Nice effects though.

Admirable film.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Anant Mahadevan hardly gave us great films as a director, but in this film he shows he has worth, this film also shows Suniel Shetty and Sameera in a different light, in fact people who criticise both as non actors should watch this film. The film after LAL SALAAM(2002) is a story of naxalities, but the treatment is superb, very authentic, except a little filmy climax The storytelling is hardly filmy, heroic, our characters are as real as possible. The film only falters a bit towards the end which as I mentioned is a bit filmy but that can be overlookedDirection is superb Background music is aptSuneil Shetty shows that he can act if given a proper role, rather then playing stupid comic roles, he is superb in his role and makes you forget him as a star Sameera Reddy too is superb in her role, The film has several character actors most leave an impact, Ashish Vidyarthi is superb as the leader of the naxalities, Makrand Deshpande is superb, Bhagyashree makes a superb comeback and is superb, Vinod Khanna has a brief role and does well,Naseeruddin Shah is superb in one scene he gets, Seema Biswas is as always,perfect, Ayesha Dharker as Radhaka is a surprise, she is superb, Gulshan Grover is good in his role rest are okay

A real good movie.Suniel Shetty, who is often underestimated in bollywood,is seen in one of his best roles here,humble,emotional and simple.Hence the title for my review. There's plenty of action stuff,no dance sequences or unnecessary scenes that can spoil a film based on social issues like this.Music is remarkable. A poor cook is caught in the raging battle between Naxalites and police in Andhra Pradesh when he goes to work in a different town near the jungles to earn a little more money for his wife and kids,and is forced to work with the naxalites against his will. The film traces the story of a young man who struggles to come out of the situation he is in, between working for naxals,trying to take care of his family away from him, and his conscience which he is trying to battle.It also goes in depth into the lives of naxalites. The others like Vinod Khanna,Gulshan grover,Ashish are also seen at their best.All in all,worth a watch.Deserved more attention really.

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's 'Red Alert: The War Within' is an honest effort, that has some engaging moments, and a stellar performance by Sunil Shetty. However, the writing in the second hour lacks the bite.'Red Alert: The War Within' tells the story of a common man caught in a movement. The Common Man struggles to fight with the Naxalites and the Police. It's a journey that is filled with bloodshed and cruelty, but the commoner still survives it.Ananth Narayan Mahadevan has made an honest film in all respects. 'Red Alert: The War Within' is arguably his finest film as a storyteller. His work truly deserves brownie points. Screenplay by Aruna Raje, is super in the first hour, but lacks the bite post-interval. Also, the culmination doesn't leave any impact. How one wishes if these minuses could've been worked on! Performance Wise: Sunil Shetty is the life of the show. The once-known bad actor, delivers an amazing performance from start to end. He gets into the skin of the character. This truly ranks amongst the finest performances of recent times. Vinod Khanna is excellent in a brief role, while Seema Biswas shines in a strong supporting role. Sameera Reddy is alright. Ashish Vidyarthi, Makrand Deshpande, Bhagyashree, Gulshan Grover & Ayesha Dharker are satisfactory. Nasseruddin Shah hams in a tiny role.On the whole, 'Red Alert: The War Within' surely deserves a watch for the sheer honesty it's been made with, and also for the performances it packs in, especially by it's leading man.

Last month, we saw Raavan by Mani Ratnam in which the character in the title role was (perhaps) a naxlite. However that movie was neither realistic nor very impressive. The last good movie upon this ever burning issue of rural India was Lal Salaam (2002) starring Nandita Das and Sharad Kapoor. Now after eight long years, a movie has come upon this topic which is truly a movie with a soul. This highly admirable movie is miles ahead of the over-hyped hollow movies like Raajneeti and Raavan.The story revolves around a poor tiffin-supplier in rural Andhra Pradesh, Narsimha (Suneel Shetty) who just wants to earn some additional bucks to support his family consisting of his wife Uma (Bhagyashree) and two children. However destiny drags him into the naxlite group led by Velu Anna (Aashish Vidyarthi), the mastermind behind the group being Krishnaraj (Vinod Khanna). Despite playing an active role in their adventures, he is never with them by heart. Being always concerned for the welfare of not only his own family but also hundreds of innocents being killed, he ultimately succeeds in redeeming himself of the shackles of the naxlite activities but not without the wounds leaving permanent scars on his tender and sensitive heart.Director Anant Mahadevan has given us many third class movies during the past few years. Now, after a long wait, he has come up with an outstanding movie. It is said that behind every successful man, there is a woman. The woman behind this success of his is Aruna Raje, inarguably one of the most talented lady directors of Indian cinema. She has written a highly sensitive and utterly realistic script which Anant has ably directed. The grip of the narrative upon the viewer is nowhere loosened. The viewer just keeps on watching for around two hours, holding his breath. This movie is nothing less than an edge of the seat thriller.The narrator has presented the side of both the conflicting groups, that is, the government and the naxlites, quite honestly, impartially and frankly. He has presented a very pertinent question though the hunger and the injustice lead the poor villagers to take the path of bullet and they are correct in their own right, yet what's the use of winning the battles and losing the war. Yes, there is difference between terrorism and revolution but should this revolution be allowed to last for decades and centuries without any hope of the ultimate victory ? The first pre-requisite of a worthwhile and well-justified revolution is the clear-cut aim behind it. When the aim itself is not clear, just running a parallel government type organization in the name of revolution is nothing but deceiving yourself and others who have faith in you.The narrator has exposed the hypocrisy of the self-acclaimed revolutionary leaders too, always talking big and preaching ideals but totally indifferent, selfish and inhuman when dealing with the individuals working for them. The attitude of Aashish Vidyarthi towards Suneel Shetty reflects the huge difference between what these so-called revolutionary leaders publicise as their deeds and what they actually do.Like Priyamani was shown as raped by the policemen in the police station in Raavan, Sameera Reddy has been shown as raped by the same uniformed people in the same venue in this movie. And this is the bitter truth of rural (even urban) India which again forces me to think why the Indian police stations are rape stations ? What is this strange trait of the police or military uniform which arouses the beast in the wearing male, turning him into the predator, ever ready to pounce upon its poor prey, that is, the female ? Any answers ? Many scenes of this movie are reminiscent of Maachis (1996), the controversial movie of Gulzar. I had a very strong feeling of deja vu when I saw one of the main characters of Maachis, Suneel Sinha in a similar role and even with the ditto get-up in this movie.The performances are all up to the mark though the screenplay has not done justice to certain actors like Nasiruddin Shah, Gulshan Grover and Bhagyashree.Whatever might have been theopinion of the viewers (and reviewers) about Suneel Shetty, I have always kept him in high esteem as an actor since J.P. Dutta's Border (1997). This is his career best performance and he deserves an award.He is so natural that throughout the movie I was feeling as I were him, the protagonist, running for his life and concerned every moment for the welfare of his wife and children and sensitive towards the life and well-being of every innocent, willingly or unwillingly involved in this avoidable havoc.Among others, I specially mention Sameera Reddy who has demonstrated that she can act brilliantly when handled by an able director in a strong role.The background score, the cinematography, the editing and other relevant aspects are all up to the standards. The story (based upon a true story) has been picturized in the backdrop of Andhra Pradesh and the writer-director duo have exasperated the contemporary Andhrite environment in the movie quite efficiently.This movie is just superb and gives a priceless message in the end in the words of Omar Bin Laden (given by him to his father, Osama Bin Laden) - find another way (other than violence). It must be existing. The only thing you need is to admit its existence and then look for it.