Hotel Mumbai

Movie
Original title	Hotel Mumbai
Country of production	Australia , USA
original language	English , Hindi , Urdu , Punjabi , Russian , Persian
Publishing year	2018
length	123 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Anthony Maras
script	John Collee , ; Anthony Maras
production	Mike Gabrawy , ; Basil Ivanyk
music	Volker Bertelmann
camera	Nick Remy Matthews
cut	Peter McNulty
occupation
	Dev Patel : Arjun; Armie Hammer : David; Jason Isaacs : Vasili; Nazanin Boniadi : Zahra; Angus McLaren : Eddie; Zenia Starr : Prahba; Natasha Liu Bordizzo : Bree; Anupam Kher : Hemant Oberoi; Tilda Cobham-Hervey : Sally; Abhiroy Singh : Jamie Masters; Sachin Joab : Vijay Goswami; Rohan Mirchandaney : Chef Manu; Rodney Afif : Maitre D; Alex Pinder : Jamon;

Hotel Mumbai is a thriller by Anthony Maras , who on September 7, 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival celebrated its world premiere. The film drama deals with the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 , the targets of which also included the luxury hotel Taj Mahal Palace .

action

In November 2008 in Mumbai. The Sikh Arjun works as a concierge at the luxury hotel Taj Mahal Palace , and although the husband and father have already had a busy day behind them, he goes into the hotel kitchen to ask the strict but kind-hearted chef Hemant Oberoi for a little more To be able to earn extra money because his wife expects this from him.

But then there are a number of terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In the luxury hotel there are ordinary people of different nations, religions and skin colors, who find themselves bound together in a bitter struggle for survival, when terrorists begin to take hostages and set fire there too. In addition to the businessman Vasili, the wealthy Zahra and her American husband David with a newborn baby and their Australian nanny Sally are among the guests who occupy the opulent suites of the hotel.

At a nearby café , Australian backpackers Eddie and Bree witness early gunfire and the escalation of attacks in the city.

The "Hotel Mumbai"

The luxury hotel Taj Mahal Palace was attacked in 2008

The Taj Mahal Palace , a luxury hotel in the Indian city of Mumbai, is located directly on the eastern coastline. Over the years, the hotel has become a legend and has hosted famous personalities such as Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Prince Charles, The Beatles, Bill Clinton and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

During the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 , the Taj Mahal Palace was also a target for terrorists. Several dozen hostages were held in the hotel by armed men who referred to themselves as the "Deccan Mujahideen" group. According to eyewitnesses, the hostages were specifically selected based on their American or British citizenship. Several hostages were killed as a result of the fire. One of the victims was the German media entrepreneur Ralph Burkei , who was staying in the hotel as a tourist and crashed while attempting to escape over the facade and died on the way to the hospital.

In the end credits, the hotel staff are venerated as heroes.

production

Staff and template

Directed by Anthony Maras , who previously won several film awards for his short film The Palace and makes his feature film debut with the film. The industry newspaper Variety named Maras one of the Directors to Watch. He also wrote the screenplay for Hotel Mumbai with John Collee . The basis for the film is also the documentary Surviving Mumbai by Victoria Midwinter Pitt from 2009. In his film, Maras primarily focuses on events in and around the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

Cast and filming


Dev Patel plays the hotel clerk Arjun, Armie Hammer took on the role of David

The role of the hotel employee Arjun was filled with Dev Patel . Jason Isaacs plays the businessman Vasili, Armie Hammer plays the American David, Nazanin Boniadi plays his wealthy wife Zahra and Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays her Australian nanny Sally. Australian backpackers Eddie and Bree are played by Angus McLaren and Natasha Liu Bordizzo . Anupam Kher took on the role of hotel chef Hemant Oberoi .

The interior of the Taj Mahal Palace was recreated as a backdrop in the Adelaide Studios in Glenside. The shooting started in Australia in August 2016, the shooting ended in September 2016. From the beginning of October 2016, the shooting took place in Mumbai and thus the location of the attacks in November 2008. After an injury to the director and a subsequent interruption in filming, the work continued there in January 2017.

Film music

The film music was composed by Volker Bertelmann . The soundtrack, which comprises a total of 19 pieces of music, was released for download at the US theatrical release of Varese Sarabande. It is supposed to appear later in physical form.

publication

The Weinstein Company secured the rights for North America at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016, while Arclight Films holds the worldwide distribution rights. As part of the Berlinale in February 2017 , the film was presented on the local film market. After the Weinstein Company went bankrupt, the company's film rights were also given up. Hotel Mumbai premiered on September 7, 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival . From October 10, 2018, there was a screening at the Adelaide Film Festival. It was released in selected US cinemas on March 22, 2019. The film won the Fresh Blood Award at the Fantasy Filmfest 2019 , where it celebrated its German premiere. The film is to be released on DVD in Germany on October 25, 2019.

reception

Age ratings and reviews

In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany, the film was approved by the FSK from the age of 16.

So far, the film has won over 77 percent of all Rotten Tomatoes critics .

Sarah Ward from screendaily.com explains that the film not only shows people's perseverance, resilience and struggle for survival, but also their selfless courage. Hotel Mumbai works best as a film when it quietly shows its heroes, not so much in the action-packed moments. Dev Patel is the most memorable actor, Ward said, but he has strong support from Anupam Kher , Nazanin Boniadi and Tilda Cobham-Hervey , and each of them is vulnerable but also steely in their own way. Together with his cameraman Nick Remy Matthews , the director Anthony Maras knows how to achieve a visual impact both with and without violence, says Ward.