State of Siege 26/11 review: Arjun Bijlani’s web series is a stirring retelling of Mumbai attacks

Around 11 years ago, Mumbai, along with the rest of the country, witnessed a terrorist attack that claimed more than 164 lives and left around 300 people injured. November 11, 2008, or 26/11 as we know it, is inscribed in our memory as a black day which nobody wants to revisit.

A group of 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, who were barely out of their teens, attacked some of the prominent places in the city of dreams for the sake of ‘Jihad’. In this planned attack, which was monitored from Pakistan, the terrorists targeted Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station, Cafe Leopold, and Cama and Albless Hospital, Nariman House, Trident Hotel and Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel. In the 60-hour long operation, the Mumbai Police, Marine Commandos and the National Security Guards (NSG) killed nine terrorists, while one, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive.

ZEE5’s new original State of Siege 26/11 documents what happened in 2008 and celebrates the valor of the men in uniform. Based on Sandeep Unnithan’s book Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11, the show tries to give a detailed account of what happened during the operation and how our security forces succeeded in saving several lives despite faulty equipment and lack of funds.

As the author of the book, Sandeep Unnithan admits the show takes some creative liberties in order to make it more engaging for the viewers. But, it doesn’t deviate much from the book. It doesn’t over-dramatize the terror attacks to factor in the patriotism quotient and focuses on the characters without making heroes out of them, even though they are so in real life.

The show, with eight episodes of around 35 minutes each, begins with the politics of sanctioning budget for NSG, who are struggling with funds and dealing with rationing of weapons and ammunition.

The first three episodes are used to set the plot and momentum for what is going to be unveiled in the following episodes. While the initial episodes concentrate on the execution of the attacks and how Mumbai Police handles it, it is only in the sixth episode that the NSG takes the situation in its control. The show will remind you of all the documentaries, films and shows based on the terrorist attacks, but what is unique about this show is that it narrates the story from the perspective of the NSG – what and why it took them so long to take things in their hands and how they rescued people taken hostage by the terrorists after 60 hours of continuous struggle. However, the show just about touches upon these points, without delving deeper or revealing the politics behind it.

State of Siege 26/11 focuses on highlighting the lack of adequate communication between various task forces and how protocols complicate things further for everyone. At the same time, it sensitively talks about how young minds are moulded into believing a particular ideology, fed with hopes and dreams of attaining martyrdom for their religion. The fifth episode, titled Jihad – The Making of a Terrorist, is completely dedicated to the process.

The performances by all the actors are satisfactory as they deliver what is asked of them. Arjan Bajwa plays Col Kunal Sahota, the commanding officer of the NSG unit which arrived in Mumbai to take charge and tackle the terrorist attacks. He is not seen performing any over-the-top action sequences, thus making his portrayal of an army officer more realistic. Arjun Bijlani, whose character is based on martyr Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, plays his part well. Mukul Dev is the leader of the terrorists, who funds, brainwashes and trains them in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The actor’s grip on the local Pakistani Punjabi accent is spot on.

Created by Abhimanyu Singh, State of Siege 26/11 stands at par with the other shows in the genre. It is a treat for people who binge-watched the recently released Special Ops (on Hotstar) or loved Manoj Bajpayee’s The Family Man (Amazon Prime Video). For all those who want to know more about the Mumbai attacks of 2008, the State of Siege 26/11 is a good watch. And if you find yourself hungry for more, you can always pick up a copy of Sandeep Unnithan’s Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11