Mission Raniganj

The film was announced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani and Deepshikha Deshmukh under their banner Pooja Entertainment.[13] It is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Gill who rescued 65 mine workers during the Raniganj Coalfields collapse of 1989 in West Bengal.[14]

The film was initially titled Capsule Gill, which was later changed to The Great Indian Rescue.[15] In September 2023, with the poster release, the name was changed to Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue.[16][17]

Akshay Kumar was cast as the mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill an IIT Dhanbad Graduate.[18] Parineeti Chopra was cast opposite Kumar, marking their second project after Kesari.[19] Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya was cast in a pivotal role in August 2022.[20]

The principal photography commenced in July 2022, with Akshay Kumar.[21] Parineeti Chopra and other actors joined the set in August 2022.[22] The film is primarily shot in the United Kingdom with few portion also shot in Raniganj, IIT Dhanbad Campus and Mumbai.[23] In August 2023, a song was shot in Mumbai.[24]

Mission Raniganj received mixed reviews from critics. Toshiro Agarwal of Times Now rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "The film's gripping narrative, exceptional performances, and skilful direction make it a must-watch, despite some visual effects shortcomings. It's a gritty and grounded tale of heroism and resilience"[28] A critic of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and noted, "On the whole, Mission Raniganj makes an impact due to the subject, clap worthy moments in the second half, nail-biting moments and Akshay Kumar’s performance. The director cinematography is fine but the first half is a bit weak and doesn’t create the desired impact."[29] Sonil Dedhiya of News18 rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "It is a story of human triumph which has been narrated well. It is an engaging experience that will resonate emotionally with the audience."[30]

Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and noted, "Mission Raniganj with all its potential to tap into the human psyche and behaviour when put in a life-threatening situation, misses the goal by a mile. With a poor attempt to scratch beneath the surface, director Tinu Suresh Desai’s film is loud, over the top melodramatic, largely evoking indifference over reverence."[31] Zinia Bandyopadhyay of India Today gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Overall, if you are looking for just entertainment, you will probably enjoy the film. But, if you want to see the extraordinary story of Gill on-screen, you will be disappointed."[32]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "the way in which the loud background music ratchets up the theatrics, and the manner in which local ‘netas’ and high officials in Calcutta try and scuttle the operation, with each person bearing the bad news running across the screen in exactly the same manner, the film comes off a tiresome plod."[33] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film reinforces the lingering belief that Hindi cinema should leave true stories alone, especially if Akshay Kumar is to be placed at the centre of the action."[34]