Shahid

Very few people dare to rise and take a stand to tell a story that might have been vanished from lives & in files if not attempted. Hansal Mehta joins the same league. Respect for giving us SHAHID- a film that will find a place close to your heart very easily but not without stirring-shaking & moving your soul. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!

After PAAN SINGH TOMAR, here comes an earnest biographical drama that I hope could change the way Indian Cinema thinks about our real life heroes. This is also a film that raises many a questions about humanity and its survival in today's times. It also shows our judiciary system in true lights.

What makes it an exceptional biopic are the performances. Shahid's fearless-in your face-uncomplicated character could never come so strong if Raj Kumar has not given it his flesh & blood. This man can make you laugh with his charmingly simplistic behavior, watch it when he is trying to be comfortable with his lady-love still unaware of his feelings, and also can make your heart bleed with his heartrending silence when attacked for his forgettable past. Extended applause for his bravura performance.

'Shahid' is about the life of the controversial lawyer Shahid Azmi who was assassinated in 2010. Directed by Hansal Mehta, produced by AKFPL, Bohra Bros, and distributed by UTV Motion pictures . The film is set to release on the 18th of October after its world premier at the 2012 TIFF. The movie stars Raj Kumar Yadav in the title character and the story revolves mainly around him. Hope the producers and the director join again to make a biopic on the life of Narendra Dabholkar(Another Marathi icon who was recently assassinated). The story opens with Shahid being shot point blank at his office and it continues linearly otherwise. The opening immediately reminded me of 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and 'Jobs'. Is it a necessity that biopics should begin very dramatically or with a possible ending of the life of the person depicted? Is it because there are many milestones in the life of icons that its difficult to create an apt ending to these sort of movies? The movie showcases more of a rather sweet life of Shahid in the first half and gains momentum in the second half where the major drama occurs. Pre-interval drama is more of Shahid's own upcoming and the people he meets while post-interval is full of courtroom drama. The interval was placed exactly at the mid point of the parabolic life story of Shahid Azmi. I wonder how Raj Kumar was chosen to play the role of Shahid when he looks nowhere close to the man he's portraying. Apart from the looks the guy was very comfortable in his role. Actors should take up biopics seriously as it has more scope for them(Take Ashton Kutcher as an Inspiration). Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Arif, he's one actor to look out for his subtle reactions. He made us realize that if not for Arif, Shahid wouldn't have accomplished so much. Prabhleen Sandhu(Mariyam), K K Menon(War Saab), Tigmanshu Dhulia(Maqbool Menon) in their respective small roles made the story complete. Very few people knew about Shahid Azmi and I think that this man should be made known to everyone. I've not lived when there was a Gandhi but was alive when Shahid was fighting for the lives of the innocent in a polite way. There's a point in the movie where Shahid is being provoked by a prosecutor about his dark past and this is what he says to her "I can sue you but I won't". Such a remarkable character he should have been. His record of 17 acquittals in a short span of time is indeed a great achievement so people please watch this for sure, Shahid will not disappoint you. I hope more such biopics should be made and the patronage for such genre will increase. In a country where iconic people are made gods, a film made about them will be a blessing. It will take time but it will happen.

Hansal Mehta's SHAHID, in Hindi, begins with the murder of a lawyer in his office. His first name, Shahid, which also means 'martyr' indicates that he was Muslim. We flashback to the riots in the early 1990s in which he is caught up, causing him to train with Muslim militants in Kashmir. This is not the Kashmir of so many Hindi film songs and dances, but of narrow roads cut into enormous cliffs, the rocks overhanging them.

Shahid runs away from the training camp when he is forced to witness the beheading of a turncoat, is arrested in Delhi, and in Tihar Jail must choose between siding with terrorists again or continuing his former law studies.

He chooses the latter, but on release finds that the law is a double- sided game. So he starts his own practice and takes on only the cases he wants. One is of a woman whose mother-in-law wants her house; we learn later that she is divorced, has a child, and that Shahid wants to marry her. He does, and his family reluctantly agrees. But the majority of his cases favor Muslims who have been falsely accused of terrorism, as we move through more terrorist attacks over time, including the 26/11 attack on the Taj Hotel. In every case shown, including the one involving the house, he receives phone threats, until ... This is a very serious film, more like a novel that what we usually think of cinema, in the style of Sinclair Lewis, or on a really good day, John Grisham.

Watched this movie recently and i was simply too much impressed with its script, acting, and direction all were just too natural, real and perfect, hardly i realized in 150 minutes that i am watching a movie.

The story was very sensitive as it was based on real life of Late lawyer Shahid Azmi who known for his high acquittal rate specially of terror accused who are falsely implicated in terror cased being poor and helpless, he was gunned down by unknown men in his office on Feb 2010 as he was defending the accused of 26/11 Fahim khan.

The story is portrayed in such a gripping, yet responsible manner that it makes you hold your attention right from the beginning where we first meet Shahid as a young boy scarred by the barbaric violence during the communal riots of Mumbai in 1993. The devastating impact of those events prompts him to join a terrorist training camp in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. But in a terrific scene that illustrates the actor's ability to convey volumes without the crutch of words, he changes his mind and heads back home.

Shahid spent 6 years in Tihar jail along with the other terror accused, and kept hope and continued his studies being in Jail and latter was acquitted by the court after 6 years as there was no evidence found against him.

A scene that stings with honesty, Shahid asks a packed courtroom if an accused by the name of Matthew, Donald, Suresh, or More, would be singled out and subjected to the same injustice as his client Zaheer, who has remained in jail for a year-and-a-half although no evidence could be gathered against him.

This film has remarkable cast and their perfect performances. Particularly worthy of mention: Prabhleen Sandhu as Shahid's wife Mariam, who brings depth and real feeling. Also, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub (last seen playing Dhanush's friend in Raanjhanaa), wonderful as Shahid's trusted sibling Khalid. Expectedly it's Rajkumar Yadav who provides the soul of this fearless film. Relying on minimalist instinctive acting over loud theatrics, he delivers his second winning performance this year after Kai Po Che.

Shahid according to me is GEM of a movie produced in recent years. Its hard to find such movies these days , where a good movie is only defined by how much money it has made.

My rating 10/10

Truth is pure, natural and simple. Hansal Mehta's Shahid focus on state of mind of a common man. A man sees the violence and brutality of world and then follows brutal way to end it. But After Realizing that an eye for an eye never earns anything but will leave the whole world blind. He runs away to live a life of man who could give justice to himself and others. Religion has nothing to do with the justice. The one who dies and the one who kills are human. Movie leaves a deep message for us by showing extra ordinary life of an ordinary man.

A must watch for those who is sick of bollywood bakwas masala. A very remarkable movie. All actor has played beautifully in this movie.