(I watched this movie as a part of the Mubi Go recommendation. It was so good, and I now am a fan of the curators of Mubi.)
Hotel Mumbai is a docu-drama based on the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Its been more than ten years since the event, but it left an indelible impact on the minds of people.
This movie is an honest and very humanistic retelling of the events. It is a good thing that the director is a non-Asian. The film is from an outsider point of view, so it doesn't take any political stance or does any propaganda. The terrorists are human beings brainwashed by their bosses. It doesn't spend too much of time in explaining the backstories. It trusts the intelligence of the viewers to tie all the knots. I like any cinema that respects the audience and engages with them honestly. Hotel Mumbai was impressive only because of this reason.
A scene that stood out of the movie for me was this: This kid with a gun is getting his instructions via phone to kill a woman. But the woman is a Muslim & doing her prayers. You could sense the confusion that goes in the mind of the terrorist. He fakes the killing of her to the bosses on the phone. He lets her alive and goes on to his next task. It is a very poignant moment and a great example of the standard and tone of this movie.
It is very easy to vilify people and institutions in this gory incident. Yes, the terrorists are evil and no doubt about that. But the reason for this incident to last for more than 10 hours and the death of many is complex. This movie doesn't blame the media, politicians or anyone. It is a slice of life, gripping, honest retelling of the gory incident. I connected well with this movie, and it was time spent well for me.