Mission Raniganj, starring Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles, is based on a real-life incident in 1989 where 65 workers got trapped 350 feet below the ground at the Raniganj coalfields in West Bengal. Kumar players Jaswant Singh Gill, an engineer at the coalfield who led the rescue operation and saved the lives of all the trapped miners.
The film's director, Tinu Suresh Desai spoke to Bollywood Hungama about the efforts made by the film's crew to bring authentically recreate the incident and the life-threatening conditions faced by the miners. Desai said, "It was a challenging film to shoot, primarily because a significant portion was filmed on location. Given the film's subject matter, our goal was to maintain authenticity and relatability in the backdrop and setting. As a result, we collectively decided to excavate a hole underground, reaching depths of around 30 to 40 feet, resembling just the 1/10th portion of an actual coal mine."
The filmmaker added, “The most daunting task was to recreate a set that authentically resembled a coal mine from that era. Additionally, we aimed to evoke the genuine sense of suffocation experienced by the trapped miners during the tragic event. We provided the actors with the directive to immerse themselves in the same conditions as real miners. I'm thankful to Vashuji, Jackky, Deepshikha & everyone at Pooja Entertainment for facilitating the necessary resources to execute this meticulous mining work while ensuring the safety of all our crew members and actors.”
Mission Raniganj also stars Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Ravi Kishan, Varun Badola, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Rajesh Sharma, Virendra Saxena, Shishir Sharma, Ananth Mahadevan, Jameel Khan, Sudhir Pandey, Bachan Pachera, Mukesh Bhatt and Omkar Das Manikpuri. The film is produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhaghani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, and Ajay Kapoor. It will be released in theatres on October 6.