It leaves a smile on the face. And you do feel a swell of pride as the ‘yaan’ comes into view and settles successfully in orbit. Despite the over-arching presence of the latter-day Mr India, ‘sab mangal hai’.

All films to do with science invariably have to dumb things down — films about rocket-science doubly so — but here things are regretfully oversimplified. So while there are times Mission Mangal plays out pleasantly enough as a cheesy entertainer with a message, complete with a caricaturish villain in Dalip Tahil with an unholy accent, there are other times everything feels like too much of a stretch — even the runtime.

…the movie depicts a mission showcasing an achievement with a very predictable storyline. It fails to hold on to what was important for the script, instead includes irrelevant sub-plots dragging the narrative.

Releasing on the day ISRO completes a half-century, Mission Mangal seems a timely tribute to the unsung heroes who don’t wear a cape. But for a film that documents a singularly inspiring story, the writing doesn’t manage to conjure the thrill surrounding this epic achievement.

Seriously a ‘dramatic representation’ of India’s Mangalyaan…Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan starrer Mission Mangal tells an untold story, however, it holds attention intermittently.