On November 26, 2008 10 terrorists from the organization Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out orchestrated attacks across Mumbai, India. The attacks lasted 4 days ended on the morning of Saturday, 12/29/2008 at two luxury hotels & a Jewish center. The movie Hotel Mumbai tells the story of the attack at famed The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel where several diplomats & other guests were staying. The dramatization is told through the eyes of several hotel guests & the dedicated staff who stayed at the hotel risking and giving their lives to protect their guests.

The film opens with the 10 gunmen, young Jihadists radicalized by the group Kashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist organization led by Hafiz Mohammed Saeed land at the shores of Colaba, at the edge of Mumbai. They disband & begin their organized attacks across Mumbai. Meantime we see regular Indians going about their business including a young Sikh waiter, Arjun, played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion), leaving his expectant wife & young child to work at the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel. Celebrated Chef Hemant Oberoi, played by Anupam Kher (Bend It Like Beckham, The Big Sick, New Amsterdam) is inspecting his staff & reminding them: Guest is God.

The scenes jump between the chaotic rushing of people and police on the crowded streets of Mumbai while bombs & gunshots explode randomly around them to the eerie stillness of the hotel as guests & staff try desperately to escape. Outside, the noise is constant. Inside, the noise is only broken by a sudden barrage of bullets. The expanse of the hotel lobby feels as wide to the viewer as it is for hotel staff & guests trying to escape. Close-ups bring the viewer into the scene, as if we too are hiding with them.

The tension of the film escalates slowly but never seems to reach a pinnacle & you find yourself holding your breath; hands clenched throughout the film. The acting is subtle but true. There is violence in the film, but then again, India’s history is riddled in violence. The takeaway with this dramatization is the testament of the humanity of Indians, willing to sacrifice their lives for strangers.