Director Apoorva Lakhia is on a mission. After successfully capturing the real-life gun battle between gangster Maya Dolas and the Mumbai police in Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), he's back with another inspired epic – Mission Istaanbul.
Terrorism has sharpened its ugly claws and this time its targets are poor journalists. Vikas Sagar (Zayed Khan) is going through a divorce when he is offered the opportunity to work at the controversial Al Johara news station (hint, hint) by the mysterious Owais Husain (Suneil Shetty).
En route to Istanbul, he encounters another mysterious character – Lisa (Shweta Bhardwaj) – who claims to be a part of a medical convention but clearly has some nefarious plans that will unravel later.
As if that wasn't enough, another shady character pops up with Ghazini (Niketan Dheer), the head honcho of Al Johara who has earned a reputation for broadcasting chilling messages from the world's most wanted terrorist Abu Nazir.
Things come to a head when Vikas witnesses the execution of a journalist at the hands of Abu Nazir's brother Khali (Shabbir Ahluwalia). Suspecting a deeper nexus between the channel and the terrorists, he wants to pull out before he gets in too deep, but alas, these things are never easy.
Of course, who better to lend a helping hand when needed than Turkish commando Rizwan Khan (Viveik Oberoi). The two musclemen form a deadly alliance to get the terrorists and if their success ratio is anything to go by, the US war on terrorism could take a few pointers from these Rambo-esque protagonists.
Clearly inspired by the post 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mission Istaanbul promises plenty of testosterone-fuelled action, along with enough brawn to ensure the audience is hooked in.