Raazi

Until the interval, the film was slowly boiling but felt like something was missing. But a powerful scene just before the interval explained the whole film in a go. Sehmat undresses herself after a killing, stands under the shower and cries - the cries crack up the heart. One surrenders to the nation irrespective of the in-depth emotions, until Raazi came up the films relied more on nation. But, Meghna Gulzar proves, Emotion is greater than Nation.

The complex nature of the film might come across as a defect, beneath the surface the heart is rapidly beating and the conflicts underline every character. The borders cease to exist, writers Bhavani Iyer and Meghna Gulzar team up to built a strong sense of emotional play. And this is just what I always expected from a war-torn film. The dynamics of "Ae Watan" play in context to both the countries, there's no hero or villain - humanity is. Bollywood has often patronised the term "patriotism", Raazi steps beyond it by taking up the humanistic approach brilliantly. And then, the following dialogue works as a paradox- "Watan Ke Aage Kuch Bhi Nahi, Mohabbat Bhi Nahi (there's nothing beyond a nation, not even love)", says Iqbal Syed.

Sehmat played by Alia Bhatt carves into emotion during the shower scene, often her anxiety comes across childish which just stands as a mould. Watching the film with a peaceful mind might help to digest the thought properly, and I guess, our nation needs such a thought owing to the present "nationalist" agenda.

Meghna Gulzar's Raazi is the kind of film you watch in one breath, and it keeps you right on the edge of your seat. Telling the story of a young Indian Muslim woman who follows her father's footsteps to become a spy by marrying into a Pakistani army family during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, Raazi is a gripping, taut thriller. The script is excellently written, infused with great detail and a fascinating glimpse into the complexity of the relationship between the two nations. The entire espionage track is handled with mastery and is only benefitted from the unpredictable proceedings, keeping the viewers hooked all through.

Raazi breaks the paradigm of heroes and villains in the name of communal strife. The film highlights the characters as real people and makes sure to never glorify or demonise one side or the other based just on their nationality. The main protagonist, Sehmat, could be seen in either a positive or negative light depending on the personal stand of a given audience on the subject, and never are we explicitly encouraged to take sides. Are her actions moral? Is she a good person? All these questions are left to the viewer's conclusions, and opinions might be varied, but the human effect is always there, and setsting it apart from other gripping but shallow spy thrillers.

Meghna Gulzar, herself the daughter of one of India's prime poets and film directors, does a fantastic job with Raazi both as a thriller and as the human story it ends up being. On all technical accounts, the film is excellent, be it the setting, the cinematography, or the music, but its dramatic urgency is equally as meaningful. Through its extraordinary story, Raazi lets the viewers contemplate on the concept of nationalism, which might tread a fine line between patriotism as in positive national pride and love of one's homeland, and then just pure jingoism. Some may say it advocates for pacifism, but we never know what it actually intends to convey.

The acting is just fine by one and all and, needless to say, it is Alia Bhatt who the film belongs to. The role of Sehmat, a woman who is on a mission which places her under constant pressure, is a challenge to any actress, and a young and pretty Bhatt really looks the part by virtue of her unassuming and trustworthy appearance. She is efficiently delicate all through, even phenomenal in some hard-hitting scenes, and although there are weaker moments here and there, her lack of experience turns out beneficial to her portrayal, particularly in view of Sehmat's blend of determination and inner conflict.

Vicky Kaushal, just like in real life, seems like a perfectly decent young man, one it's almost impossible to ascribe negative action or malice to. It's another case of a great casting choice, and he is just always so easy to like and sympathise with in a wonderfully understated performance. It goes without saying that it is his character that we end up feeling the most for. These two work well together, and even despite the minimal importance their romantic equation is given in this tense, political thriller, it manages to leave an ultimate mark. Do watch this absorbing film to see how it concludes.

**Minor spoilers**

We often laud our soldiers who have died trying to protect our Nation from enemies.Poems and songs are written.Laurels are given.Deservedly so.However,what about the people who are unnamed(and will probably remain so),but still served a pivotal role in protecting the Nation..and maybe even died doing so? 'Raazi' tells the story of one such character.

Among other things,the central purpose of 'Raazi' is to outline the sacrifices spies make.As one character complaints in a rather vicious manner,"Na rishton ki qadar hai..Na jaan ki"(you neither care for relationships nor life) The Nation comes first for these people.So much so,that even some personal relationships need to be sacrificed(atleast in this movie's case)

It is very,very rare to find an Indian movie that doesn't callously demean the 'enemy'.Usually,the audience is just supposed to hate the other side.Our side is always the best and the people involved think the same.Manipulative music,spoon-feeding the audience,cliched dialogues and extremely one-sided narrations usually plague Bollywood's attempts at patriotic movies.'Raazi' steers clear of all these issues.On the contrary,this movie demands an attentive viewing.The viewer is expected to remember certain details.The movie is buoyed by a taut screenplay and a brilliant central performance.Interestingly,this movie respects the patriotism on both sides.Neither side is made out to be a villain or a Hero.All characters are trying to do what's best for their country(ies)

I am delighted that such a movie has come out of India.There are some minor plot holes,but they don't affect the movie in any important way.Kudos to Meghna Gulzar for trusting the audience with such a screenplay and Kudos for bringing such a story to the public.

P.S.: There is something for Breaking Bad fans here too.I also got Homeland vibes from some scenes.

A great movie! What's surprising is, Raazi doesn't dwell into traditional bollywood subplots. It doesn't have any dance numbers, nor does it have any melodramatic romance. It stays true to what it sets out to do right from the beginning. The lead actor Alia Bhatt manages to get into skin of the character so comfortably that you forget that you are watching a movie, instead you feel the pain she is emoting.

What is brilliant about the film is that you keep expecting that every scene is leading you to a traditional Indo-Pak friendship kind of an ending with a stong social message. But what astonishes here is that the movie manages to remain a BRUTAL story of spy carrying out its mission through out. An out and out hardcore spy thriller with a women protagonist, so beautifully crafted that you are left spellbound.

Meghna Gulzar captures the simplicity of characters with so much depth that you are bound to sympathize with every character. Take a bow!

All actors are at par. Direction is superb. Camera work is crisp. Background score is perfect. This movie is a gem.

Well .. Alia Bhatt knows how to cry in the reel world and boy she does it really well, like really well .. amongst all other 'acting' things .. And Meghna Gulzar surely knows how to direct a movie .. to be honest, there was no question after talvar but yeah raazi did put a stamp once again .. The dialogues have been really thought and worked upon when you could hear the "kh" from the epiglottis :D

Also, I am loving this age of cinema where not just the star kids or the prodigies are coming to play hero or, let us say, act .. but people have started taking it as a profession and they are getting breaks too .. Vicky Kaushal is one such example ..

Movie brings life to a book titled 'Calling Sehmat' by Harinder S Sikka and never through the entire length would you find a need to go back and read it .. you know what I mean .. it is stitched quite beautifully. I did not notice any gaps in there.

Would not want to add any more details as they tend to become spoilers more often than not .. but Raazi should be certainly given some of your time, in a theater. This is the best way to appreciate a good movie.

And yeah .. we have got a new independence day song .. badly needed and is a good one after a long long time :)