Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Jason Isaacs
A powerful biographical thriller, Hotel Mumbai is a vivid depiction of the devastating 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Inspired by the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai, and starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi and Anupam Kher, this white-knuckle retelling recounts how guests and staff at the city’s opulent Taj Mahal Palace Hotel fought to survive during those four terrifying days.
The opulent hotel was targeted by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants as an emblem of Indian prosperity and modernity. As the attacks begin and the already tumultuous city erupts, explosions render much of the hotel a death trap. Attackers within begin hunting down the hotel’s inhabitants, people from a wide range of class, culture, and creed who must, amidst brutality and near total panic, work together to survive – including waiter Arjun (Patel), head chef Hemant (Kher), Muslim Iranian-British heiress Zahra (Boniadi) and her American husband, David (Hammer).
Directed by Australian filmmaker Anthony Maras, Hotel Mumbai is a tightly constructed ensemble piece and an effective, gripping thriller that both explores and honours the humanity that can arise from moments of extreme adversity.