souvik_das_pwc

Definitely not the best movie from Bollywood. But definitely the finest performance from Bollywood ever. Both Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee - popular Indian actors in B/C grade movies did 'A' grade performance in this movie inspired by The Miracle Worker. The movie was rated by the Times Magazine as one of the top 10 movies in 2005 and there were many other rave reviews for this movie. Even then it is still a over the top Bollywood movie and cannot be compared to any movies from other Indian directors like Ray or Ghatak or Gopalkrishnan. But talking about performance - JUST WATCH THE MOVIE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTORS CAN DO TO A MOVIE.

This is an excellent Indianization of the original Hollywood flick Meet John Doe. The highlight of the movie was the realistic touch brought into a typical masala movie. The towering performance of Amitabh Bachchan and Shabana Azmi were two more feathers in the cap of this movie. The movie was released at a time when the career of this leading superstar of India was struggling for a breath of fresh air after 5 flops in a row. This was the sixth flop but he re-established his prowess as the leading actor from India, very well supported by Shabana, who hails from a different school of acting altogether. This movie played the same role in Bachchan's career in 1989 as Black played in 2005. The rumor goes that the movie had a scene shot by the legendary Satyajit Ray (the scene where several bullock carts are seen against the backdrop of a rising sun). The film also boasts a communist song by the Late Kaifi Azmi (father of Shabana Azmi), very well-sung by Amitabh.

Be Vietnam in focus or not, it is an excellent movie on life's changing faces. From a life full of fun and daily doses of sobs, to a life of distress and death - it has aptly covered it all with a vision. Could have been shorter in length. Could have been more crisp in the first part. The marriage ceremony was dragged a bit longer. However, the director might have wanted to show the slow pace of life in a small town. Could have evoked more emotions (like Life is Beautiful) with more human touch on the central characters.

Robert De Nero's performance is flawless. Same complements go for all others. Perhaps the best scene was De Nero's inability to shoot the deer after he came back from the war.