While Kukunoor has always been an impressive director, starting with Hyderabad Blues, it is only after I saw For that I regarded him with something approaching awe. He has an innate talent for narration.
Since all his films are scripted by him, he gives paramount importance to the story itself and not the form of depiction. In fact Dor was the first film which had production values that were superior to the handycam-job that his earlier films appeared to have.
But what really works in a Kukunoor film is the passion he puts into understanding the motivations of his characters. In Iqbal he gave the underdog cricketer a persona that was so endearing, it got the viewer to see him, not as someone to sympathise with but as someone to relate to. In Dor he forges a story of friendship between two women in a way that I have never before seen on screen. That many of his movies have a conscience is true but they are far from preachy. They seem more interested in unveiling reality and finding a positive aspect to life.
Tasveer is a clear departure from anything he has done before - he attempts a suspense thriller here - with a supernatural dimension thrown in for good measure. I can’t say the film was a complete disappointment, because the climax somehow salvaged the film. However it certainly has serious flaws that are not to be expected from a director of Kukunoor’s capability.
Often when a director focuses on the "look" of a film, the film ends up as a disappointment because of the emotional disconnect which is somehow the side-effect of this attitude. This, I think is the essential problem with Tasveer. In an attempt to capture the mood of suspense and imminent danger, Kukunoor forgets to build a character in Akshay that one would feel for.
He focuses instead on exhibiting Akshay’s "powers" - both physical and err.supernatural. With beauteous Alberta in Canada as the background, the cinematography is nevertheless more sterile than gorgeous. The stillness if intentional is not conducive to any mood for suspense either.
So Akshay (as Jay) is this entrepreneur who is into environment protection - no clue how or if they make money or are even supposed to.While his father is a rich oil-baron type, Akshay is not interested in his money which is after all the result of anti-environmental practices. He is therefore, not particularly hurt when on his fathers sudden demise he realises that his father has willed his entire wealth to Jay’s mother.However things take a sinister turn when a detective (Jaaved Jaffrey) who had known Jay’s father, shows up. He is convinced that Jay’s father did not die of a heart attack but in fact was murdered.
Was he really? The suspects are all lined up in a photograph moments before the "accident". And with Jay’s ability to get into the minds of the characters in the photograph for the duration of a minute, it is upto him to to solve this case and expose the killer if there is one. Akshay as Jay does a brilliant job - he has improved dramatically as an actor since his salad days and essays any role with the consummate skill of a veteran. As the easy yet disturbed Jay, he is perfect. His physical agility as usual gets ample screen time - which is all to the good really; a good director would capitalize on the strengths of an actor. In fact Kukunoor has a knack for casting and capitalizes on using faces and personalities that would add depth to a screen persona.
However the time devoted to showing the physical prowess of Jay is too much and is ineffective in helping us connect with him. The first half of the film drags - elaborating on scenes that add no value to the storyline. One gets the feeling the director has overestimated the relevance of many a scene and has stretched them to the extent that the impact is completely lost. Instead one is left feeling annoyed.
Today we are used to dramatic special effects and slick editing which is why Kukunoors take seems jaded. And I believe the money spent on special effects and all that jazz makes sense only in an out and out sfx movie. Otherwise the energy spent on these aspects is never at par with the results they are expected to bring. Best to not go there and chew over the amount of money sunk into it and how to maximize the impact therefore.
The climax salvages the film to some extent. The emotional basis for the film becomes apparent at this stage. The film could have been infinitely better had this aspect of the film been given the importance it always deserves. Akshay being a dyed-in-the-wool commercial actor could have easily been far more endearing and interesting. Sharmila Tagore as the mother, Ayesha Takia as the girlfriend and Javed Jaffrey asthe eccentric detective put in self assured performances. Sharmila looks really elegant in trousers and jeans - she should put in an appearance more often on screen. Would I recommend the film? Yes, if youare into watching experimental bollywood or want to see it on DVD.