A standing ovation for showman Subhash Ghai for venturing into a territory that many wont enter. Black & White doesn’t impress you merely because it’s a daring deviation for the Showman. It’s well-crafted finely-witten and packaged piece. You don’t often come away from a film disturbed yet hopeful about the dimensions of modernday violence & terrorism. We did it in Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se & Gulzar’s Maachis. Now we feel a genuine concern as Chandni Chowk which is rapidly becoming a hub for terrorist activities.
In comes Anurag Sinha a victim in Afghanistan posing as a casualty of the Gujarat riots. He wins over the super-secular Prof Mathur(Anil Kapoor) and his wife Roma(Shefali Shah) and gets himself a pass into the VIP enclave for the Republic Day parade at the Red Fort. What makes Black & White special is the bondings that form out of the sketchy New Delhi’s political backdrop.
Most memorable of all is the old Muslim poet & prof played with gr8 humility by veteran actor Habib Tanvir. The film’s best and most moving lines are rightfully written for Tanvir. In 1 sequence a young musician gifts the old man with a sherwani after having sold his poetry for a song. Habib recalls how in all his years no one, not even his own sons, had gifted him anything…
The screenplay is a let down where the director seems to have lost his way but the dialogues are spicy and hardhitting & restore some pride which brings movie back on track. Cinematography which captures Old Delhi is quite impressive.
Anil Kapoor & Shefali Shah look more like a couple than Shefali and Darshan Jariwala did in Gandhi My Father. Her excessively enthusiastic activism and his chronic embarrassment at his wife’s over-zealous flag waving provide the lighter moments in this dark drama of secular devaluation in a society where minorityism has become a symptom of persecution complexes and complexities.
Treatment could have been lil bit better & is lil bit filmy in certain areas(gal nxtdoor falls in love with terrorist) else it would have a been a gr8 film 2 watch.
Music is quite good with songs like jogi aaya & main chala.
Among the performers, Habib Tanvir with his emotional patriotic poetry and jovial optimism scores the highest marks, followed by Shefali Shah who furnishes a feisty positivity to her role.
BUT its apna Anil Kapoor last seen as Majnu Bhai in Welcome has proved himself for nth time & walks with the cake. Another fantastic performance by him & might land him critics award(though its too early to say). Anil Kapoor - Subhash Ghai combo has done well once again starting from Meri Jung days in 80s.
As for debutant Anurag Sinha, future looks bright & rosy.
MY RATING: 3.5/5
Cheers!