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[Sharmila-Sweet]

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

[Sharmila-Sweet]

Review: Jannat 2

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012, 9:25 IST | Updated: Friday, May 4, 2012, 8:26 IST
By Kanika Sikka | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA


Movie: Jannat 2
Director: Kunal Deshmukh
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Esha Gupta
Rating: **

With uncanny similarities to Nicolas Cage’s Lord of War, Jannat 2 revolves around an unexplored (in Bollywood) premise of arms trafficking. The sequel of the 2008 film Jannat, the film is a predictable, yet partly gripping tale of a small-time brat who faces the results of his own deeds.

A street-smart punk, Sonu Dilli KKC i.e. kutti kamini cheez (Emraan Hashmi), runs a small bi-ness (business) of selling and renting guns. His motto – people kill each other with any weapon they find, he might as well make it convenient by supplying guns. ACP Pratap (Randeep Hooda), a maverick cop, driven by the aim of getting to the roots of nexus of arms racket, compels Sonu to convert into his informer and forces him to delve deeper in the illegal business of arms manufacturing and selling. In the midst of all this, Sonu falls in love with Jhanvi (Esha Gupta), a doctor who works at a government hospital which faces serious cash-crunch. The plot moves on to show how Sonu, in a bid to transform his life into a decent living, signs a deal with Pratap (who develops a soft-corner for Sonu and Jhanvi) to reach to the bottom of the nexus of illicit business of guns trading.

Although the plot is calculable, the swift narrative manages to squeeze out humdrum portions. The movie had a prospect of being more engaging if the director would have invested some extra action sequences. The chase sequence in a dargah needs special mention with excellent camera work and proves why action scenes could have been a bonus for the film.

Kunal Deshmukh, who made his debut with the prequel of Jannat 2, though promising, has a lot of scope to narrate a plot with a more engaging approach. The climax, though, was somehow is unpersuasive.

Emraan Hashmi, who is the protagonist and narrator of the movie does justice to his role, and carries the film forward with a not-so-believable portrayal of a typical dilli boy. In a particular scene, Pratap tells Sonu, “Saans toh lele. Bolta hai toh bolta hi chala jaata hai.” This rightly portrays Emraan’s dialogue delivery in the movie, in his bid to play a (well-tried, yet unconvincing) crook. The actor somehow looks more convincing when he is not busy trying to be a typical Delhi lafandar.

Randeep Hooda proves yet again that he is worth all the compliments in his previous films. His convincing portrayal of a grief-driven cop is noteworthy. Randeep’s stellar performance is the most positive point in the film.

Esha Gupta adds glamour to an otherwise fiery and somewhat-impetuous tale as she switches between magnetic and the next-door-neighbour looks. The alluring model-turned-actor, (whose similarities to Lara Dutta are remarkable) may land up being another one of Vishesh film’s ‘rare discovery’ which never saw a career in Bollywood beyond their first film.

The music, like any other Vishesh Films’ movies, is remarkable. The background score deserves brownie points.

Overall, the portrayal of this foreseeable plot is appealing in parts. Jannat 2 is worth a one-time watch, since there aren't many options for the movie-goers this weekend.