Hotel Mumbai, which tells the story of a luxury hotel in India taken under siege by terrorists based on the events of the 2008 attack, hit cinema screens in the UK on 27 September.
The movie has come out to mixed reviews, with some praising it as a gripping thriller, and others questioning the ethics of dramatising such tragic, real-life events.
The film is directed by Anthony Maras (The Palace, Azadi) and co-written by Maras and John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander), and stars Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) and Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name).
Here’s the true story of the attack that the film is based on, and a look at the characters used in the movie – some of which are based on real people:
What really happened in the 2008 hotel attack in Mumbai?
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, which was built at the turn of the century as one of India’s first luxury hotels, was attacked by members of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group on 26 November 2008. Advertisement
The terrorists entered the building and used assault rifles to open fire on guests and staff, and threw grenades – at least six explosions were counted – before taking the building under siege for 60 hours.
Armie Hammer, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Nazanin Boniadi in the movie (Photo: Kerry Monteen/Bleecker Street via AP)
The events at the hotel were part of a series of co-ordinated attacks made by the terror group throughout the financial and tourist districts of Mumbai that left at least 170 people dead. Other targets in the city included a luxury restaurant, another landmark luxury hotel, the Oberoi Trident, a train station, a Jewish community centre and a hospital.
The hotel had hundreds of guests checked in when the attack took place – but many people from the streets ran inside the building to take cover during the attacks in the city. There was little information known about what was happening and who was in the hotel at the time, with mixed reports being released.
At least 31 people at the hotel were killed in the onslaught, including guests and staff.
Firefighters were reported at the time to have rescued around 200 hostages. On the first night of the seige people were freed through windows, but it later emerged that more people were being held inside by the gunmen, while some staff had chosen to stay behind to help.
The seige finally ended on 29 November when India’s counter-terrorism operatives stormed the building.
Nine of the 10 terrorists involved in the city’s attacks were killed during the events. The final terrorist was later found and executed.
Are the personal stories and characters in the film real?
Much of the Hotel Mumbai has been inspired by true events during the attack – especially the storyline of Chef Hemant Oberoi, who went out of his way to try and protect the guests at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
In an interview with Time magazine, Maras said the characters in the film take inspiration from real stories and reports from the attack at the hotel, but their depiction has been fictionalised to respect the privacy of the survivors of the attack.
Hotel Mumbai stars Dev Patel as Arjun. (Picture: Sky Cinema)
“It’s something that we tried to approach with as much sensitivity as we could,” Maras told Time. “Obviously blood is spilled on the floor — people have died and there are very pronounced memories of these attacks.”
The director used the example of a waiter played by Patel, who tries to protect guests during the siege by taking actions such as keeping the lights off. Maras said Patel’s character is an amalgamation of two real members of the hotel’s staff – a waiter and an unarmed security guard – who helped guests in the three days they were trapped inside the hotel.
Other characters in the movie, including a wealthy Russian businessman and a couple played by Nazanin Boniadi and Hammer, who have a baby and are forced to make difficult decisions, are fictionalised, but are inspired by fragments of numerous real people’s stories.
What about Chef Oberoi?
Chef Oberoi, the former grand executive chef of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel who was among those who chose to stay on at the hotel and help the guests to escape the attackers, is based on a real person.
Played in the film by Anupam Kher, he is among the survivors of the attack, and the real-life chief has become well known in India for his bravery since the events.
Despite being minutes away from an exit door when the attack happened, the chef stayed and assembled his staff to do what they could to help the guests. “I stayed and it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t a question of bravery”, he told Sky News. He was eventually able to help a number of guests escape the building, despite a number of his team being killed.
After the attacks Oberoi was instrumental in reopening the hotel’s restaurants and has since opened his own eateries.
Hotel Mumbai premiered on Sky Cinema and UK and Ireland cinemas on 27 September.
Watch trailer here;
