Kurbaan

Since the success of Aamir Khan's Fanaa there has been a surge of terrorist themed Bollywood movies, (A Wednesday, New York and now Kurbaan). I've deliberately left out My Name is Khan because it wasn't about the terrorist themselves but about how the common man is affected by their actions. I remember Yash Raj's New York came out now long before Kurbaan and was a pretty big hit. Maybe that's the reason why Kurbaan went largely unnoticed. Another reason could be that it lacks the hallmarks of a Karan Johar production. In a typical Karan Johar movie there's plenty of songs and dancing. and occasionally funny in places. It's a shame really because it's far better than I expected.

Where Kurbaan excels is that it is a far more brutal movie than any of the terrorist themed Bollywood movies I've mentioned. In a typical terrorist themed Bollywood movie someone would come along and stop the bomb from exploding or the terrorist would have a sudden change of heart. In Kurbaan the bombs do actually explode and many are injured or killed. The highlight for was not any of the main leads(they were all great however) but it was Om Puri. I've never ever seen him act so serious in the movie but I suppose his role as the leader required him to do that. On a end note I would encourage fans of Bollywood to see this movie, you won't regret it.

I generally have no expectations from films that preach. Most of the films on terrorism do exactly that. More so, bollywood movies try to preach quite often, terrorism or not.

So I successfully gave-New York, Fanaa a miss without regrets.

But somehow I watched Kurbaan and it turned out to be a non-preachy good piece of art. Its a decent suspense thriller which will make the first-time-viewer think. It quickly moves from some romantic-love-story to conspiracy-theory without a preachy or sympathetic moral of the story - "its only-innocent-poor that are lured into terrorist activities." It sticks to the story and portrays the confusion of an individual who is torn between religion and his unborn child. Also a lesson for girls who fall prey very easily to romantic one-liners from guys who are very sacrificial for the girl they love. Beware of them and watch this worth-a-watch thriller.

Rensil D'silva's Kurbaan is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that seldom loses its grip on your attention. Credible performances from its leads, and a nail-biting screenplay make up for the plot holes that threaten to eat into this otherwise engaging film. Set in post-9/11 America, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan star as Avantika and Ehsaan, professors at a Delhi campus who move to New York after a whirlwind romance, that involves making out in the college staff room, and a prompt marriage. Avantika, who was teaching in the States prior to her stint in India, returns to her original job, and Ehsaan accompanies her, hoping to find a position for himself too. The couple moves into an Indian neighborhood in suburban New York, where Avantika stumbles upon the shocking secret that her husband is part of a sleeper cell of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists that's hatching a plot to bomb the New York subway. She enlists the help of a news channel cameraman Riyaaz Masood (played by Vivek Oberoi), who infiltrates the gang to foil their attack. More compelling than the similarly themed New York, Kurbaan scores for its brisk pacing, and for the fact that it doesn't offer an over-simplistic view of the terrorism issue. The film allows enough room for all perspectives and avoids romanticizing the terrorist as a victim seeking revenge, even if characters like Bhaijaan (played by Om Puri) and Aapa (played by Kirron Kher) make the same point repeatedly. It's in a dramatic classroom scene in which Vivek Oberoi's character Riyaaz confronts white students and their predictable logic, that the film reveals its neutral stance. The key problem with Kurbaan, however, is that it can't decide if it wants to be a serious film addressing a burning issue, or a commercial potboiler set against the backdrop of terrorism. How else do you explain such lapses in logic as Riyaaz's needlessly heroic decision to explore a possible terrorist situation himself, instead of alerting the cops right away? Or the terrorist group's decision to include Riyaaz in their mission without as much as a thorough background check. Even the love scene between Saif and Kareena, although aesthetically shot, has a distinctly 'filmi' logic - Avantika's seducing Ehsaan to get her hands on vital information that could prevent the attacks. Another careless oversight on the part of Kurbaan is the more-or-less insignificant role the FBI plays in all of this. Anyone who's traveled to the United States post 9/11 or even watched a handful of recent Hollywood thrillers will tell you that America became a different country since September 11 happened. Even a mention of words like 'bomb' or 'terrorist' could get you into serious trouble. Which is why it's a little alarming to note that Ehsaan roams about freely on the streets of New York without bothering with so much as a guise, when the FBI have clear photographs of this most-wanted terrorist. Or that he can walk into a bar and stab a man to death, or escape from a run-in with the cops. Just watch the recent Harrison Ford-starrer Crossing Over in which the FBI swoops down on a teenage Bangladeshi girl for a class essay she wrote in which she may have sounded at best 'casual' to the Twin Towers attack. These irregularities might be dismissed as nitpickings in an average masala entertainer, but they stand out in a film like this which prides itself on attention to detail and credibility of intent. Despite its hiccups, Kurbaan works as a suspenseful thriller, sucking you into its drama even though you may have figured out where the story's going. Refer to that terrific scene in which Ehsaan reveals his real identity to Avantika, or the one in which Riyaaz's secret is accidentally revealed to Ehsaan. There is genuine intrigue in these moments, and you're undeniably hooked. Kurbaan is convincing also for the remarkable acting by its three leads, who are a pleasure to watch. If Saif Ali Khan approaches his part with restraint and minimalist fuss, then Kareena Kapoor goes for a simmering, slow-burning performance that eventually punches you in the gut. Vivek Oberoi, despite the occasionally rickety accent, throws himself into the role and turns in a sincere, spontaneous delivery. As an ensemble, the trio turns Kurbaan into one of the best-acted pieces you've seen all year. Armed with Hemant Chaturvedi's efficient camera-work and Salim-Suleiman's rousing music score that never distract from the storytelling, director Rensil D'silva makes a confident debut with a film that is both respectable and engaging. It's a compelling thriller that doesn't shy away from touching prickly issues.

