Bell Bottom
2021 · Directed by Ranjit Tiwari
Original language: Hindi
- action
- thriller
The story
By the early ‘80s, India had already witnessed multiple airplane hijacks. In 1984, the country was made to face another such challenge. BellBottom, a RAW Agent, sees through the plan and thus begins India's first overseas covert operation. An operation, lead by a forgotten hero, that went on to create one of the most defining moments for India.
What it’s like
Warm, saturated Bollywood studio colour sits over a 1980s India and Dubai that feels both grimy and glossy: sodium-lit streets, dusty government offices, hotel corridors in tungsten amber, and the sheen of airport interiors in cool fluorescent white. The camera moves with brisk, energetic framing, with plenty of handheld pursuit and tight close-ups during tense exchanges, while the sets lean on period detail such as wood-panelled rooms, rotary phones and cassette-era textures. The score is driven by synth-tinged pulses and orchestral swells that swell at each set piece, and the dialogue carries a clipped, hushed urgency during the covert scenes. The overall vibe is brisk, patriotic tension with a crisp retro gloss. Its pacing is steady and propulsive, with a lone operative in a long, deliberate arc of mounting pressure, competence and quiet resolve. Violence is present and occasionally sharp, including gunfire and a hijacking, but it is handled in action-movie fashion rather than gore, and there is some peril and cruelty from antagonists. It suits viewers who want an absorbing, old-school spy thriller for a weekend evening, and fans of tense, patriotic period action.
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