Tag: Sanjay Gupta

Kaabil. (Capable)

The last of the three Hindi films that I had wanted to see in January but could see only earlier today turned out to be worth every minute of the 2 hrs and 20 minutes plus the time for ads, commuting etc.  I had written about the other two here and here.

This story is one of revenge but an unusual angle is given by making the hero and heroine blind. The action scenes are very credible particularly when one of the parties involved portrays a blind man. Every possible emotion is kindled in the viewer with remarkable ease by the very professional presentation.

What stands out in the film is the remarkable acting skills of Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam. Under the very capable direction of Sanjay Gupta both appear to be really blind and there is not one misstep in the entire film which is thanks no doubt to some excellent editing.

The others in the cast produce capable and professional performances, again thanks to some great direction assisted by very effective cinematography. Unobtrusive background music except for one very loud remix of an old favourite song, enhances the viewing experience.

If you can get to see it, please do not miss it.

Jazbaa.

jazbaa

Phew! What a film!! If you can see it, don’t miss it.

I had seen the trailer for this film when I had gone to see Talvar. I was intrigued to see some very powerful acting from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan and had decided to see the full film on release and duly went earlier this afternoon to our favourite theater just ten minutes driving distance from our homes.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Shabana Azmi and Jackie Shroff also putting in appearances and what with some excellent direction from Sanjay Gupta, excellent camerawork and editing, it was a very satisfying outing.

Aishwarya and Shabana put in stellar performances as mothers with their own agendas and the way the story takes a surprising twist towards the end enables their histrionic skills to get showcased. There is a bit of current topicality by including female foeticide to explain Aishwarya’s single status, which too sends a message.  On the other hand, Irrfan who was half inspiration for my decision to see the film was under utilised and his role could have been expanded to get more out of his presence in the film. Jackie Shroff’s is more or less a cameo role and he carries it off with aplomb.

The theme of rape and the justice system with some very critical observations about the police department adds spice to the narrative but the latter could well have been left alone as it did not contribute in any way to the story.

Despite that little negative criticism, I have no hesitation in giving the film a [rating=5] rating mostly for the remarkable performances from the two female leads.

I understand that the film is an adaptation of a Korean film Seven Days, and I intend exploring possibilities of getting that on DVD to compare.  If I succeed, I shall write a comparison review here in my blog.