Dor

One of the most poignant movies that has come out in the present day Indian Cinema. The story is very convincing & realistic yet serene, never losing its beauty. Ayesha Takia surprises us with her impeccable acting and dialog delivery. The dialog's are crisp and full of life and that make the characters come to life and make such an impact on the viewer. Kukunoor has shown some of his best directional skills. The movie never looses its pace...Gul Panag & Shreyas Talpade have done their best. On the whole this is a movie, in line with Rang de Basanti and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which have started a new trend in movie making in India....away from the popular, sugar coated hypocritical movies. These movies have the ability to carry strong messages, yet entertain us throughout with a feel good factor. Hope we have more directors such as these...Oscar will not be far.

Movie depicts the Dor of life. Its unusual from a maker like Nagesh to produce such an emotional flick but he was brilliant in it. Specially the role of Gul Panag was splendid.This role must have been made for some one like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi and Gul did real justice with it. This story revolves around the pain and agony a young widow whose husband is accidentally (Not quite sure) killed by his roommate who happens to be husband of the liberated woman Gul. The movie circles around her journey to find the woman who can get her husband free. Shreyas played an excellent role in this movie and surely second best role wise. Ayesha also played a good role along with Nagesh and Girish Karnad. All in all this is a movie worth watching. A 9/10 from my side.

-Vaibhav

Dor is a well crafted post card movie. The movie at many times moves as if the director is flashing postcards one by one. Set in the backdrop of himachal and Rajasthanm, the beauty of nature is captured very well. Nagesk Kukunoor once again manages manages to create the emotional drama with this film. Solid performances by all stars especially by Gul Panag. She surely had shown potential after dhoop and in this movie she is surely a treat to watch. Miss Takia has also done a good job.

Dor is a story of two different woman handle their dor of life differently and how their life intersects due to one incident.

The story is well written and screen play is good. Mr. TalPade manages to provide humour to this movie convincingly. One place where it lacks is in its ending which could have been a "less bollywood" ending.

But with the script, direction and solid performances it is very good movie 8/10.

One of the better movies of recent times.. you hardly get to see a more realistic reflection of the life in rural India. Kudos to cinematography to create such a holistic picture of Rajasthan... and what a breath taking view of the Opening Act.

Nagesh Kukunoor has definitely done his homework before making this film. It touches so many real issues faced by India.. the fiercely independent Zeenat, the overtly coy Mira, the odd jobs a beherupiya has to do, the dependency a family has on a son who's abroad, the young girl who was dumped at birth, the state of mind of the elderly, the list is endless...

Every actor of the film deserves kudos for giving justice to his / her role. Ayesha Takia needs to do some such similar role to repeat the phenomenon; a different take from what she has done so far... She is refreshingly different. Well Shreyas, you are getting better at acting.

One word to summarize.. Gul Panag, awesome !! Look forward to your next film..

Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor is perhaps the best film of 2006. It is a moving, inspiring and very involving piece. Sadly, such films, despite being generally well appreciated, get little notice amongst the majority of cine-goers and fail to do well commercially. I can't get it, because this one like many others has what it takes to be famous and widely popular. This is the story of two women: Zeenat and Meera. They are very different but they share the same experience. Zeenat is an independent, strong-minded and worldly Muslim woman. Meera is a traditional and highly disciplined girl whose life outlook is fairly old-fashioned and innocent. Both women have lost their husbands, only that while Meera's husband is no more, having reportedly been killed by accident, Zeenat still has a chance to get him back. That's where we get the film's main conflict: Zeenat's husband is the one held responsible for Meera's husband's death. He is now awaiting his death penalty in Saudi Arabia (where both he and Meera's husband had been employed). As fate would have it, Meera is the only one who can save his life, as in accordance with Saudi law, if the widow of a deceased man signs a form of forgiveness, the murderer can be released from punishment. Convinced of her husband's innocence and determined to save him, Zeenat sets on a journey to Rajasthan to find Meera and plead for help. Their acquaintance and ensuing friendship is what brings the film's best moments, all that while Meera is still unaware of Zeenat's true identity and the purpose of her visit. Both women find solace in each other, particularly Meera, who, inspired by Zeenat's attitude, discovers her inner strength and starts looking at life in a whole new way.

Dor is such a riveting movie experience. Movies of this sort, which are often labelled 'arty films', are generally known for their slow pace, but here there isn't a single dull moment. It is excellent in writing, direction and acting, and is consistently engaging. The script is stupendous and is effectively developed. Everything is kept simple and genuine, devoid of any possible redundancies or clichés. The movie is shot across breathtaking locales, and their exotic and cryptic beauty is perfectly captured by Kukunoor, who is of course aided by Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography. The musical duo Salim-Sulaiman compose a winning soundtrack which efficiently fits the film's mood and cultural background and enhances the narrative. The film's instrumental theme song in particular is a true pleasure. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are excellently played by Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia, respectively. As Zeenat, Panag is thoroughly convincing in a strong yet subtle performance that is perhaps her best. Ayesha Takia is even more impressive in a performance that just keeps growing on you with every new scene right until the end. She looks cuter than ever and her raw simplicity is incredibly charming, while she brilliantly captures Meera's innocence, vulnerability, repression, and ultimately her inner growth and coming-of-age. The two ladies are supported by several actors who play their roles with utmost conviction, including Shreyas Talpade and Uttara Baokar. As opposed to what many others seem to think, I did not find Dor to be feminist or something of this sort. I see it as a culturally rich, fascinating and inspiring picture about humanity and friendship against the most impossible circumstances.