Filmed predominantly in smoky, dimly lit spaces in what is supposed to be the Pakistani port city of Karachi, D-Day is cast in the mould of a realistic action thriller. It is also, however, a tale of thwarted love and shattered lives, the pathos of which is sought to be underlined by a slew of magnificent songs composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
As a crime drama, it works perfectly well, helped along by some high quality acting by the likes of Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan and Huma Qureshi.However, the love story between an Indian spy and Pakistani prostitute is rather half-baked and pushes the film into an avoidable vendetta sub-plot.
To be fair, there is indeed much going for D-Day. The film is completely fictional, but it stays rooted in the geopolitical reality of the subcontinent, allowing itself only the occasional shot at dramatic license in order to buoy up the narrative.
Moreover, the undercover RAW operatives at the heart of the story aren't run-of-the-mill Hindi movie heroes given to displays of false machismo in the face of adversity.
The world of espionage here is marked by grit and grime, and the scalded characters neither live in fancy settings nor carry flashy guns and gizmos.
D-Day is a well-researched, purposefully executed film. Much of the action takes places in 'actual' Karachi locations - the red light district of Napier Road, the busy thoroughfare of Empress Market and the environs of Qasim Port, among others.
The villain of the film is a fugitive from Indian law and has the active support of the intelligence establishment across the border, but the Pakistani figures in the plot aren't tarred with the same brush. They aren't all black.
As a crime drama, it works perfectly well, helped along by some high quality acting by the likes of Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan and Huma Qureshi.However, the love story between an Indian spy and Pakistani prostitute is rather half-baked and pushes the film into an avoidable vendetta sub-plot.
To be fair, there is indeed much going for D-Day. The film is completely fictional, but it stays rooted in the geopolitical reality of the subcontinent, allowing itself only the occasional shot at dramatic license in order to buoy up the narrative.
Moreover, the undercover RAW operatives at the heart of the story aren't run-of-the-mill Hindi movie heroes given to displays of false machismo in the face of adversity.
The world of espionage here is marked by grit and grime, and the scalded characters neither live in fancy settings nor carry flashy guns and gizmos.
D-Day is a well-researched, purposefully executed film. Much of the action takes places in 'actual' Karachi locations - the red light district of Napier Road, the busy thoroughfare of Empress Market and the environs of Qasim Port, among others.
The villain of the film is a fugitive from Indian law and has the active support of the intelligence establishment across the border, but the Pakistani figures in the plot aren't tarred with the same brush. They aren't all black.