Escuridão

Excellent performance of the two main actors: Rani Mukherjee is unrecognizable and believable in her role of a blind person & Amitabh Bachchan, well, wonderful as usual! It is a sad and dark movie though. I do not think that this movie is about love nor God... but about hope for sure! It is a good movie, well played. For people looking for a Hindi movie without the Bollywood songs and dances, this one will make them happy; there is nothing of that sort here in this film that is a bit long (124 minutes!).

For those who admire Amitiji(I am one of them), I guess you must watch this movie because he really is incredible!

I saw this movie in first week of its release itself and i liked movie too much ,much more than any Hindi movie till date but i didn't want to compare it with any other Hindi movie. SOme ppl are arguing that this movie is crap or similar words for it but i couldn't find any suitable explanation for saying the movie is not gud enough to be a part of one of the best movies ever. The concept,acting,direction and screenplay was superb. This is one of the few movies which got potential to bind u emotionally with the movie . THe best part was SLB tried something very diff and took huge risk by doing something which was never done before. No songs and very apt music which runs throughout the movie. I do agree that this movie certainly deserves an Oscar and i do agree that it was totally framed for it as the length of the movie, most of the dialogs in English,total British background, Cristian characters but i guess this can bring golden era to bollywood which is already contributing maximum no. of movies(even more than Hollywood) by providing some excellent works. Good work SLB

Sanjay Leeela Bhansali's Black is definitely a good film. It is brilliantly scripted, made and executed, and it is also profound and complex. Many have called it a pretentious show, and indeed, that's something very obvious and annoying. I'm sure Bhansali from the very outset had planned to get many awards, five-star reviews, and "the-best-filmmaker-in-the-country" titles, but that said, nobody can completely begrudge him since this movie is as impressive and well-invested as it is ostentatious, and it deserves the hype. Let's start with saying that technically and visually Black is a treat. It boasts of fantastic sets and wonderful costumes, and the cinematography is incredibly good. All these, along with the superb background score, create a beautifully dark film. Having said that, this may be the exact reason why many viewers found it hard to relate to, and that's something I can easily understand, particularly after having seen his best feature to date, Khamoshi: The Musical, in which everything was kept simple. Here there's no simplicity: everything is lavish, big, grandiose - and that's why it's often labelled pretentious. The film is emotional yet unsentimental, which is good, but then, one of its main flaws is the fact that more than once it resorts to emotional manipulation, trying to forcibly wring tears.

Well, one thing is sure and it is that you can always expect good acting in a SLB film, particularly when it has an Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan's performance is out of this world. His character goes through many phases, and each time you feel he's sinking into it more and more, so much that no words can be found to describe it. Seeing an actor of his calibre still being there, and playing a part with such passion, intensity, emotion, anger and hunger, makes one believe that the sky is the limit. Along with Yuva, Hum Tum and Veer-Zaara, Black is a film that constructs Rani Mukherjee's transformation from an average performer to a mature actress. She plays the character brilliantly. The scene which had her crying on the phone to her mom, is one of her career-best acts. It's cruel that she is cast opposite Bachchan, as she can't take the whole credit to herself, and well, frankly speaking, in my view her role is not as powerful as his, as it is a technical part that requires extensive training rather than soul. It's still a memorable performance, and in her case, if the sky is the limit, Black was probably the sky. Without taking anything from Mukherjee, I was more impressed and amazed by the far more superior performance of Ayesha Kapur, who played the young Michelle to perfection. Kapur is simply flawless in this role.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a crafted filmmaker who knows his work and his goals very well. In spite of its flaws, Black remains artistic and it is overall a moving movie experience. The words hope, love, dedication and success always come to the mind while watching it. It might not be original, it may be extremely manipulative at points, but the effort that was put into it by the entire cast and crew is evident and appreciable. Black is definitely better than most of the films made in the Hindi film industry. Though for me too it is a mixed bag, I admit that the first time I saw it, I kept thinking of it after the show had ended and for quite some time. This is an achievement few films can achieve (for me), and here's why my high rating.

My uncle gave up watching Hindi movies as he believed that there was no good Hindi movie after 'Anand'. He started watching bollywood movies again after watching 'Black'. Black is Hindi cinema at it's best. Obviously, Amitabh Bachchan plays the lead in it...who else can? While watching this movie, I laughed, I cried and I enjoyed myself. Amitabh Bachchan trying to show 'bullshit'in sign language and Rani Mukherjee trying to hit the person who bumped into her. Amitabh Bachchan, is inspiring. There's nothing to say about him...as he left me speechless. Rai Mukherjee's performance is by far her best. Watch this movie...it's the best you'll watch in ages!

Here's very briefly what the movie is about:

It is the story of Helen Keller & Anne Mansfield Sullivan, suitably modified though, to nicely fit into the Bollywood mould.

That however should not take anything away from the three main highlights of the film:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Direction, Rani Mukherjee's execution of a difficult role, & Mr. Amitabh Bachchan!!!

Bhansali is best at stories highlighting human struggle. And with this adaptation he comes up trumps once again. He also proves that if you have a great story & just one great actor in a meaty role, you have a hit on your hands. Strange how the so called moguls of Hindi cinema cannot see that!

Rani Mukherjee's performance as the Indian Helen Keller (Michelle) is very commendable. It is just her misfortune that she was pitted against Amitabh Bachchan in the BEST Role (Devraj Sahay) of his life!!!

Mr. Bachchan tends to dwarf everyone. To all those who doubt that he is the GREATEST Actor this country has produced, go watch Black. You will return transformed for life! From the moment he comes on screen, he mesmerizes you. And he holds you till the last frame of the movie. He gives you goose bumps with his performance. And to think that the effort doesn't even show...

Now if only other film makers would give him roles worthy of his calibre as an actor, we could well have our first Best Actor Oscar ever. No kidding. Go see the film!

And Oh! I almost forgot. The little girl who plays the young Michelle is the best child actor this author ever seen! And that includes the Macaulay Culkins & Haley Joel Osments of the world!

Trust me! Go see the film!