Dhanak

Life is beautiful in every aspect, every moment and every breath. We forget to live and enjoy the life in present due to hectic schedule and aspirations. "Dhanak" is a simple story well told with a strong message embedded deep within.

"Dhanak" tells the story of siblings Chotu(Krissh Chabhra) and Phoolan(Sapna Singh) who embarks on an unknown journey of dreams and aspirations into a world never explored before.

Nagesh Kukunoor has come a long way from his early days of "Hyderabad Blues", "RockFord", "3 Deewarein","Iqbal" to the recent one "Lakshmi". Just like "Iqbal", "Dhanak" is a feel-good cinema that gives a strong message that anything is possible in life if you have a positive attitude. The screenplay, also written by Kukunoor, is superb keeping on your toes with comic scenes between brother and sister that will surely bring down the house. The movie was salvaged due to high publicity given to "Udta Punjab" but I would strongly recommend to watch it. The Art Direction by Haris Umar Khan and Cinematography by Chirantan Das captures the beautiful sand dunes of Rajasthan. The music by Tapas Relia explores the rich musical culture of beautiful state. I loved the English-Hindi fusion of "Damadam Mast Kalandar".

The young artist Sapna Singh and Krrish Chhabra are just fun to watch. The sparkling chemistry between these actors are applauding and will keep smiling throughout. Rest of cast were supportive in their respective roles.

On the whole, "Dhanak" is a perfect answer to the changing trend of Indian Cinema. Highly recommended. 5/5

The emotions, location, songs etc., it's just so beautiful. As an audience one can connect with the emotions! Heart warming! Amazing actors! Beautifully made!!

Definitely a must watch. Very good sibling bond and beautiful story.

First and foremost let me start with a short review of the Nagesh Kuknoor super-awesome children music travel saga Dhanak! Dhanak is story of two very sweet and direct kids Chhotu and Pari, who embark on a tour in search of Great King Shahrukh Khan ji so that he can help return Chhotu's eyesight. Along the way they meet a cast of colorful characters. The backdrop of rural Rajasthan is as much a character. These 2 children give a heart-melting performance to make this the breakout film of the season. The mute role by Suresh Menon and some other support cast is very commendable. The music is its own star in this beauty. The Manganiyaar tradition larks back to times of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I elaborate on that on http://passionsprimitive.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/dhanak-film- manganiyaars-nusrat-fateh.html

10 stars from me.

What worked:

• humorous dialogues and beautiful screenplay; what keeps the movie engaging is the interaction between the siblings, and their journey, meeting new people at different circumstances. The movie is a feel good family drama which holds its value and narrative despite some flaws and loopholes. Also, the movie impresses because of the lead child actors, their charisma, nuances and childlike qualities.

What did not work:

• surreal theme; although the movie holds strong with its intend and narrative, we cannot overlook the fact that the kids journey is more superficial than reality. I am not trying to bash the makers, culture and society but it all seemed like a child fiction and adventure where they use their cliche childish behavior to get what they wanted. However, we cannot also deny the fact that the movie's theme worked also because of the innocent and true motives of the kids.

Final verdict: recommended, should give it a try at least once