Random Expressions

Film Review

Crushed under the heavy-weight Guru’s simultaneous release, this small film Anwar - director Manish Jha’s next after the sledgehammer piercing Matrubhoomi - succumbed to an untimely death. Unfortunately, it isn’t the co-release that only weighs down the film. It’s the extraneous flab in the script which thwarts the film’s flight - a whooshing rocket whose steam and fire is wasted on the ground instead of hurtling it into a spiritual and scathing universe. However, the film - based on Priyamvad’s short story “Phagun Ki Ek Upkatha” - has its moments of sensitivity which is far beyond the normal stuff scene in commercial cinema. Plus, it’s relevance to the current turbulent time, when the inter-religion tolerance is hitting a vile nadir, cannot be ignored.

A Muslim youth Anwar (Sidhaarth Koirala) takes refuge in a temple on Valentine’s Day, only to find himself labelled as a terrorist and embroiled in a bizarre fair of politicians, police, media and - believe it or faint - an item song that goes ‘Bangla khulla hai’. Anwar has a troubled past - he had loved and lost Mehru (Nauheed) to his best friend Udit (Hiten Tejwani), both having similar notions of leaving India for the more promised land of USA. Mehru is the practical girl who isn’t too interested in wasting time with someone who is ‘just researching temple architecture’. (Check out the superbly imaginative dialogue where Mehru keeps repeating ‘Usse kuchh nahi hone waala’ - was she talking about the film?) She prefers Udit’s more practical dreams of making it big in the USA over the dreamy, romantic and Hindi Hons. studying Anwar.

In a twisted irony of fate, Anwar finds himself responsible for Mehru’s death.

No doubt, the premise is interesting and it offers enough scope for the director to put in subtle and not-so-subtle pointers on communalism and the misguided notion of keeping Muslims at an arm’s distance. I enjoyed the portion where Anwar’s love-guru Pasha (Vijay Raaz in a splendid cameo) and Anwar converse about the American culture with reference to ‘Britney aunty’. Udit’s questioning that why do ‘Muslims dress differently’ and act ‘different’ to general society is a terrific statement. At the same time Udit asking his best friend that ‘aap log Pakistan kyun nahi gaye’ seemed extremely tacky and awfully simplistic.

Another grouse - did the director really think he wouldn’t get another chance to make a film? Because he packs in so many critiques and comments that it ends up resembling a moral science lecture - for example he bakes in thought of brain-drain, he talks about the pettiness of politicians trying to make their ends meet, he brings in references of their dirty liasion and dirtier minds; horror of horrors, he also speaks of unoriginality in current films ; and then there is an entire sub-plot on Valentine Day’s hooliganism instigated by the politician (because his mistress spurns him) - the last is particularly irritating since it eats up precious screen time, derailing the main story. In the end one is not even sure how to react to it - funny? no, since the politician is neither a caricature nor vile. Sad? Again no, since the politician doesn’t evoke enough sympathy, though he is shown shedding tears in a remorsefully shoddy scene. Thankfully, he doesn’t break into some tragic song.

Also, did Jha miraculously receive an advance copy of Nikhil Advani’s bore-athon Salaam E Ishq, because he ruins expensive raw stock detailing every minor character - so we get to know about the journalist Anita’s (Manisha Koirala in a horrible guest appearance) failed romance (with Sushant Singh who comes in for an exclusive ‘photo’ appearance and is heard over the phone). We learn about Pasha’s doomed love track, and of course, the politician’s tragic romance. We also have a huge scene about the film director who doesn’t know how to attract women and he spouts an incredibly lengthy (and boring) monologue on love and women.. And also we are made privy to the intimate details of the cop’s ailing wife (is there any track leading to consumption and fulfilment?!) In all this, the film resembles a beautiful lady who has woefully gathered unsightly flab around her middle! At times, the film just keep repeating everyone’s track in a nauseous loop, conveniently forgetting the poor hero holed up in the temple.

In case all these were to act as a counter or chorus to Anwar’s own love story then the link is terribly nebulous and poorly established!

On the positive side, the film is upheld by a strong undercurrent of abstract lyricism, where the beautifully minimalistic background score aids Jha. Especially alluring are Anwar’s romantic interlude’s flashback - set against the backdrop of Lucknow bylanes . The picturisation of Maula mere maula is scintillating. The Meera-Krishna allusions are well woven; especially its underlying contrariness in a Muslim youth’s fascination for a deeply Hindu mythology. The last half hour uplifts the film by several notches - Jha utilizes silence effectively, and he avoids showing the killings, leaving a vastly disturbing thought in the viewer’s imagination. In an almost Shakespearean scene, a guilt ridden Anwar is shown compulsively and noisily closing all the windows and the doors of his room, as if by cutting out the outside world he can find peace within; it’s his futile effort to reach within his self and he curls up in his bed and in his soul, sobbing convulsively.

Pasha’s love track and his ultimate suicide is another compelling track, and here Jha manages perfectly to link it with Anwar’s story. The camerawork in this portion is expressive and the dialogues are poetic (though overall they are trite).

When the film revisits Anwar’s story, after a long-winded detour, it sinks its teeth into something meaty. Which is why the editor deserves to be flogged for not putting his foot down in front of the director’s obsessively preachy diktats. Reduced of its unnecessary weight the film would have been terse and pithy. As of now, its a mere pity!

Performance-wise Sidhartha Koirala pleasanlty surprises, especially since I had seen the unintentionally hilarious Fun (by the way, these Koirala genes are pretty strong, he looks like Manisha with a stubble). Hiten and Nauheed do their bit well, though they do not have any large footage. The rest are adequate except for Rajpal Yadav, a brilliant actor otherwise, but here he miserably hams.

The music is ok, but Mithoon’s two songs are ravishing - both Maula mere maula and Tose naina laage (titled Javeda Zindagi for some odd reason) haunt and hurt, enthrall and enchant; and, lure and allure. However, Pankaj Awasthi’s portions are just about okayish. And the item song deserved to be axed instantly. Check out these risque lyrics - Le lo le lo re majjedaar bangla khulla khulla and the antaras offer such profound nuggets like Mera bangla bada nirala koi laga na issme taala, chaahe kitna churao sarkar, Bangla khulla khulla. Jha saab, such songs went away with Govinda and past millenium. Wake up!

Overall - Average; Promising but not upto its full potential

Related Reading (Not from this site) - An excellent review here by Bikas Mishra
Additional Reading (Non Related) - Blog Carnival on ‘Observations of Life’- Some very interesting posts, and yes, my post ‘Sycophants in office’ is also featured.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 7:22 am and is filed under Film Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.