Mission Kashmir

When I saw KHAMOSH, also directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, I thought it was the worst movie ever. I thought that Chopra was a terrible director. Then, I saw MISSION KASHMIR.

MISSION KASHMIR has a rather confusing line if you don't follow it completely. Inayat Khan (Sanjay Dutt) is a Kashmiri cop whose son falls from a second-story window by accident. No doctor treats the boy in fear of a fatwah issued by a terrorist named Malik-ul-Khan. The boy dies.

Blinded with fury, Khan organizes a raid on a house Malik-ul-Khan is staying at. Unknown to the police, the house is owned by an innocent family of four and Malik-ul-Khan is there merely as an uninvited guest. During the raid, all terrorists and almost all members of the family are shot down. The only survivor is the ten-year-old boy Altaaf.

Khan adopts Altaaf, but is continuously fearing that the boy will one day realize that he was the masked man who killed his family. One day, Altaaf finds the mask and realizes the truth. He attempts to murder his foster father and runs away.

Years later, an ex-Mujahiddin Pathan radical terrorist named Hilal (brilliantly portrayed by Jackie Shroff) is in search of a brave soldier to help him in his jihad and in a top secret mission code-named Mission Kashmir. Who else does he pick, but his "baccha" (child) Altaaf (Hrithik Roshan)?

Along the way, we meet the beautiful and playful TV reporter Sufiya Pervez (Preity Zinta).

MISSION KASHMIR is no ordinary action movie. It is actually more of a drama set on a violent background. Don't misunderstand me; action lovers will be thrilled by this film.

The special effects of MISSION KASHMIR are extraordinary and the music and songs are the best I've seen in years. One thing I used to dislike about many films was that there would be songs where they did not belong. The songs here are well-worded and absolutely appropriate.

Jackie Shroff's portrayal of Hilal is equally outstanding. One can take a look at his eyes and realize that this man is a fanatic.

If MISSION KASHMIR were an American film, it would receive the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hrithik Roshan), Best Actress (Preity Zinta), Best Director (Vidhu Vinod Chopra), Best Supporting Actor (Jackie Shroff), Best Supporting Actress (Sonali Kulkarni), Best Music, and Best Special Effects.

Simply an outstanding film.

9.5 out of 10

Overall I really enjoyed the nearly 3 hour epic ride of "Mission Kashmir". But I couldn't help but cringe at times when it took on a bit of a political bent that clearly favored one side over the other in the India-Pakistan battle over Kashmir. It's not that I disagree or agree with the stance, but just that it was a bit heavy-handed at times. The way the heroes and villains were portrayed stylistically gave away the ending. The bad guys looked and acted like monsters, the good guys were smiling family men. And of the bad guys who looked good? Well you just knew it was a matter of time that they would change their ways. The action kept the movie going at a brisk pace, though I found these scenes to be the least exciting. I was more moved by the human interplay between the characters. But the highlight for me were the musical scenes; in particular, I loved one scene where the misguided hero finds his long lost childhood girlfriend on the set of a song and dance performance. It was so electrifying I had a hard time staying in my seat.

Overall, I liked this movie, and as a newcomer to Indian cinema, I look forward to seeing many more. (7 out of 10)

English Audio dubbing has been made available on the DVDs that can now be rented at Hollywood Video & Blockbuster.

The dubbing is flawless! And I think the movie is a true neutral view of the Kashmir Situation.

Good job!

A shikara sits on a still lake, the beauty of Kashmir resplendent in the background, a hazy mist clutching the mountains; it is quiet, calm, still. The stillness is shattered by an explosion, the Shikara is in flames to the strains of "dhuan dhuan" in the background, as if to reiterate the point of a burning Kashmir, once a stunning land, now ravaged by repression and terrorism, eaten by fear, divided by politics in the name of religion.... ...This movie is not a stereotype bollywood movie,its a mixture of an art movie & a commercial movie,a battle between love & hatred...MK is a DIFFERENT BRICK IN THE WALL..Technically, the film is on par with any Hollywood film with a bombastic climax....It truly gives a picture of the beauty of kashmir & its culture.I know some people feel it has not done that well despite huge commercial expectations at the box office.. but it turned out to be an international blockbuster, ranking among the top 50 rentals in the US and dubbed into most major languages around the world.Mission Kashmir is not an ordinary movie,even Hollywood can feel ashamed in front of such an extraordinary masterpiece with cutting-edge cinematic techniques and state-of-the-art sound direction. ,it is easily one of the finest Hindi films ever with flawless direction, mesmerizing locations, pleasant music,hi-fi special effects and some stunning performances by almost everyone in the cast, this really makes for a great movie experience.Vidhu Vinod Chopra captures the essence of Kashmir so beautifully that by the end of the movie you actually start feeling proud to have such a heavenly place in your country.The movies raises a hope that after all the mishaps that's going in kashmir, there will be peace. after the dark, there will be a morning. and love and peace will en cover the Kashmir. the Dal lake will again be filled with heavenly water replacing the live explosives.. The climax of the movie was the best climax I have seen in this genre..,the fight sequence,especially the technique... of Normal and Slow motion shots syncronised with sound... This end sequence would have been less than seen without that great artwork (Old and almost ruined wooden house with lifelike cobwebs and not to forget the swamps),.....excellent cinematography,innovative camera work,beautiful sets and awesome action sequences(one of the best in world cinema)makes this movie an unforgettable classic.The location in the climax shot at the dal lake was mind-blowing,the scene in which the lotus sub-merged was a true portrayal of kashmir under terrorism.Its a realistic movie dealing with terrorism,the weak point is confusing story line if you don't follow it properly & secondly some songs were not required to be there during some parts of the movie.Hrithik was awesome in the movie so as Sanjay and every other actor,Jackie Shroff who was once tortured by the Soviets in Afghanistan now runs a jihad against India funded by two shadowy agents and, behind them an equally shadowy Osama bin Laden look-alike. Indians should learn to praise such a gem movie instead of copying Hollywood flicks.Mission Kashmir is a masterpiece which can not be made again and again,if it would have been an American movie,it would have surely won the Oscar.Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made a cracker of a film, weaving together an intelligent and responsible film, blending and balancing big action with emotion and feeling, almost perfectly. MK is not just about bombs ,missiles & guns,it also has flowers,beautiful shikaras,excellent music,religion,innocence,love & romance.If you are a typical masala movie lover,this one is not for you but if you have the creativity and an artistic eye this one is a must watch for you....! Mission Kashmir is a realist yet artistic portrayal of terrorism and strife in... it is truly a patriotic movie must watch for every Indian,....a dedication to Kashmiriyat, the centuries old tradition of religious tolerance and harmony..!

A great movie to begin with... It has great performances of Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan and Jackie Shroff... Great Sound Engineering... U can hear that in the title opening sequence with the sound of bullets... Great visuals as u have in all VVC (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) films... VVC has always been aware of bringing hollywood kinda film making to india... We remember him bringing the waves of Dolby Stereo in Inida with "1942 A Love Story"... This time he has sound mixed the entire movie with almost mammoth times cost which would not be possible in Inida... The pace of the movie is another asset... U cannot imagine a single shot to be removed from the movie... Every frame is tightly conceived to fit the script... Add to that, a smooth and pace syncronised editing... To sum up... The end sequence, the fight between Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt... Especially the technique... of Normal and Slow motion shots syncronised with sound... This end sequence would have been less than seen without that great artwork (Old and almost ruined wooden house with lifelike cobwebs and not to forget the swamps)... Not to forget great camerawork throughout the movie... That makes this movie very different in treatment... Surely one of the best movies made on Kashmir after "Roja"