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Director Shelly Chopra Dhar sensitively presents a love story from many perspectives, leaving you to make your own mind.
Sonam Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao get tangled in a fictional reality which leads them to their individual truths. Anil Kapoor is in brilliant form and Juhi Chawla still has perfect comic timing. We get some genuine humour from Seema Bhargav Pahwa and Brijendra Kala.
Short and sweet, it leaves you with many memorable scenes and lines.
3/5
Director Shashanka Ghosh has presented a fun filled film of four friends, who are there for each other through thick and thin.
The backdrop of course, was a wedding, which reveals many realities of Delhi and the prejudices and workings of typical Indian society. There are a few emotional moments, many laugh out loud scenes and nice songs which make the two hour length perfect for the content.
Played well by Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania (who was my favourite), they portray their individual personalities fully, showing the audience how people can be their authentic selves, how friends can let their hair down with each other and share intimate details. A stellar supporting cast adds the required comic and dramatic touch to the proceedings.
A must watch at a time when we need to chill and not take everything seriously.
3/5
Director Ram Madhvani brings a story on the silver screen 30 years after it happened. The highest Indian award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra, was given to Neerja Bhanot, who saved over 300 lives on a PAN AM aircraft which was hijacked in 1986, with the help of her crew. The film is a dramatisation of the event.
Sonam Kapoor works in the title role purely because she is supported so well by a gifted cast. She gives a sincere, strong and under-stated performance with sparks of brilliance and realism.
The film is as much Sonam’s as it is Jim Sarbh’s, a theatre actor who plays one of the menacing hijackers. He is unpredictable, unforgiving and truly terrifying. The other hijackers show us the varying differences between people and personalities who would take up such a mission.
Shabana Azmi as Neerja’s mother is a typical Punjabi woman in the 80s, who dotes on her daughter and tries her best to deal with her own trauma. Neerja’s father instills independent and fair values in her, while her brothers adore her.
Shekhar Ravjiani makes a special appearance as the man who likes Neerja. The film is cast heavy with dozens of actors playing passengers, airport staff, her neighbours, crew etc. They have recreated a tricky era well, getting nuances and details right for the most part.
The film is taut, with a riveting plot, crisp editing and appropriate tension. It pays homage to one of our heroes at the tender age of 23 and is a pure ensemble effort.
3/5
So let’s acknowledge one thing first, the Barjatyas and Fox Star have spent money on the production, and it looks good, mostly.
Besides that there is little to talk about. But as its customary, it shall be discussed, in the hope again, to save your time and money.
Rajshri productions usually focus on family dramas and this is no exception. The tension though, lacks depth and meaning, looking lacklustre with caricature like characters. Random scenes, a weak plot, a supporting cast that wasn’t utilised well, and some misfits were cast too.
Salman Khan has more chemistry with Anupam Kher than with Sonam Kapoor. She does what she does best, look good and mouth some dialogues. The cinema erupted into laughs when she was crying, so that’s the verdict on her acting ability.
Deepak Dobriyal provides some comic relief. Swara Bhaskar is regressive, Armaan Koli laughable. Neil Nitin Mukesh looks princely in a role which suited him well, but lacked dimension.
The songs are abysmal baring the title track. Songs used to be Sooraj Barjatya’s strength, but over the years, that too has dwindled.
Was it as bad as ‘Mein Prem ki Deewani hoon’? Let’s just say they are tied, and leave it at that.
1/5
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (ROM): Sheer Brilliance
Farhan Akhtar: Pure physical strength as an athlete and 110% talent as an actor
With that out of the way, I will start with the one and only thing that I felt could deter the success of this film, and that’s the length. At 187 minutes ‘running time’ (pun intended), it is a medium paced drama that unfolds at reasonable pace. Not one scene or act or song is extra or un-required, but it may seem long for the majority of audiences.
ROM does what he does best, weaving history with cinema in a way that presents a time capsule to us, authentic and un-adulterated. ROM was a national level swimmer, and represented India in the 1982 Asian games, so he is no stranger to feeling the tension and excitement of the ‘games environment’. He has translated that wonderfully on to the screen, keeping in the mind how different the era was at that time.
The journey of the ‘Flying Sikh’, played wonderfully by the young Milkha and carried forward with a towering performance by Farhan, make this film a ‘record’ of sorts. From his humble beginnings, to the scar of partition, to growing up and proving himself, the audience is always with Milkha and watching him at the same time. We develop this relationship of an unsaid mentor, guide or spectator, wishing we could somehow change his path. But he always surprises us with his choices, doing the unsaid, treading the unknown, challenging himself beyond measure and the rest, is of course, history.
Perhaps the misfit in this film was Sonam Kapoor, but her presence doesn’t hamper the film in anyway, and ROM has managed to get a performance out of her too.
Divya Dutta, Prakash Raj, Yograj Singh, Pawan Malhotra, Dalip Tahil and a host of other actors have very well written characters. It would be wrong to say they support the story, as they are in some way part of Milkha himself, not only his journey. So in this respect lets call them extensions of the main character, which rarely happens in movies.
The camera work to shoot a sport like running can get repetitive, but they have paid attention to make sure the angles and shots are different and unique. The cinematography, especially in the scenes where he is training, is breath taking. The music is appropriate for the energy and circumstance of the many events depicted in the film.
I know this review is ‘running a little long’, but as you will realise once you see it, its hard to do justice to it in few words. I thought about who else could play Milkha, and there is no one in our industry who can do so, the way Farhan did. He was a revelation with his many facets, but his most prized was definitely the grit and determination he conveyed WITHOUT the use of his startling physique. He got across the madness, the religious discipline and the many small moments and misdemeanours, which Milkha himself would have come across.
I went with a Bollywood enthusiast who watches 2 films a year, and he wanted this to be one of them, so that should say something. Run to the closest cinema to you, this is one film which will inspire you.
4/5
Some Trivia:
– Milkha sold his story for 1 rupee to ROM
– Apparently, Sonam was paid 11 rupees for her role (too much, but hey the girl needs to shop!
– ROM purchased Milkha’s original shoes which he won the Olympic games with, for 41000 USD and gifted them to Farhan
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