Kurbaan is a major disappointment for me. I expected much more from Karan Johar and was ready to see a powerful and moving picture. But it neither moved nor entertained me as I thought it would. Though the first half is fairly interesting, the entire suspense thing was a complete letdown. Once the so-called "secret" was unveiled, the movie became very predictable, and not even once was I particularly thrilled or shocked or surprised. The script is the film's weakest link. The film fails to convince the viewer. The romance between Saif and Kareena was not believable, the proceedings seemed unjustified by any means, the background of the characters was vague and the reasoning behind their actions was overlooked. At some point the film became overly messy and that too while being slow and boring. The film's subject was hardly evident in it and was seemingly used as a pretext. I did not see the point of the story and what exactly it tried to convey. Did you?

Kurbaan's saving grace may lie in some of the performances. Some. Saif Ali Khan did not impress me here, he was sort of ordinary. Kareena Kapoor was pretty good in her role. She was likable and looked stunning throughout the movie. One performance that completely amazed me though was that of Kirron Kher. She was absolutely outstanding, and her dialogue delivery was natural and powerful. Vivek Oberoi was strictly okay though one must note that his role is underwritten. The film's soundtrack was very good. "Shukran Allah" is a nice song, "Kurbaan Hua" is also very good. The film's last scene was somewhat effective with good acting by Kareena, but a few pluses cannot save this movie, and the final verdict is average. Kurbaan may be a decent one-time watch but overall it is a great disappointment. It is best described as a wannabe thriller which lacks the power to captivate and enthrall. Watch it if you must.

Heavily influenced by Hollywood, there are a growing number of non-traditional Bollywood movies that eschew song and dance sequences and employ sync-sound rather than dubbing all dialogue. KURBAAN (aka Sacrificed, 2009) is one, particularly good example of this kind of new Bollywood film. Like so many Hindi films this does use a Hollywood film as a touchstone, but thankfully the source here (1999's ARLINGTON ROAD) is only alluded to in a couple of the plot points and beyond these the story moves in new, interesting directions that make this an interesting companion piece. Gripping for its two and a half hour running time, Renzil D'Silva's movie shares a few things in common with Kabir Khan's NEW YORK but superior thanks to it's consistent tone and credible characters and performances. Om Puri is particularly good in an extremely understated performance.