Um Soldado Apaixonado

I'm the kind of guy who enjoys mindless action movies as well as movies that are intelligent,sensitive&thought-provoking.Lakshya falls in the latter category. The promos were slick and the music sounded good.But when i read the box-office report on this movie i was surprised at the lukewarm response this movie got because i thought this movie would be a runaway hit.However what can people like us do when such gifted film-makers like Farhan Akhtar are discouraged because their movies don't spoon-feed facts to the audience.But all said and done,This is among my personal favourites and i'm giving it a 10/10.2004 has produced some mature and intelligent movies like Lakshya,Yuva,Hum Tum,Swades etc and i'm happy that film-makers are growing up.This movie inspired me a lot and has played a role in me realising the truth that we should always have an aim in life because a life without an aim is like a body minus the soul.

+ points-Acting,Music(Background),Sound,Story,Tight Screenplay,Inspiring,Photography,Cinematography(nicely shot) -points-Length,Slow Pace,2nd half songs.

Lakshya is a very well made war, coming of age movie, which can compete with anything from the west.

I personally, feel it ends two debates, other than the fact that it establishes Hrithik as the ultra star-great actor mould (la Kamal Hassan),

a) Farhan Akhtar is the talent to watch for, A Mani Ratnam in the making for Hindi Cinema

b) Prabhu Deva can hand over mantel of the best ever dancer on screen to Hrithik Roshan (you have to see to believe what happens on the screen in the song "Main Asia kyun hoon", which Prabhu Deva himself has choreographed).

Just go and enjoy, this wonderful clean entertainer, which has great music and cinematography to complement the performances from the actors, and the skillful direction of Farhan Akhtar

Badri

Farhan Akthar has to live upto his debut 'Dil Chahta Hain' - a feat which will be difficult to match. FA will carry the DCH label forever, much like Ramesh Sippy was labeled with the Sholay tag. Comparing Lakshya with DCH is inevitable. And FA does score in many places. The story is quite simple. The setting is in late 1990s - just prior to the infamous Kargil. Roshan is Karan Shergill, the younger sibling in a well to do Delhi business family. Karan is a happy-go-lucky naive kid who has nothing to worry about in his life. His lady love, Romila Gutta aka Romy (Zinta), on the other hand, is a career minded young lady who has a clear idea what to do with her life. When placed at crossroads when all his friends are deciding about their future career prospects, Karan is influenced by one of his friends' decision and plans to join the Army. And to his own surprise finds himself in the Army training school. However, this sudden transition from his Bohemian lifestyle to army life proves to be more than he can handle and he quits the course. However, Karan realises that things will never be the same again with Romy, who clearly sees him as a quitter, a loser with no ambitions, no goals(That's Lakshya in Hindi) in life. Hurt and dejected, Karan joins the Army training again and comes out as a hard-boiled Lieutenent.

Karan is posted in the volatile Dras sector, Kashmir. Here meets the stiff, focused Col. Damle (Mr. Bachchan) and his troops who make Karan realize that his Lakshya is to serve the country. Before long, there is a war brewing in the mountains, with Pakistani insurgents blocking out the supplies to various army bases high up in the mountains. Karan suddenly finds himself responsible for his country's safety and plays a key role in winning the battle against the intruders. His Lakshya is met. Technically, the film is brilliant. One of the first army movies made in Bollywood without an overdose of jingoism. German cinematographer Christopher Popp captures the night war sequences beautifully. The natural beauty of the rugged Ladakh has been brought to the screen in its whole. FA is a fine eye for the minor details, e.g., the name plates on the vehicles are in white letters written on black boards, like they were prior to 2001-2. The tense screens between Roshan and his father (played by the inimitable Boman Irani) are excellent. The film was conceived very very well. However, since nothing is perfect, no review is complete without some criticism. Lakshya has its faults - and most of these are because we had expected otherwise from the director of DCH. For one, there is not much of a script, so people watching for killing time will be bored. Unlike most war/army movies, this is more of a drama. Unlike DCH, we hardly have a light-hearted moment in the movie. Javed Akthar has returned to script writing after a long gap BUT I had expected more. Second, there are too many characters. Many actors in "special appearances" prove to be more distractions than integral elements of the story. Amitabh has his moments, but Om Puri, Lillette Dubey and Shushant have been wasted. At points, we feel that FA had a hard time to decide whether to keep pop-patriotism away from the movie. Songs distract and do not fit in the script, unlike DCH. My rating - 6.5/10 - for the sincerity with which the movie was made, for FA's dedication to his work, and for Hritik Roshan's performance.

Finally Bollywood came up with a nice war movie, featuring then ever charming big Bacchan and the heartthrob Hritik. The movie makers surely consulted some service personnel before getting into production. And that was well seen. The tracer bullets, the accuracy of the weapons,uniforms,officer to me relation and other such things were absolutely realistic and stunning. The insurgent chase in the grasses, the rock climbing, the final battle and most important the IMA training were absolutely 9.9 / 10 . Way to go Farhan and his team. this movie is definitely a hit, at least in my home. The support actors were great in their job, specially Sushant and Om Puriji. Bachan sahib doing that 'we've done it' was exhilarating after they won back Peak 5179. The portrayal of the soldiers couldn't have been better. Shankar Ehsan and Loy,what else can i say other than you are great? Awesome movie.

PS. Preity Zinta was not actually required so much, it looked quiet unnecessary.

Enjoyable, good story, well told. Farhan Akhtar has done it again, after his first movie Dil Chahta Hai.

Hrithik Roshan's character grows up from being a confused young lad to a man with a mission. Shades of An Officer and a Gentleman, Guns of Navarone, and a little of Saving Private Ryan.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have created more of their world music, and it rocks. The first two songs were fabulous; the other songs should be skipped, I thought.

As in Dil Chahta Hai, the parents are all ultra-supportive. They also dress and decorate in expensive nouveau handlooms, rattan furniture, slip covers, etc. Boston Brahmin did a good review.

Very nice and straightforward; none of the Hindu Family Values reactionary material that Bollywood routinely churns out.