Sarfarosh

The back of the DVD case claims that Sarfarosh is the first Hindi movie to take a look at some of the real reasons behind terrorism and insurgency in India. This seems like a fairly radical claim that I doubt they could really defend even though my knowledge of Hindi cinema is still far from complete. DIL SE seemed like a pretty honest examination of the subject to me, and that was several years earlier. I don't want to hold the claims on the DVD case against the movie though, as SARFAROSH is certainly an interesting take on the subject.

Ajay Singh's brother is killed and his father brain damaged by terrorists when Ajay is a small boy, because his father was going to stand up against them in court or something. Ajay takes this to heart (as you would), and as a young adult he devotes himself to becoming a police inspector and fighting against crime, and terrorists in particular. The movie is essentially about one case, where Ajay has to get to the roots of an operation smuggling guns into the country. The operation is backed by a Pakistani general, with the rationale that arming criminals in India is a cheap but effective way of waging war. The movie does push a fairly unbalanced "Pakistan aggressors, India = victims" message, though it is very careful/keen not to equate this with Muslim vs Hindu and turn it into a religious issue.

The movie is fairly serious throughout - although there is a romantic interest (the lovely Sonali Bendre), it's not overplayed and does serve a useful function by building the character of Ajay and putting the case in the context of his life. For the most part though, the movie is focussed on the investigation and the encounters between the police and the criminals as they trace the criminal network closer to its roots. It's quite an action packed movie, and features some of the best action scenes I've seen in an Indian movie. No bullet ballet or kung fu, but quite realistic fights and shootouts that are never-the-less very well choreographed and filmed. The movie bears an 18 rating, because the action does get quite violent. A lot of people die in the course of the movie, and a few of them in quite gruesome ways. One thing I've noticed in quite a lot of Asian movies is that police violence is treated quite sympathetically - even as quite noble. The cops in Sarfarosh don't mess around - if threatening, beating or framing a criminal is the best way to get a result then they don't hesitate to do so. If a criminal happens to get killed in the course of an operation then they don't seem terribly upset either, unless it was somebody they wanted to interrogate .

Ajay Singh is played by Aamir Khan, an actor I haven't come across before. He's not a pretty boy by any means, but he does a very good job with the character. It's a good character too - well developed and believable, honorable without being sanctimonius. The rest of the cast all do a good job too, although Sonali Bendre doesn't have a lot to do except look pretty and dance around in the musical numbers.

The script for the movie is very tight, with both the criminals and the cops operations and motivations seeming quite convincing. The movie does veer a little towards preaching in places, especially towards the end, but this is forgivable. The direction is very confident and focussed, and sound and cinematography throughout are good throughout.

All round, a good movie worth seeking out.

this is a real gem of a movie...it's right there among the top 5 of my favorite Hindi movies. the movie hooks you right away and the plot never slackens throughout...coupled with realistic treatment, it makes the movie an instant favorite. also the subject is very different - the proxy war waged by Pakistan's ISI. refreshingly and reassuringly, there are no corrupt cops in the movie! Aamir Khan as ACP Rathore is superb. he brings alive a cop's passion and determination to cleanse the system of criminals. the action sequences are played out very realistically. Mukesh Rishi as ACP's right hand man is just brilliant! This actor usually plays only "black" characters - this surely added to the impact of his performance (for me, at least). There are some truly heart-warming scenes of Rathore with his family. Sonali Bendre as Rathore's love interest provided some (much-needed) light moments. And, finally, Naseeruddin Shah as ghazal singer-cum-terrorist played his part with understated villainy. i love such villains - they seem so real! the climax is truly innovative - it invariably brings a smile to your face. It's difficult to spot a flaw in the movie. and considering that it's the director's debut film, you have to doff your hat to him.

Who said Indians cannot make action movies. "Sarfarosh" can be compared to any of the leading hollywood actioners. Aamir Khan is too tough to look sweet in this movie. His commitment to perfection can be seen in the way he carried the movie on his shoulders. The director John too did a great job. Though I feel Naseerudin Shah's role could have got more meat as his potential wasn't tapped complete. Music too is very good. Sonali should start looking serious than trying to look cute, as she is no longer a new comer. A solid movie with sharp dialogues and a crisp script.

One of the best things about this movie is that it shows the hero taking the right path to revenge. He becomes an IPS Officer and concentrates on eradicating crime. This is in contrast with the regular Bollywood hero, who takes the shorter and easier path justified with tit-for-tat logic to kill a particular villain in the story. Thus, this movie rises above the parochial view of solving problems through one particular revenge. Otherwise also, of late Bollywood heroes are never shown as studious ones because it is only the poor students that most people like to relate to and studious people or anyone can laugh on them as well.

John Matthan directs a fantastic film in his directorial debut. With so many characters popping in one after the other it would have been very difficult to maintain the flow of the film which John Matthan has done very successfuly. Aamir Khan as usual has given an excellent performance as A.C.P Rathore who is set to end the flow of Arms and ammunition from Pakistan to India. Aamir, the dedicated actor that he is, had studied all about the police force, the IPS people, talked with many police officers and stayed with some of them to study the role of ACP rathore.Nasserudin Shah has only 6 to 7 scenes but he dominates the movie. He has the role which was similarly played by Jack Nicholson in 'A Few Good Men'. Sonali Bendre is wasted in what turns out to be a fine performance by her. The surprise factor of the film is the acting of Mukesh Rishi which has got lots of critical acclaim from the critics and the general audience. Do not be surprised if he wins all the awards for "The Best Supporting Actor". Although the film is very predictible,the climax is the best part of the scene. This is the one of the best climax ever used in an hindi movie. Its hard to believe that this is John's directorial/writing debut.