Dor

One of the better movies of recent times.. you hardly get to see a more realistic reflection of the life in rural India. Kudos to cinematography to create such a holistic picture of Rajasthan... and what a breath taking view of the Opening Act.

Nagesh Kukunoor has definitely done his homework before making this film. It touches so many real issues faced by India.. the fiercely independent Zeenat, the overtly coy Mira, the odd jobs a beherupiya has to do, the dependency a family has on a son who's abroad, the young girl who was dumped at birth, the state of mind of the elderly, the list is endless...

Every actor of the film deserves kudos for giving justice to his / her role. Ayesha Takia needs to do some such similar role to repeat the phenomenon; a different take from what she has done so far... She is refreshingly different. Well Shreyas, you are getting better at acting.

One word to summarize.. Gul Panag, awesome !! Look forward to your next film..

Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor is perhaps the best film of 2006. It is a moving, inspiring and very involving piece. Sadly, such films, despite being generally well appreciated, get little notice amongst the majority of cine-goers and fail to do well commercially. I can't get it, because this one like many others has what it takes to be famous and widely popular. This is the story of two women: Zeenat and Meera. They are very different but they share the same experience. Zeenat is an independent, strong-minded and worldly Muslim woman. Meera is a traditional and highly disciplined girl whose life outlook is fairly old-fashioned and innocent. Both women have lost their husbands, only that while Meera's husband is no more, having reportedly been killed by accident, Zeenat still has a chance to get him back. That's where we get the film's main conflict: Zeenat's husband is the one held responsible for Meera's husband's death. He is now awaiting his death penalty in Saudi Arabia (where both he and Meera's husband had been employed). As fate would have it, Meera is the only one who can save his life, as in accordance with Saudi law, if the widow of a deceased man signs a form of forgiveness, the murderer can be released from punishment. Convinced of her husband's innocence and determined to save him, Zeenat sets on a journey to Rajasthan to find Meera and plead for help. Their acquaintance and ensuing friendship is what brings the film's best moments, all that while Meera is still unaware of Zeenat's true identity and the purpose of her visit. Both women find solace in each other, particularly Meera, who, inspired by Zeenat's attitude, discovers her inner strength and starts looking at life in a whole new way.

Dor is such a riveting movie experience. Movies of this sort, which are often labelled 'arty films', are generally known for their slow pace, but here there isn't a single dull moment. It is excellent in writing, direction and acting, and is consistently engaging. The script is stupendous and is effectively developed. Everything is kept simple and genuine, devoid of any possible redundancies or clichés. The movie is shot across breathtaking locales, and their exotic and cryptic beauty is perfectly captured by Kukunoor, who is of course aided by Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography. The musical duo Salim-Sulaiman compose a winning soundtrack which efficiently fits the film's mood and cultural background and enhances the narrative. The film's instrumental theme song in particular is a true pleasure. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are excellently played by Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia, respectively. As Zeenat, Panag is thoroughly convincing in a strong yet subtle performance that is perhaps her best. Ayesha Takia is even more impressive in a performance that just keeps growing on you with every new scene right until the end. She looks cuter than ever and her raw simplicity is incredibly charming, while she brilliantly captures Meera's innocence, vulnerability, repression, and ultimately her inner growth and coming-of-age. The two ladies are supported by several actors who play their roles with utmost conviction, including Shreyas Talpade and Uttara Baokar. As opposed to what many others seem to think, I did not find Dor to be feminist or something of this sort. I see it as a culturally rich, fascinating and inspiring picture about humanity and friendship against the most impossible circumstances.

One of the most poignant movies that has come out in the present day Indian Cinema. The story is very convincing & realistic yet serene, never losing its beauty. Ayesha Takia surprises us with her impeccable acting and dialog delivery. The dialog's are crisp and full of life and that make the characters come to life and make such an impact on the viewer. Kukunoor has shown some of his best directional skills. The movie never looses its pace...Gul Panag & Shreyas Talpade have done their best. On the whole this is a movie, in line with Rang de Basanti and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which have started a new trend in movie making in India....away from the popular, sugar coated hypocritical movies. These movies have the ability to carry strong messages, yet entertain us throughout with a feel good factor. Hope we have more directors such as these...Oscar will not be far.

Film: Dor

Cast: Gul Panag, Ayesha Takia, Shreyas Talpade, Nagesh Kukunoor, Girish Kanad

Director: Nagesh Kukunoor.

Zeenat and Mira are women from two different worlds. Be it geography, culture, religion attitude, lifestyle or their names. In other words, its either black or white, the difference is tremendously visible. In spite of all these differences, there is a connection "a dor" and Nagesh Kukknoor has effectively trailed on it.

Mira played by Ayesha Takia, hails from Rajasthan. The mystic and forlorn beauty of the desert coupled with the orthodox ideas and views, reflects Mira's life, whereas, confidence and vigor is synonymous with Zeenat (played by Gul), the girl from lush and green Himachal.

Their husbands went out to the foreign shores to make things better at their respective places. The emotions of a newly wedded woman and her pain when he leaves out for work, the once in a month phone call by her husband which would last for a few minutes only, the desires , the love and longing in case of Mira is well portrayed. And the way she would climb up a stone to get clarity or network of the call is very apt in village as in Jodhpur.

While in case of Zeenat, she had to change the mind set of her in-laws about her. A very strong and determined lady. She takes everything to her stride.

The story takes a turn when Mira's husband gets killed and Zeenat's husband is held responsible for it. They used to be roommates. The only way Zeenat's husband could get out of the situation is Mira's letter of consent saying she has forgiven him.

So the journey begins for Zeenat. With nothing, but a photograph of her husband with Shankar ( Mira's husband), she begins the quest. The song, "ye honsla" is very fitting. On the way she meets up with a "Behrupiya", played by Shreyas Talpade. This character brings life to the entire story. He has done complete justice to the character. Very lively, the audience keeps asking for more.

The way they track the Shankar family and how Zeenat becomes Mira's best friend and helps her to shed her inhibitions is very interesting. "Imaan ki Udaan", as Zeenat puts it.

The best part of Kuknoor' film is his ability of not ignoring human emotions. The way the Behrupiya helped Zeenat and he eventually falling in love with her even after knowing that she is married is one example of it.

All throughout their friendship, she never gets the courage to confront Mira the fact for which she takes up the journey. The final outbreak of the film is a typical Kukunoor touch which he specializes!!!!!

In terms of performances, there is nothing great. Credit goes to the strength of the characters in the story itself and there is one scene where Kuknoor looks at Mira and the very look is so suggestive of his intentions. Kudus to the scene!!! A plain story which is spiced up with a good screenplay, cinematography, dialogues and Kukunoor's sensitivity as he tried to bring forth the issue of female foeticide into it.

Dor is a well crafted post card movie. The movie at many times moves as if the director is flashing postcards one by one. Set in the backdrop of himachal and Rajasthanm, the beauty of nature is captured very well. Nagesk Kukunoor once again manages manages to create the emotional drama with this film. Solid performances by all stars especially by Gul Panag. She surely had shown potential after dhoop and in this movie she is surely a treat to watch. Miss Takia has also done a good job.

Dor is a story of two different woman handle their dor of life differently and how their life intersects due to one incident.

The story is well written and screen play is good. Mr. TalPade manages to provide humour to this movie convincingly. One place where it lacks is in its ending which could have been a "less bollywood" ending.

But with the script, direction and solid performances it is very good movie 8/10.