State of Siege: Temple Attack

The state’s chief minister (Samir Soni) largely stays out of the picture. The civilians who are used as hostages or cannon fodder are mostly forgettable too. Despite the presence of Gautam Rode, Vivek Dahiya and Parvin Dabas as various NSG personnell, the honours belong to Akshaye Khanna’s Hanut.

Akshaye Khanna is the only worthy element in this patriotic actioner. The charm he exudes makes you stay glued to the screen. Akshaye brings in subtle nuances to his character which makes it memorable. Sadly, there is hardly anything for the other actors to do. Gautam Rode, Vivek Dahiya, Abhimanyu Singh, Akshay Oberoi, Parvin Dabbas, Samir Soni, Manjari Fadnis -- all seem to have fleeting roles. None of them leave any impact on the storyline, and it seems these parts could all have been played by junior artistes. Had the direction by Ken Ghosh been supplemented with action sequences rather than sloppy preachy ones, then th film would have been a far better experience. State Of Siege-Temple Attack could have been a worthy thriller had the direction been better. Even with Akshaye Khanna's mastery over his craft, there is hardly much he can do to salvage this predictable film.

Akshaye Khanna delivers a satisfying enough performance as the steely senior soldier, ridiculed by a junior only to ultimately earn his respect. However, it would be a stretch to say that he has been given his due. Someone of his calibre could have accomplished more had the writing been more complex.