Based on the book Mission To Kashmir: An Intelligent Agent in Pakistan, written by Maloy Krishna Dhar, Mukhbir is a gripping thriller starring Zain Durrani as Kamran Bakhsh that portrays the story of a spy on an espionage mission to Pakistan, touted as the ‘enemy country. The screen opens with a point-blank encounter, following which the story is carried ahead with the fixing of the context.
It is set in the 1960s, a period of political turmoil and high diplomatic negotiations. The series comprises eight episodes in total, forty minutes each. The length seems to be a bit long but is justified given that the story, comprising all the elements has to be presented intelligibly to the viewer.
For anybody who has seen Raazi, the storyline might seem familiar. Many scenes in the story reminisce on one of Sehmat’s life in Raazi. Kamran Bakhsh, A Kashmiri boy himself, is sent on a mission by Prakash Raj, after a few trials and errors, he finds his ground. The movie is around the time of the Indo-China war of 1962.
Kamran goes to Pakistan undercover and disguises himself as Harfan Bashir and lives with a Pakistani family to gather as much information as possible to avert the situation of war. However, things on the other end move at a fast pace as, General Aga Khan (Harsh Chhaya), puffed up with his importance, swears that he’ll wring India’s neck, without giving it any time to counteract.
In this political conundrum, Kamran lives with a dysfunctional family, sees the deaths of innocent people, and has to commit crimes that make his heart aches, but the patriotic feeling triumphs over it all.
The supporting cast of the story firms its backbone, Adil Hussain is known for his convincing acting and that is exactly what he presents to the audience as a senior bureaucrat, convincing and motivating the protagonist at various junctures in his journey.
Atul Kumar played the role of Brigadier Habibullah, his character is raw, crude, and one that makes the viewers engage with what he has to offer. Prakash Raj, an actor in hundreds of movies is perfect in his role as a senior bureaucrat, helming the political affairs of the intelligence agency in India. The pandora of actors thus makes the visuals even more appealing and acceptable.
The series stands out as it represents all the facets of human emotions, right from grit, determination, and patriotism to softer hues of romance, love, struggle, and frustration. It is wholesome, and gripping and is sure to make one convinced by the end of it.
Directed by Shivam Nair and Jayprad Desai, Mukhbir is rightly named so, as it is a humble ode to the stories of hundreds of Mukhbirs, meaning ‘informants’ in Urdu, who kept their lives at stake for the sake of the safety of the nation.
