Of late, Parineeti Chopra has been working hard to shed her onscreen image of a bubbly, chirpy, loud Punjabi girl. From playing a barely functioning alcoholic in The Girl on the Train (2021) to taking on an independent, intelligent, and unafraid Sandeep, a high-flying banker, in Dibakar Banerjee’s black comedy Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2021), Parineeti has shown that she has a lot more to offer as an actor. And in her latest onscreen outing, Code Name Tiranga, the actress is only reaffirming that belief.
Code Name Tiranga features Parineeti as a RAW agent, Durga Singh, who is sent on a mission to eliminate her own colleague, Ajay Bakshi, played by Dibyendu Bhattacharya, after he is accused of joining hands with the most wanted terrorist, Khalid Omar (Sharad Kelkar).
In Ribhu Dasgupta’s directorial, RAW has been chasing Omar since the 2001 Indian Parliament attacks, but to no avail. So, the RAW chief nominates its best officer, Durga, to take on the job and send her to Afghanistan, where she liaises with Bakshi to kill Omar. Durga is now Ismat in Afghanistan. As part of the mission, she befriends Dr Mirza Ali (Harrdy Sandhu) and eventually gets married to him. But will this move help Durga find Omar’s location? Will Mirza forgive her after she is exposed? What will Durga choose – her love or RAW’s 20-year-old mission? To know this and more, you will have to watch the movie in cinemas.
Ribhu Dasgupta’s direction will slightly remind you of YRF’s popular ‘Tiger’ spy film franchise, but unfortunately, his script suffers from cliched and weak plot lines. Just like the ‘Tiger’ universe, headlined by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, Ribhu puts Parineeti front and center in a spy story that would succeed or fail based on her ability to remain likable and engaging. While Parineeti does justice to her role in most parts, it’s the story which never goes beyond the template of a conventional spy film.
Code Name Tiranga features a series of predictable back and forth mishmash of story beats that fail to deliver a satisfying climax – and rely heavily on flashback moments that hardly leave you surprised or have any lasting impact. That said, the film isn’t a total misfire and despite an underwhelming script, it does include its fair share of slick action.
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A blindfolded Parineeti fighting a bunch of muscular, tall terrorists in Jordan’s deserted locations is easily a standout sequence as is a lengthy fist fight between the actress and one of the primary antagonists. In these moments, Code Name Tiranga manages to engage the audience, taking full advantage of its breathtaking locations, stunningly captured by cinematographer Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni.
Parineeti is convincing in her choreographed scenes. Though the actress has her own limitations in sequences, where she is required to emote. On the other hand, Harrdy Sandhu is a treat to watch as the soft-spoken Dr Miza Ali. He plays his character with utmost sincerity and looks charming on the big screen. Some of his initial scenes in the film with Parineeti make you want to see him more in the movies.
However, the super talented supporting cast of the film remains underutilised. Sharad Kelkar as Khalid Omar has a very little to do in the movie. Even though he is the main antagonist of Code Name Tiranga, he doesn’t get compelling material to establish his character. Dibyendu and Rajit Kapoor also suffer from eye-rolling characterisations.
Code Name Tiranga won’t offer you anything new in terms of storytelling, but it definitely feels nicer to see a female protagonist taking the reins of a spy universe which is otherwise dominated by male superstars in the cinematic world.
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