Mirzya

The most pretentious pile of turd splashed on the big screen since Roy and I am not exaggerating this one bit, mind you. This has pretentious written all over it. I would have given this movie 0 stars but it is not possible in this rating system and the only way I can justify the compulsory 1 star is the opening sequence, but then it is done over and over and over and over so many bloody times that I wish I wouldn't have thought that that was a good scene.

Well, everybody knows the story of Mirza-Sahiban but truly speaking I didn't and before getting into the theater I read about it a bit or else the flashback/lore sequence would have seemed even more vague. The people other than Anil Kapoor's son and the niece of Tanvi Azmi look from a foreign lineage for some reason. The whole movie is interjected with Daler Mehndi shrieking Mirzya and those irritating and even more pretentious and vague dance sequences. If anybody tries to explain it, I warn you, you are going to be slapped because THAT didn't have any significance at all! The cinematography looked like a recycled version of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

Now to Anil Kapoor's son and Tanvi Azmi's niece. You might be wondering why I am not taking their names because they were taken due to above mentioned Bollywood background that they have inherited and anybody saying otherwise is lying through their teeth and that goes for Rakesh Omprakash Mehra. I still remember that my 1st review on IMDb was of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and I am a huge fan of RDB and even Delhi 6 had it's moments but this has diminished my respect for you. The reason that in an interview to T2 you clearly mentioned that the hero and heroine were taken solely on the basis of their acting prowess and they were treated just like any other actor. After watching the movie it is evident that you had Anil Kapoor breathing down your neck.

For moviegoers this is my true advice. I know many of you are a fan of Rakesh Omprakash Mehra or Gulzar and the girls might have a fondness for Junior Anil Kapoor but it isn't worth spending your money on. SO avoid this movie like the plague.

Mirzya has everything that's required for a musical romance based on a popular Punjabi folktale: a pair of fresh faces (Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher) with great Bollywood genes, a strong supporting cast, and lilting music.

Outside Punjab, the story of Mirza-Sahiba may not be as well-known as the other folktales about star-crossed young love such as Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal, but it has an equally strong core of emotion. And there's no one better than Gulzar to be able to translate the story into a film, keeping the feelings and idiom intact. A touch of 'Romeo-Juliet' is stirred in to emphasise just how hard the lovers have to fight, and just how much our hearts have to go out to them.But right from the get-go, Mirzya tells us it's going to be more about setting the scene, as it cross-cuts in time — some sequences are as spectacular as anything we've seen recently — than giving us characters that will instantly grab us, and keep us with them. This problem plagues this lush, good-looking production right through, and makes it much less of a film than it could have been.

Transplanting the tale to Rajasthan allows for locations that can take your breath away, despite their overuse in Bollywood. Grand forts, picturesque hamlets, glittering deserts and undulating dunes, and 'rajwadaas' with all their grand costumes and liveried retainers: Mirzya is all eye candy.There's also something sweet and engaging about an initial segment which shows Suchi and Mohnish as childhood sweethearts very attached to each other, who part and meet again in very different circumstances.

The film starts to slide when we meet these two as young adults, Suchi (Saiyami Kher) as a curly-haired miss engaged to Prince Karan (Anuj Choudhry) who bumps into Adil-Mohnish (Harshvardhan Kapoor), and re-kindles old embers. But soon enough it gets stuck in silliness, and a line exchanged between the lovers becomes all too prescient: 'tum aa rahi ho ya ja rahi ho', asks he. The film, much too intent on creating prettiness, gives us no answers: Suchi and Adil-Mohnish come and go minus impact.And that's down to the fact that the lovers do not set the screen on fire. Except for a stray scene, and that too towards the end, when these two look at each other, really look into each other's eyes, and break out laughing, telling us that they are delighting in each other's presence to the exclusion of all else, they are merely spouting lines.Without that crucial element, where lovers create a tight world of their own and no one else is allowed, no romance works. In terms of acting potential, neither newcomer lifts off the screen, but Kapoor fares just a little better than his affectless leading lady: he appears to have a quiet spark which may surface after some more polishing. Flashback to his father Anil and his first film, you will instantly see the difference between an actor being groomed and an actor who is a complete natural, and who makes us look. Choudhry brings something to the table, as does the veteran Art Malik who is made to recite Shakespeare, but they get lost in the window-dressing. And neither K K Raina, hidden under designer glares, nor Om Puri in his muddy-grey garb, have much to do.

