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

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"

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..!

Vidhu Vinod Chopra's films are always extremely well made in terms of both writing and technique. They're often much more realistic, mature, and the stories are often issue-based and serious. Mission Kashmir is no exception in this regard. It's an impressive and enjoyable movie set in the valley of Kashmir and once again dealing with the ceaseless conflicts between India and Pakistan. The story follows a young boy named Altaaf who is adopted by Inayat Khan, a police officer who unintentionally killed his entire family while trying to eliminate terrorists right after the death of his son. Altaaf lives with Inayat and his wife Neelima for a couple of years, gradually starting to consider them his parents and forgetting the tragic accident. But one day he finds out the truth and runs away. Finding refuge in a terrorist group led by Hilal Kohistani, Altaaf grows up to be a deeply tormented and angry young man who decisively wants to kill the man who killed his family and whom he himself considered to be his own father.

Mission Kashmir shows how crucially tragic events happening at times of a war affect the lives of children and their perception of life, all through the character of Altaaf. His life is miserable and not one single day goes by without the terrible images of his parents' death popping up in his mind and torturing him to no end. As a result he seeks revenge at any cost, believing this will relieve his pain. This message was conveyed very efficiently and the moral of the story is truly laudable. Technically, the movie is marvelously slick. The cinematography is stupendous, the editing is fantastic, the background score perfectly suits the film's atmosphere and dark mood. The music, composed by Shankar Ehsaan-Loy, is generally good, though some of the songs are less necessary. In fact, numbers like "Bumbro" and "Maaf Karo" were too joyful for an intensely dramatic feature like this. The film is very well written - with brilliant dialogues that some of may be a bit sentimental at points but are overall effective enough for the film.

On the flip side, I think the terrorism thing could have been a little toned down. I could not understand why Altaaf had to find solace in being a part of a terrorist group. At times I also felt his character was a bit over the top. I'm referring to his overly strong will to take revenge. The relationship portrayed between Altaaf and Sufiya Parvez, his childhood friend and current love interest, was a little under-developed. I mean, they met after 10 long years and instantly became a pair. Well, the movie still could rise above these flaws with its technical brilliance and interesting story, and above all, many great scenes. I think the action scenes were refreshingly good in this movie, and the climax was very good. One of the film's best scenes is the one in which Altaaf tells his girlfriend that he can see nothing but blood and scary scenes of murder and she offers him to try and look at the world through her eyes. There starts a nice peaceful song, "Chupke Se Sun".

The acting is roundly excellent, and the one who leads the cast is undoubtedly Sanjay Dutt. He is excellent in his role and delivers one of his finest performances - natural, heartfelt and great. Hrithik Roshan is wonderful in some scenes and over-expressive in others, but overall is well cast in the role of a tormented young man, which he plays with sincerity and style. Preity Zinta shines as the young TV reporter and Altaaf's love interest. The chemistry between Roshan and Zinta is very good. Sonali Kulkarni is outstanding as Neelima Khan. She is compelling and moving and plays her character's suffering and pain with depth. The character of Jackie Shroff looked really like a caricature villain to me at some points. To sum it up, Mission Kashmir is one entertaining and well made film which, in spite of its flaws here and there, manages to move and impress. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's direction is very good, and so is the film's message. It's definitely worth watching and for more than one reason.

To an American, especially a post-9/11 American, the idea of a "terrorist musical" would seem outrageous and naive. It would be grossly unfair to make fun of this film in that way, though; MK defies classification in Hollywood genres. The diapason of themes in this movie is impressive and, to quote Roger Ebert, one actually cares what happens to these people, even the unholy maker-of-fatwas Hilal. A young man's flirtation with extremism is teated, as well as the little-understood Hindu-Moslem, and little-known Russian-Pathan dynamics. I loved the scenery and cinematography, and was very interested to hear about the symbolism from the other IMDb commenter's.