute biopic of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, sacrificing his statesman persona for shallow moments, resulting in a lack of narrative integrity and new-age discourse overshadowing the story.
The film's stagey and dull filmmaking, weak period detail, and apprehensive approach contribute to a lackluster cinematic experience, with cinematography, sound design, and background characters falling short of creating an engaging atmosphere.
The imposing retrospective take distorts the country's timeline for Vajpayee's timelessness, reducing him to shallow moments and sacrificing historical depth. The film lacks curiosity, and weak period authenticity affects its overall impact.
While spanning six decades, the film oversimplifies Vajpayee's ideology, unquestioningly aligning with his political stance and portraying the Indian National Congress as the overarching villain, compromising its pursuit of political one-upmanship.
Inadequate representation of younger BJP figures and personalities like L.K. Advani, coupled with Pankaj Tripathi's disappointing rendition of Vajpayee, leads to weak casting and visible acting, failing to capture the authenticity of the leader.
A scene depicting Vajpayee's magnanimity appears condescending due to Tripathi's portrayal, highlighting the film's failure in bridging the gap between intent and image. "Main Atal Hoon" pretends until it can no longer pretend, leaving audiences with a soulless biopic experience.