Reviews

The movie is well made. Acting is OK, but nothing to write home about. Amir Khan is considered by many to be the ultimate contemporary actor. Unfortunately I find that he tends to overact(I should have used the word ham). If you have seen "Dil Chahta Hai", "Mela", "Mann" and "Rang De Basanti" you will understand why I call his performance hackneyed. No variation at all. A bunch of happy-go-lucky youngsters(at 40 Amir is hardly that;middle-aged would be a better description)suddenly become "terrorists" because their friend who is an air-force pilot crashes to his death and is unfairly blamed for the crash. These guys don't even take their roles (in the movie being made) seriously. And yet all at once they start behaving like Bhagat Singh and co., shooting down a minister here,a corrupt businessman(for Pete's sake, show me an honest businessman)there.Incidentally the businessman is gunned down by his own son, who happens to be one of Amir's gang.(This is where you start clapping,I suppose,"de tali"). The transformation from carefree, easy-going men to the Grim Reaper is difficult to fathom. I think the film loses credibility here. Bhagat was fighting for his motherland. I don't think you can compare that to the honour lost by a friend through wrong accusation. I wish I had friends like Amir and his merry men.

A film made in the early fifties in bangla.With the limited facilities available this was brilliantly done.The film is about the 'carrying ons' of a group of friends.One of them get married and the rest go along as the groom's entourage. The hilarious situations created are a treat to watch and will forever remain as some of the finest moments of bangla cinema.The next part of the film is about how Gansha, the leader of the group gets a girl.Kali Banerjee as Gansha has put across a performance which is brilliant to say the least.The humour is based on the situations created, and never is it senseless or contrived.A pity really that we have never, since, seen as funny a movie. I do not know if the movie still exists in any form.A remake couldn't match the subtle humour of the original.

Dilip Kumar saves Nargis from a riding accident and falls in love with her.Nargis is already betrothed to Raj Kapoor but fails to mention this to Dilip Kumar(no reason for mentioning).She regards him as a friend.Dilip only gets to know about Raj when the latter returns from his studies abroad.Raj marries Nargis, and Dilip moves out of their lives, but not before he is forced to admit to Nargis that he had fallen in love with her.Nargis suffers and this ruins her marriage with Raj.The film, made in 1949 by Mehboob Khan tried to show the effect of 'modern'lifestyle on family life.Nargis represented the 'fast' 'modernised' Indian woman to whom friendship with the man who had saved her, meant just that.Love and friendship are two separate feelings.Nargis wonders if she has in any way encouraged Dilip to make him feel the way he does.Dilip tells her that it was he who had made the 'mistake'. Nargis however cannot stop feeling guilty.Dilip Kumar is absolutely brilliant. Watch the song 'Darna muhabbat karle', where Nargis and Cuckoo sing while Dilip plays the piano. He has eyes only for Nargis.You realise how much he is in love with her. A better performance will not be seen.As a romantic actor Dilip has no match.

The main purpose of the cinema is to entertain.Entertainment can mean different things to different people.Normally we expect a lot of emotion in Indian movies.If emotion makes you feel like throwing up, you should not really be watching Indian Hindi movies.If you are really taken with realism, watch a documentary. If you want to get away from the mundane affairs of everyday life watch a Hindi movie.Veer Zaara is a Hindi movie with lots of emotion. The audience identify with the characters and go back to watching it again and again.One must realise that a movie is a hit only when the audience is able to identify themselves with the characters.Questions do come to mind. Like, how did Rani Mukherjee know Veer's name? Maybe Yash Chopra made a mistake. The mistake did not cost him anything because the movie succeeded at the box-office.It might also have taken too long a time to give an explanation.And the movie is already 192 minutes long. A flaw nevertheless, but then you can find faults with just about everything. If you have negative vibes about the person playing the principal character in a movie, you really should not be watching the movie in the first place. SRK has become a living legend.He is a good actor. He has done well as the young squadron leader as well as the ageing prisoner. Twenty two years in jail can age a man beyond his years. Shahrukh was convincing.Preity was her usual bubbly self initially, and then equally convincing.The movie was fast paced.Editing was good. No where did it drag.The songs were excellent.