There’s a wealthy couple (Armie Hammer and Nazanin Boniadi) dining in one of the hotel’s restaurants while their nanny (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) looks after their baby in the suite upstairs; an obnoxious Russian businessman (Jason Isaacs); and a couple of Australian backpackers who take refuge in the hotel following earlier attacks in the city.
The Taj’s head chef (Anupam Kher) and a server (Dev Patel) are two of the employees risking their lives to get the guests to safety.
Based on 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai, as well as hours of research and interviews, the film mostly avoids feeling exploitative – largely due to there being little need to ramp up the drama when the real events were so shocking and disturbing. (Out now) 4 stars