Movie Name: Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata

Released on: 12 June 2026/14 August 2026 

Released on: Theatres/ZEE5

Lead Actors: Kangana Ranaut, Girija Oak, Smita Tambe, Esha Dey

Running Time: 2 hours, 7 minutes

Directed by: Manoj Tapadia

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26/11 is the day that no Indian can forget, except of course the current generation. Mumbai was under the attack however, every Indian was scared, hurt, cried, and felt like a personal loss. The hanging of Ajmal Kasab was a victory for every Indian. 

We have learnt several insider stories about what went on on that fateful night and the following days, however, most of them covered Taj, CST, how they landed up in the financial hub of India, what they carried, the policemen who lost their lives, how many people were killed, and so on. 

What was hardly spoken about was the heroism that unfolded at Cama Hospital that saved about 400 lives. Of the nurses and the support staff of the hospital. 

Staff Nurse Anjali Kulthe risked everything to protect 20 pregnant women at Cama Hospital. From hiding patients to delivering a baby under gunfire, her courage saved lives. Months later, she faced Ajmal Kasab in court, standing fearless in her nurse’s uniform. 

This is what Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata showcases. The role and quick thinking of the nursing staff and the support staff in saving the lives of close to 350 patients and their families and many of their own staff. There were casualties. And the awe-inspiring fact - amidst the heavy firing and shelling, two babies took birth at the Cama hospital.

What I loved about the movie was its tight storyline - no background about the terrorists as the entire nation knows too well about them; nothing about how they landed in Mumbai - again, we know it; the political drama after the attack; the role of the media; their handlers in our neighbouring country. Nothing, as none of it was needed. The movie focuses on what unfolded at Cama Hospital.

Kangana Ranaut played the role of Anjali Kulthe and this probably is my first ever Kangana Ranaut movie. Keeping aside what I think about her as a person, I think she looked convincing in her role. No glamour. No eating up the screen space of the other characters - other nurses and the support staff of the hospital.

The movie makes two poignant points - 

1. The role of the unsung heroes of the day. We learnt a lot about the policemen who fought and lost their lives. However, how many of us (non-Mumbai/Maharashtra citizens) hear about the staff at Cama Hospital?
2. We talked about how many lives were lost. Did we see how many lives were saved by them?

In one of the scenes towards the end of the movie, the husband of the woman who delivered the baby that night comes to meet Kangana (Nurse Geeta). He believed that she was just a nurse and not a doctor capable of taking care of this pregnant wife. But after the attack and knowing how she helped his wife deliver the baby that night, he realized that the nurse went far beyond her prescribed duty.

Nurse Geeta: No need to thank me. It was my duty.

The Husband: It was not your duty.

He could not express anything beyond this single sentence. It was not their duty to risk their lives to save all the patients, even the critical ones on the death beds.

Later, when Nurse Geeta confirms the identity of the dreaded terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, that scene gave me goosebumps. 

Imagine the quick thinking on the part of the entire staff of the hospital to hide every patient and their family members (we are talking about 400 people), guiding them to remain silent, and calm, feeding babies to avoid their crying, taking in any casualty till the time that they could, switching off every light of the entire hospital, taking the pregnant lady to the labour room amidst heavy firing, how they decided to block the exit for the terrorists to delay them - the movie gives us a glimpse of how ordinary people can sometimes become the strongest shield in the face of a crisis. 

The film may be a Box Office failure but I would recommend people to watch it on OTT, if you know what 26/11 was. 

Take a quick look at this Instagram post on Nurse Anjali Kulthe: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcEDfQfgMlQ/?img_index=1

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Our verdict: 4/5