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Sharmila-Sweet |
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![]() Regular Member ![]() Group: Members Posts: 915 Joined: 17-October 08 From: India Member No.: 75253 ![]() |
Kurbaan Film Review [SPOILERS]
First things first. Kudos to Karan Johar for shifting gears completely and entering into serious territory. Of course, we do love him for his K-class cinema: all his crunchy popcorn films beginning with K, ever since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai redefined mainstream romance. But Kurbaan doesn't need the popcorn at all. It keeps the screen on overboil for most of its screen time with its hard-hitting storyline that dares to venture into undefined territory. Like Khuda Kay Liye, Kurbaan too looks at the other side of Islamic fundamentalism and puts the post 9/11 tumult in perspective. Who are these guys who carry anger in their hearts, revenge in their heads and bombs in their pockets? Why are they hell bent on blasting the world, irrespective of the anguish it spells to all and sundry? Can there be a purpose behind their madness? Is one man's terrorist actually another man's activist? Kurbaan, written by Karan Johar, raises these pertinent - and extremely topical - questions, without glossing over the one undeniable truth: a suicide bomber can never solve the inequities of the world, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, notwithstanding. So we have Ehsan Khan (Saif Ali Khan), the Pakistani who lost his wife and kid to American excesses, seething with a desire to avenge his loss. He isn't the archetypal, skull-capped, bearded fundoo, mouthing soliloquies on jihad and intifada (uprising). On the contrary, he's suave, sophisticated and a charmer, tutoring the world on the misconceptions of Islam in the modern world. Small wonder then he manages to win the heart of college professor Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) and follows her to New York on her stint with NYU. But the domestic idyll is short-lived as Avantika soon discovers it isn't her neighbours (the Afghani extended family, headed by Om Puri) alone who have suspicious antecedents. Husband Ehsan too is an integral part of the plot to bomb America for its excesses against Muslims, the world over. In a classroom sequence, the film tries to put Islamic fundamentalism in perspective by linking the rise of the Muslim terrorist to America's oil-grabbing foreign policy and its questionable attempts at destabilising oil rich countries in order to remain a superpower. Almost every member of the sleeper cell that comprises the Afghan family has a sad story of loss and horror that drove them into becoming fidayeens (suicide bombers). And before you begin to question the filmmakers for going too lenient on terrorism, you find Avantika who remains a non-convert till the very end. Articulating the voice of reason - and non-violence - she questions her husband and oscillates between love and hate for the man who has fathered her child. A prisoner in her own house, her only hope is Riyaaz (Viveik Oberoi), the undercover journalist who has his story of personal loss that pitches him on the other side in this war. He is determined to fight the terrorists and derail their plot of bombing America. Karan Johar's story has gravitas. Renzil D'Silva's narrative keeps you on the edge of the seat, for most of the time. Salim Suleiman's music score has a melodious feel. Hemant Chaturvedi's cinematography serenades both Delhi, where the Saif-Kareena romance blossoms and New York, where it cracks up. And the performances by almost all the lead characters are gritty. If Om Puri paints a chilling picture of the terrorist who masquerades in the garb of the commoner and Kiron Kher makes the myth of a suicide bomber plausible, then Viveik Oberoi lends credibility to the voice of the progressive Muslim. But it is the chemistry between Saif and Kareena that lights up the film as the duo bring to life a picture of passion and restraint as the doomed lovers. We do however wish their relationship had a stronger emotional graph, post the startling revelation. How did the duo contend with the fear, hate and disillusion that crept in after Saif revealed his true identity: a bit more on that? And a bit less in the length of the film which could do with some taut editing in the second half. Also, there are a few inconsistencies that mar the film's realism. Why does the FBI loom large like a know-it-all, do-it-all figure? Not only do the FBI sleuths always be a step ahead of the terrorists and arrest them without actually knowing who they exactly are, they also emerge unscathed in a suicide bombing attacking where almost everybody crumbles. Super Uncle Sam, did we say! But Kurbaan sure does strike a chord and sets you thinking on stuff that needs to be sorted out before the new world order - a more humanitarian, less violent - sets in. Don't miss it. A word about Performances: Saif and Kareena transport their off screen tuning to the big screen. While their passionate encounters are a class in aesthete, their delineation of Ehsan and Avantika is mature, restrained and realistic. Om Puri, Kiron Kher and Viveik Oberoi are