The reviews were all over the place and Dharma productions reputation of being the peddler of overseas based candyfloss romances was something that suggested this film could not be real or hard-hitting. So I went with suitably lowered expectations to the afternoon show of Kurbaan with my Kashmiri Muslim friend. There was a long line at the ticket window, for the Twilight movie - mostly females of all ages. (Aside - a mother with her 10 year old daughter was buying tickets for the Twilight film, that raised many disturbing questions for me, but I'll save those for now). We went in as the previews were beginning and had to find seats way in the front in a theater that was about 80% full.
The film was relentless and well paced and hard hitting, but I will save the political discussion for last. It was certainly not a flawless film, and that is sad, because it had the potential to be excellent. The Dharma elements were very subdued though and seen in the opening scene at India Gate, prayers at Jama Masjid, National monuments, and then in NY with the faces painted in Stars and Stripes and the Statue of Liberty shot. Was there need for these? I think the audience would have wised up to the locations anyway. Saif (Ehsaan Khan) meets Kareena (Avantika), dupes her to steal her taxi and then meets her again at a college where she teaches and he is about to begin teaching. He expresses his OBVIOUS interest and gradually wears her down over innumerable cups of coffee, and when she has to go back to New York, he is the one who sacrifices things to go with her, after wedding her. Things go really well for this golden couple and they buy a house in an "Indian" neighborhood. That is when the cracks begin to appear in the fabric of Avantika's life. The neighbors are all Muslim, presided over by Bhaiyyaji (Om Puri), and their spouses wear hijabs and are ruled by Aapa (Kirron Kher in an Afghani avatar). Avantika's normal life is disrupted by a visit from a distressed Hijab wearing Salma (Nauheed Cyrusi). After that Avantika is rapidly drawn into a maelstrom of events that changes her life forever, and threatens afresh a nation already bruised by 9/11. Drawn into this web are reporters Riyaaz (Vivek Oberoi) and his lady love (Diya Mirza).
The action is taut and situations well staged, perhaps the ONLY thing missing, no doubt due to $$ constraints, is the sheer power of the US authorities that you would expect after a bomb takes out a UN mission on a plane. So yes, LOTS of screaming sirens, and uniformed SWAT teams swarming each location was certainly to be expected and not there in overwhelming force. BUT for the first time, the foreigners in the cast were real people and not caricatures or stupid. The story of one terrorist cell, and the human beings behind these characters, the impact of their beliefs and acts on the people all around them, made for an "intimate" peek at terrorism. The film was beautifully shot - and not just the beautiful locales in parts of the film, but the excellent hand to hand and firearm combat, car chases, subway station and train chases were all realistically and crisply shot. The best part was that while the film had excellent music it was never used in a way that impeded the flow of the story, it was always a backdrop and complemented the film. The background music of Saleem Suleiman (and the actual music too) was excellent and never overpowering or jarring. The dialogs packed a punch and realism. When Vivek (in character as a man wanting to do something radical in the name of Islam) tells the American student "Yes we will leave as soon as you leave our country", I had the completely mixed feelings of "Yes that is real" and "Come on, get real" and thought later that that was so apt given the character and the situation.
This brings me to the acting. The best performance was delivered by Kareena Kapoor. She was excellent as the forward (she was Amrika return after all) and deliberately coy teacher in Delhi, then as the glowing wife in the early part, and then as the sullen and suspicious wife in the latter part. Next I will accord praise to Vivek Oberoi - he was great as the modern and secular Riyaaz and then the pretend fanatic. That moment in the diner, when he finally pulls the trigger and then has to go and throw up, was superbly real. Saif Ali Khan was in character as the "dead on the inside" guy who first seduces and then uses Avantika. I just wish that that frisson of FEELING we saw flit over his face when Avantika announces her pregnancy, would have been a little more obvious. But Saif always was more nuanced than overstated and he did fit the overall ambiance of the film. Om Puri was very good, as always. Kirron Kher was a surprise package as the Afghani Aapa, she played the role with aplomb and with realism, and her speaking style reminded me of many an Afghani woman I have encountered here.
So this brings me to the politics of Kurbaan.
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2 comments:
The thriller aspect in the film worked for me only for the very reason that it never tried to justify terrorism too much. Apart from that scene where Kirron Kher explains Kareena Kapoor why Saif Ali Khan has turned into a terrorist I hardly recall any scene that was justifying the terrorist activities. Yeah, the classroom scene where Vivek Oberoi comes to attend the class too can be taken as a justification, but the audience knew what Vivek Oberoi was actually trying to do and hence I won't count that scene too as a justification of terrorism. That is why I liked the film and the thriller mode suited it as it hardly tried to go into political depths like Dil Se.. or New York did. As I mentioned in my review, the politics shown in Dil Se.. works as it being more of a romantic sad drama than an action film. NewYork fails as it is treated in the wrong way and OFC had wrong star cast.
"Kirron Kher was a surprise package as the Afghani Aapa, she played the role with aplomb and with realism, and her speaking style reminded me of many an Afghani woman I have encountered here."
I might be wrong in my review here as I hardly met a foreign Afghani. :)
"I will go with the awesome dialog written by Anurag Kashyap and Niranjan Iyengar and spoken by Vivek Oberoi – You do it because you like the killing!"
I think I heard this dialog in Dil Se.. I think I did, must be a similar line in Dil Se.. or some other film, I don't recall it but this wasn't the first time I heard that line. I heard it in another film of terrorism. Can be Black Friday. Also IMO, this scene was a failure as the director chose an easy and confusing way to let go Vivek Oberoi. He starts finding Vivek Oberoi. Stops. Goes back to Om Puri. Learns *****(SPOILER). And then goes to Vivek Oberoi to find him. Wasn't it confusing and an easy way to come to the conclusion D' Silva tried to come to?? First, why did Saif Ali Khan stop finding Vivek Oberoi if he was going to search for him later? Suppose a station came while Saif Ali Khan was talking to Om Puri. Vivek Oberoi wouldn't have stepped down the train. Then??? Somehow it looked like a very confusing way he tried to reach the climax.
And I have a problem with the classroom scene. As Saif Ali Khan was supposed to play a teacher in the film, wasn't he supposed to calm Vivek Oberoi down when he started fighting with the NRI. He obviously was seeing if Vivek Oberoi can be a part of their mission, but as it is a classroom, I thought he should have calmed him down.
P.S - Was this scene dubbed in Hindi? I saw this scene dubbed and it really looked awful to see foreigners speaking in Hindi.
I wouldn't say the film was very good. It wasn't. But yes as Masand said, it is compelling thriller with good performances. It could have been a lot better. It doesn't even come close to what Dharma Productions achieved with Wake Up Sid earlier this year. While wake Up Sid was classy, Kurbaan was a good one time watch with too many logical flaws.
Thanks for the review, Pardesi.
Though the movie has got mixed reactions and BO is underhwelming, I will still try to see this one., seems like a better movie to me atleast. And then anyting will better than KI Blue TBH
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