Mausam

Pankaj Kapur is 1 of those people in the industry who have played almost every kind of role with perfection-be it the commoner Mussadi of office- office or Liaqat of Roja.From Tarneja in the evergreen classic Jaane bhi do yaaron to the menacing Abbaji of Maqbool,he has played every role with sincerity & has always provided quality entertainment. With Mausam,he goes behind the camera & directs his 1st film.When people like him assume directorial responsibility,expectations assume gigantic proportions.So did it turn out to be a great film.With a grief in my heart ,I would have to disagree.Its no more than an average affair. The story begins in a small village called MALLUKOT where a fun loving Harry(Shahid) falls in love with A kashmiri girl(Sonam).However,unexpected circumstances leads to their separation only to meet in Scotland a few years later.(Shahid,by the time is serving in IAF while Sonam has become a ballet dancer).Again circumstances lead to their separation only to be searching each other till the end.

The initial 45 minutes of the film are like a whiff of fresh air where a carefree village life is depicted in a realistic,heart warming way.Its really wonderful to see such tender romantic moments between Harry & Aayat which automatically melt your heart like butter.But the real problem begins when the story shifts to Scotland.The film loses its steam & drags on continuously for 3 hours.The logic is thrown out of window & film presents the monotony of deja vu(meeting & separation again & again & again).

One more problem in the film (which is unpardonable considering a person like Pankaj Kapur is at the helm of affairs) is Factual errors.The Punjab Roadways bus model shown in 1992 didn't exist then.It came much later.Moreover,we see a Whirlpool refrigerator cover in the film in the year 1992(The company entered Indian market in 1995).Such errors take away the appeal & seriousness of the film.

The director saddles this film's narrative with some important events like 1992 Babri demolition,1999 Kargil infiltration,11th September to Ahmedabad riots,which don't actually appeal.The intention was noble but execution isn't upto the mark.

In this world of multi genre films,(Action comedy like Singham or Rom Coms),Pankaj Kapur sticks to a single genre of romance which doesn't connect with audience somehow.Moreover,Shahid being a pilot in the IAF,it provided ample opportunity to Pankaj Kapur to explore some fine action sequences of aerial combat,but its just a little more than "BLINK & YOU MISS" sequence!The director takes himself too seriously-which ultimately works against the film.

Shahid Kapur's performance as the village brat Harry is fantastic but somehow misses the mark in his Air force avatar.His appearance seems misfit for this.Sonam Kapoor needs to take some acting lessons,she just misses to portray this complex character well.While Anupam Kher is wasted in a thankless role,Supriya Pathak plays her part with great deal of precision.

The climax sequence involving a horse,a ferris wheel & a child with Shahid's "heroics" is unintentionally funny & serves as a final nail in the coffin.

One thing has to be admitted that while most film makers today find an easy way of plagiarizing hit foreign films,Pankaj Kapur tries to rekindle the old age romance which had been overshadowed by plastic emotions portrayed in movies today.There is honesty in its music(Rabba main to is a very nice song,so is saj dhaj & ik tu hi),the way the film is made with devotion & passion.The only sad part remains that it doesn't click.But Pankaj Kapur has lot to learn as a director,he has shown flashes of brilliance in this film,& I'm pretty confident that when he makes his next film,it 'll be as awesome as he is.

I have said everything in above line, still i need to write 10 lines to qualified it as a valid review. Most importantly initial 40-45 minutes are awesome, movie is worth watching just because of this part. It clearly shows how a simple straight story can be so entertaining and heart touching, it was pure delight to watch that. Actually I was under the impression that it is going to be my best Hindi movie but then comes the real Bollywood in action: meaningless struggle, irrelevant side stories and all that crap you find in most of Hindi movies. But one again, I would suggest to give it a try, specially because initial part is better so you can leave the cinema anytime you want after that.

" Mausam "could have been an artistic beauty but it ended up being an erratic Screenplay binding sequence of events which never looked in direct connection with the Characters in the movie and could well have been avoided. The only good thing about the movie is its Art Direction/Camera Work but when it comes to integral concepts of Script & Screenplay it fails on all notes. The other weak point in the movie is the Editing part and painfully slow pace with absolute no beauty in the dialogs & the chemistry between the protagonist & his beloved.

The first 40 Min's in the movie displaying the rural Punjab was the best part in the movie which will impress most of the audience with bunch of light moments of humor and the art direction as well. But when there should have been raising the bar & intensity , movie falls apart on all accounts. Pankaj Kapur has been one of those greatest actors which not only Indian cinema has been blessed with but he has equally stunning with his roles in TV Serials as well. But as they say " Not all Great Players make for Great Captains the same way Not all Great Actors make for Great Directors " although this is TOO early to say. Great Players or Actors always have Great concepts but what remains is the execution of those concepts in practical world.

Concept behind "Mausam" was to show how the chronological sequence of disasters all over world influences the bonding between two people in love .

Riots in Kashmir brings the girl (Sonam) to Punjab at his aunt's place where Shahid falls for the girl. Sonam teases Shahid to meet her in the morning at aunt's bakery to know her YES or NO. Now suddenly Babri Masjid demolition the same day makes entire family to move out of Punjab to Mumbai without notice which i believe was not in connection at all . I mean you can be seriously hurt with your sentiments but there was NO impact in the place you are living then WHY you need to move out of that place which looks much more safe for you then any other place in the country. And this was first bizarre change in "Mausam" rest of the movie from here on brings very erratic & irritating changes in "Mausam".

Suddenly next frame camera location changes to "Scotland" 1999 where both meet again , alas ! destiny my lord has all the privileges reserved for the movie characters !! Shahid is in air force now & Sonam family has settled in Scotland. Sonam calls Shahid to meet her father for marriage and the same day Kargil war breaks and Shahid leaves without notice. Girls's father dies & she moves to Punjab to check for Shahid with no luck and then moves to Ahmedabad and then back to Scotland. In the meantime Shahid calls her sister to meet Sonam and convey his message when Sonam is not there. And this Hide & Seek continues with frequent changes in Mausam like next 9/11 World Trade Centre and finally with 2002-03 riots in Gujrat . I seriously thought this movie will go till recent Delhi Blasts .

Climax looked be in shades of Maniratnam's "Bombay" with Gujrat riots in backgrounds and finally Shahid meeting Sonam but again looked unnerving and nothing intense to get in your minds , in fact that riot looked to have no effect on the ongoings between Shahid/Sonam. Movie fails to build connection with the audience and after such series of drastic events you do not even feel sympathy for any character in the movie and WHY should you ? Were any of them really affected by those events ?

The positives: Shahid Kapoor - one of his best performances; Sonam Kapoor: definitely her best performance; Cinematography: remarkable visuals; Music: some beautiful melodies; Dialogues: some wonderful lines, especially between Shahid & Sonam

The negatives: Editing: especially, in the second half - the film could have easily been cut by 30-40mins; The captions of each place really distracted from the movie & made it feel disjointed; Writing: could have been much tighter

I'd recommend it if you're a true blue romantic, who would want to invest time & emotions in a film.

The allure of the first half of Mausam lies in the vintage love story which proceeds through unsaid words, unexpressed feelings, stolen glances and lots of melody (Pritam Singh). The affair which begins in 1992, before the demolition of the Babri mosque has an oriental charm to it and makes for some moments of great viewing. Mausam has lots to offer to the viewer who doesn't mind his cinema languorous, laid back and moody, with loads of beauty. The film tries to strike a balance between art and mainstream cinema and succeeds.

After a long time I watched a movie with calming effect. With all power fight movies in the cinemas, Mausam gives a shade of love and feelings.