In
most
Hindi
films,
the
first
thing
you
notice
at
the
very
start
is
a
disclaimer
which
states
that
the
film
is
a
work
of
fiction
and
bears
no
resemblance
to
any
person
living
or
dead.
But
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
admits
that
it's
based
on
a
real
story.
Even
otherwise,
the
issue
it
dares
to
portray
-
the
Naxalite
movement
-
is
topical,
piping
hot
and
an
issue
that
has
been
dominating
the
front
pages
of
newspapers
for
quite
some
time
now.
Come
to
think
of
it,
who'd
be
interested
in
knowing
what
happened
in
the
life
of
a
poor
villager,
living
a
hand
to
mouth
existence
in
a
hamlet
in
Andhra
Pradesh?
Aren't
these
stories
covered
on
news
channels
and
forgotten
the
next
day
itself?
But
the
written
material
(screenplay:
Aruna
Raje)
of
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
is
so
powerful
and
the
execution
of
the
subject
so
rivetting
that
you
can't
help
but
keep
your
eyes
wide
open
as
the
story
unfolds.
You
gradually
realize
that
you
aren't
merely
watching
a
film
on
the
Naxal
movement,
but
also
the
heart-wrenching
story
of
a
simpleton
who
gets
embroiled
in
a
mess
only
because
he
wants
to
feed
his
family
and
send
his
kids
to
school.
Final
word?
Give
this
realistic
film
a
dekho.
It's
worth
it!
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
tells
the
story
of
Narsimha
(Suniel
Shetty),
a
farm
labourer,
who
desperately
needs
money
to
fund
the
education
of
his
children.
He
suddenly
finds
himself
in
the
midst
of
Naxalites,
when
he
goes
to
deliver
the
food
in
the
jungles.
From
being
a
mere
cook
to
actually
training
in
weapons
to
being
involved
in
shootouts
and
kidnapping,
Narsimha
finds
himself
in
the
thick
of
life
he
had
never
bargained
for.
A
confrontation
with
the
group
leaders
turns
his
life
upside
down;
he
is
now
on
the
run
from
both
law
and
the
militants.
Almost
a
decade
ago,
Laal
Salaam
(2002),
starring
Nandita
Das
and
Sharad
Kapoor,
tackled
the
Naxal
movement
quite
effectively.
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
is
real
as
well
and
though
it
stars
well-known
stars
who're
known
for
their
work
in
hardcore
masala
films,
immense
care
has
been
taken
to
present
them
as
characters,
instead
of
capitalising
on
their
star
status.
This
is
evident
at
the
commencement
of
the
film
itself,
when
Suniel
Shetty,
who
has
played
a
toughie
in
film
after
film,
runs
for
cover
and
loses
consciousness
when
the
cops
and
Naxals
indulge
in
gunfire.
He's
as
helpless
as
you
and
I
would
be,
if
caught
in
a
hazardous
sitaution
like
that.
That's
not
all,
even
Sameera
Reddy
is
minus
makeup
and
as
shattered
as
any
woman
would
be,
after
being
gang-raped.
The
characters
apart,
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
keeps
you
engrossed
in
most
parts,
more
so
towards
its
second
hour.
However,
its
ending,
talking
strictly
in
terms
of
impact,
isn't
as
strong
and
impactful
as
the
rest
of
the
film.
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
is
director
Ananth
Narayan
Mahadevan's
best
work
to
date.
It
overshadows
his
previous
works
and
proves
that
he
has
genuinely
evolved
into
a
fine
storyteller.
His
handling
of
the
difficult
subject
-
a
complete
contrast
to
what
he
has
attempted
earlier
-
is
simply
first-rate.
Aruna
Raje's
screenplay
is
watertight,
save
for
the
climax
that
tends
to
get
predictable.
Action
scenes
(Allan
Amin)
are
as
real
as
real
can
be.
K.
Rajkumar's
cinematography
is
top
notch.
It
must've
been
so
tough
to
shoot
this
film
in
dense
forests!
Every
actor
in
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
delivers
a
splendid
performance.
Suniel
Shetty
delivers
his
most
sensitive,
most
amazing
performance
that
can
easily
be
called
his
career-best.
It
makes
you
realize
that
there's
a
reservoir
of
talent
that
hasn't
been
tapped
to
the
optimum.
Sameera
Reddy
is
a
complete
revelation,
a
complete
shocker.
She
leaves
a
hammer-strong
impact.
Like
always,
Seema
Biswas
is
excellent,
while
Ayesha
Dharkar
is
supremely
efficient.
Ashish
Vidyarthi
is
outstanding.
Why
don't
we
see
more
of
him
these
days?
Gulshan
Grover
leaves
a
mark.
Bhagyashree
is
effective.
Makrand
Deshpande
underplays
his
part
very
well.
Zakir
Hussain
is
super.
Aditya
Lakhia
is
perfect.
Sunil
Sinha
and
Ehsaan
Khan
are
good.
Vinod
Khanna,
in
a
brief
role,
and
Naseeruddin
Shah,
in
a
lone
sequence,
are
superb.
On
the
whole,
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within
is
a
well-made
film
that
portrays
realism
effectively.
It
may
not
lure
the
audiences
in
hordes
or
set
the
box-office
afire,
like
a
typical
entertainer
generally
does.
Nonetheless,
it
will
leave
a
strong,
indelible
impression
on
those
watching
it.
Watch
it
for
the
sake
of
encouraging
thoughtful,
relevant
and
truly
scorching
content!
Director:
Anant
Mahadevan
Cast:
Suniel
Shetty,
Naseeruddin
Shah,
Vinod
Khanna,
Sameera
Reddy,
Bhagyashree,
Ayesha
Dharker,
Seema
Biswas