Aamir

A calorie free movie which sans the "phormoola" (the must-have superstitious ingredient for every Bollywood movie).

Aamir rests heavily on the technical department and needless to say it is rock solid, hence works big time. The concept is innovative, story is engrossing, screenplay is deft, music is captivating and of course direction is first rate. And above all, if the performances would have even fallen short by a degree – it would have been a fly in the ointment. Kudos to all the new faces, Rajeev Khandelwal deserves a special mention (and so does the lady who plays the hooker).

The director spares no moments to gets straight down to business and you get sucked into the whirl hole. The choice of locales deserves a special mention – very realistic and add the background score to it, you almost feel it is virtual reality you are experiencing.

Somewhere in between, you get déjà vu as though the entire plot is a bad prank (Bluffmaster/ The Game) – but eventually it dawns that the funny bone does not exist.

And ah yes – the ending couldn't have been better! As the credit rolls, you will be enlightened with a few answers.... and left with barrage of questions.

You would want to stand up and applaud when the end credits roll, for this will be easily one of the finest films you have seen in recent times. And it becomes all the more commendable considering the fact that most of the names in the credits are debutants, including the lead protagonist and director.

Debutant director Raj Kumar Gupta dares to tread the path less travelled with a dark, hard hitting drama thriller. The film starts with some candid shots of Mumbai and the candid shot keep flooding showing the unknown and dark side of Mumbai. The director and the cinematographer grip you to your seat for entire duration. You feel as suffocated as the lead protagonist. And when he beats the hell out of some road side snatchers, exhausting all his anger and frustration, you wish you could also hit a few blows to help him. And to add to the class of the director and innovation of cinematographer, there is impeccable background score.

Rajiv Khandelwal, probably the most precious Bollywood import from television and best debutant this year, showcases the character that is traumatized, shocked, feared, determined, strong, venerable all at the same time. He shows what he is capable of. We only hope he is nurtured and used well in Bollywood, for he is a talent to look out for.

Looking at the kind of cinema that's being churned out these days, you'll have to wait probably really long to watch a film of this stature. So, don't wait. Don't miss this one. For this really deserves to be stand and applauded.

I don't have enough words to express my feelings about this movie. Never before in Hindi cinema, anyone has made such a thriller (without introducing any ghosts).

Brilliant direction, story, camera work, background music is far beyond expectation, special credit goes to director for choosing such real life locations during shooting. No rush of characters, no additional drama..... simply the director has filled everything up to the brim perfectly.

Excellent acting by Amir, I can't remember his name, probably Rajiv.....congrats man, you can expect "critics" award next year, some of the incidents in the story are almost our common life experiences like the custom officer matter.

Overall, it is simply a masterpiece. I don't know whether people in India will get to know about the movie or not ?? Last year such an unexpected movie came out "Jhony Gaddar" but this one is far better than that dealing with a real life story from different angles.

What happens when a director is in full control of his craft, his crew and his subject? You get an unexpected wonder like Aamir. Nevermind that it is built on a shoe-string budget, has a low profile cast and hardly had any publicity-spend.

The screenplay is brilliant. It is built piece by piece to create riveting drama. The camera work is raw and real. The locations are actual Mumbai mean streets and alleys. The supporting cast is very real. It is like Rajeev Khandelwal is walking through a real day in his life. Ah yes, Rajeev Khandelwal ! He is plain amazing. The character he plays is in a turmoil - vulnerable, helpless, frustrated, tired and angry. But Rajeev Khandelwal - he is just effortless. Easily the best performance of the year so far.

Raj Kumar Gupta makes a fine directorial debut. He does not fall into the clichés that a newcomer may be susceptible to. It would have been an easy choice to shoot the story in a dark night instead of the broad daylight that Gupta chose. He chose not to hide in darkness. He throws his craft open in blinding sunlight. Instead of a la-Hollywood film-noir style, he places his drama-thriller in the dusty Indian landscape.

Of course, there are overtures of terrorism and disillusionment of a community but these are not the highlights of the film. And thankfully, the film does not editorialize. It is basically a drama-thriller - and a good one.

There is excellent use of slow motion in the climax. It makes it the edge-of-the-seat moments of the film. Best film of this summer !

In the midst of writing my first screenplay, I was keenly observing reviews from my close ones about the movies they liked and disliked and the reasons for them. I acquainted myself to the grim reality that people still don't want to see something real on the silver screen. Movies are a getaway from reality and there is this unanimous love for their stars. That's why our movies are about glamor, glitz and almost always no impressive storyline. Aamir is fantastically different to the clichéd movie world, we live in India. Cinematography reminiscent of the great Nicolas Roeg's lens work, Alphonse Roy is the hot new talent to watch out for. He managed something that a lot of movies based in Mumbai could not...the only notable exceptions being Slumdog Millionaire and Salaam Bombay. It has a gripping plot and keeps you edgy but isn't devoid of a few Muslim stereotypes. That said, there are a whole lot of other pluses which make it a must watch. Rajeev Khandelwal looks dapper, plays his character and displays angst, fear and horror with great facial precision and makes you wonder why he has not been casted in another movie yet, are we all sleeping or are we just too obsessed with our stars? Editing is first rate, direction has a sense of purpose and the whole ensemble of actors plying their trade meaningfully gives Aamir a definite must watch tag. What is lacks is the finesse of an Anurag Kashyap screenplay, but still is a valiant attempt in trying to change the face of cinema in India. Aamir should be lauded, applauded and celebrated as one of the best, coming out from Bollywood factory in the year 2008.