in sync too. Music: While Salim-Suleiman have come up with an entire audio track which fits in with the ambience of the film, it is Shukran Allah and the title track, Kurbaan Hua which have lingering notes. More importantly, the songs blend in seamlessly with the story and have not been filmed as your run-of-the-mill song-dance numbers. Dialogue: The conversation amidst the diverse protagonists has a realistic edge and seem straight out of life. It's only when he tries to explain the theoretical basis of Islamic fundamentalism that Anurag Kashyap, dialogue writer, seems to enter the realm of text-book knowledge. The exposition seems a rattling of newspapers headlines. Story: Karan Johar explores new depths with his insightful story on the world's most pressing problem: terrorism. Cinematography: Hemant Chaturvedi uses his camera deftly to create stunning vignettes of Delhi and New York, without losing out on the seriousness of the plot. Styling: Kareena looks svelte in dresses and tights and brings to life a glamorous professor who dons the hijab with equal felicity. Saif is his usual dapper self, making casual seem haute. TOI Don't let someone become a priority in your life,
when you are just an option in their life. |
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Sharmila-Sweet |
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![]() Regular Member ![]() Group: Members Posts: 915 Joined: 17-October 08 From: India Member No.: 75253 ![]() |
Aazaan (October 14, 2011)
By Taran Adarsh, October 14, 2011 - 12:39 IST Bioterrorism is amongst the most burning and disconcerting issues today. The perils of biological warfare -- also known as germ warfare -- just cannot be disregarded and what makes it even more hazardous is the fact that a lot of countries remain vulnerable to it. AAZAAN undertakes a grave issue, a theme that has never been depicted on the Hindi screen earlier. Besides, director Prashant Chadha attempts to narrate the story in a style that's reminiscent of the BOURNE series. An espionage thriller that travels various continents. But AAZAAN, despite the right intent, doesn't come across as a compelling, assertive experience. What should've been fear-provoking and also emotionally enveloping, since Aazaan Khan shares poignant moments with the people he loves [brother Aman and sweetheart Afreen], doesn't register the desired impact. Write your own movie review of Aazaan Let's get to the root. Chadha had solid material to play with [story: Shubhra Swarup, Heeraz Marfatia, Prashant Chadha], which, perhaps, can trigger off debates and discussions, but a patchy screenplay [Shubhra Swarup] acts as a dampener. Bioterrorism is a new-fangled topic for Indian moviegoers and therefore, the team should've undertaken an additional effort to coherently explain the issue to the spectator. The narrative is complicated and difficult to decipher. Also, since the story moves from one location to another, it leads to puzzlement after a point. Furthermore, when you play on a realistic fear, you cannot afford to have too many cinematic liberties in the narrative. On the brighter side, AAZAAN is embellished with a harmonious musical score [Salim-Sulaiman]. The background score, also composed by the maestros, is electrifying. In addition, the stunts, chases and combat sequences are spectacular. Also, since the film has been filmed across continents, it boasts of some stunning and dazzling visuals [DoP: Axel Fischere]. To cut a long story short, AAZAAN comes across as an assemblage of several well executed sequences, but the sheen and shimmer cannot surrogate for a spellbinding screenplay. Aazaan [Sachiin Joshi], half Afghan, half Indian gets drawn into the murky world of espionage, only to find his younger brother, Aman [Neet Mohan], a suspected terrorist. As Aazaan infiltrates deeper, he has no clue of the price he might have to pay for it. Aazaan stands in the way of Doctor's [Sajid Hassan] plans to destroy India. All he has on his side is the love of a brother and the love for his country. A thriller works only if it's got that nail-biting edge-of-the-seat quality. That's where AAZAAN stumbles. What you carry home are a few moments, which aren't enough. The piece de resistence is undoubtedly that car chase and the subsequent crash in the pre-climax. The conclusion, though well filmed, appears like a rushed job and also seems implausible. Sachiin Joshi has screen presence, excels in action sequences, but would help him a lot if he works on his dialogue delivery. Ravi Kissen is competent. Dalip Tahil is wasted and so is well-known Pakistani actor Sajid Hassan. Alyy Khan manages to keep your interest alive. Vijayendra Ghatge is serviceable. Aarya Babbar suffers due to a half-baked character. Candice Boucher looks gorgeous, but gets no scope to act. Samy Gharbi and Neet Mohan fit their parts well. Sarita Choudhury gets it right. Sachin Khedekar appears in a cameo. On the whole, AAZAAN boasts of a novel theme [Bioterrorism] and superb action scenes/stunts/chases is its biggest USP. But the film could've done with a taut script. Nonetheless, AAZAAN should find some flavor with lovers of action movies. 2/5 |
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