Mireya could have been much better if they could have focused on performances and story execution , it's a boring and a major let down Movie !

Director Mr. Rakesh Omprakash Mehara work as a technician is good but as a creative person notably bad. It is hard to believe that he was the brain behind my two most favorite films "Rang De Basanti' and "Bhag Milkha Bhag'. Not a single shot gives any glimpse of that magic in this film. Screenplay is obsolete and confusing. Writer thought that everyone is well versed with the 'Sahiba-Miraza' story, so he didn't feel a bit of requirement to at least describe the key points of that legend story. Film goes into flashback from present frequently, whenever an emotional scene comes, an intense song but difficult to understand the lyrics takes over with some good visuals. Lyrics do not justify the two different time periods at all. Lead characters childhood scenes are too lame. First of all they don't look cute. Girl looks older than the boy. They seem of age 7 to 8 years but in pre climax it got revealed by boy that he was twelve year old that time. Boy getting late to feed girl 'Til Laddo', teacher show causes him for being late then asks for home work's copy, girl passes her copy to him but teacher sniffs this and then asks girl for her home work copy, eventually leading girl canned. All class give expression as if it was most unusual incident when teacher already cleared that it is well known punishment. Boy keeps mum that time then decide to retaliate in some idiotic way by shooting the teacher!!! It gives first hint that you are going to witness some crap. It is love story but you can't find a faint glimpse of love throughout. Film starts with some high octane action with support of VFX but you don't feel anything because it was not cleared that what is happening and why, actually it was just for the sake of introducing the male lead. Girl went abroad and returns back, her childhood friend is working in her Prince fiancé stable. Again some lame hide and seek identity scene. When girl recognizes the boy is so bad that I strongly felt urge to laugh but controls it with subsided smile, but then after few scenes audience started to evoke controlled giggle and then I joined them shamelessly. Surprisingly there is some weird sense of humor in most of the emotionally intense scenes, which at least save you from getting headache. Boy's Polo playing with his master then flashback of horse riding of past time. Girl wants to learn horse riding, boy trains her and all that blah blah. A key scene of tiger attacking in full moon light looks so fake and crude in the time of so advanced technology. Again thrill lost in making. In climax marriage scene, sneaking out in veil is so old fashioned scene and why that old person supported her is not clear and why that girl commits suicide is also. It was just to add drama but sorry to say it looked absurd and film is full of such type of scenes. Pre climax and climax is unbearable but yes laughter is there for sure. Performance wise all bad actors are stuffed in one film. Harshvardhan Kapoor's looks is good but he speaks stone flat. Even good actress Anjali Patil gone wasted as Zeenat. Nothing to say about rest of the cast. Musically and lyrically 'Ye Wadiyan Dhoodhiyan Kohre Ki' is good.

Some good random thoughts by R-O-Mehra, but fewer efforts were put to get them in shape. In an attempt to induce too much feel into the movie, the actual crux is lost. New actors Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher portrayed a good body language, despite having nothing much to showcase. Anjali Patil held her character well and was good in her little stint.

Storyline Rating: 2 Content: 3 Commercialization: 3 Entertainment: 2

Acting Rating: 2 Harshvardhan Kapoor: 2 Saiyami Kher: 2 Anjali Patil: 3 Anuj Choudhry: 3

Direction Rating: 2

Music Rating: 2

Cinematography: 4

Editing: 2