When I had seen the promo of NEW YORK I was not sure whether I would like to watch the film inspite of somewhat liking the promo because of the scary starcast, scary because all the three actors(non-actors)JOHN ABRAHAM, NEIL NITIN MUKESH, KATRINA KAIFcannot act to save their life and YASH RAJ films are a complete no-no for me.Their past films have been equally scary like the actors of NEW YORK.
Their films are all GLOSS and no SUBSTANCE.So I went to watch NEW YORK with least expectations inspite of the film getting rave reviews and I liked it.I liked the film for the Director KABIR KHAN and his conviction and excecution just like I watched and liked CHAK DE for SHIMIT AMIN.Both are promising film-makers latter being more and both have made good films considering the kind of films that are being made in the name of cinema.I think NEW YORK is the first film I watched this year and it is definately better than the crap thats being made now-a-days.
PLOT:I won’t reveal the plot as everyone does so and it takes the fun away from the film.
CAST/PERFORMANCE:In the acting department I would say IRFAN KHAN as a FBI officer saved the film for me apart from the side actors, like the one for whom Katrina is fighting the case.He was brilliant.Irfan Khan is the best actor we have in the industry today, i just love his acting and he is first-rate..He is a revelation here too with his one liners.NEIL is better of the three main leads though he wasn’t very convincing to me.KATRINA looks beautiful and tries hard to act but I couldn’t see the pain in her eyes or face which a wife of a terrorist should be conveying but in a few scenes she was allright.Her hindi is a major let-down.I think she needs to work on her hindi language to make a better impact.JOHN ABRAHAM is as usual wooden, except a few scenes..all the three actors had so much scope to perform but all screwed it upBut I credit the director for giving these actors such roles and confiding in them.Better actors(but where are better actors in the industry?) would have made this film even more impactful.Nevertheless good try.
MUSIC:Music was very melodious and fresh and used very well in the film, since the film is a little tense the songs are fun to watch.The background score though a little loud was also very good.Creates a good atmosphere for a film like NEW YORK.
DIRECTION:I think the director can be credited for keeping the film very intriguing till the very end.The film moves on one track and there are not many unnecessary scenes that would bore you.I thought the film is very relevant in today’s time, based on 9/11 and how innocent people get targeted and how their lives get turned around and how much turmoil and scrutiny they have to go through is well attempted and directed in the film.The film moves at a very fast pace and some moments are very thrilling, keeps you at the edge of the seat.Kabir Khan has made a good film without compromising and it definitely puts a lot of questions in my mind about TERRORISM and its devastating effects on the world at large.Its a very fresh film with good mix of seriousness and fun moments in the first half.The transformation of the three main characters from the college life to being the suspects of the terrorist attack that happened on Septembers 11 has been very well presented.The whole thing looks very convincing and real.The other plus point of the film was that there were very few characters and the characters were well defined.
DIALOGES:The dialouges were pretty good in some scenes and again very relevant and simple just like the way young people would talk.The dialoges were also not very dramatic, preachy or over-the-top thus it made more sense to me at least.
Apart from this the cinematography was brilliant, the character of Katrina was lovable and believable which is so unlike the hindi film heroines of today, its a thought provoking film thought a little sad in the end, i was wiping my tears in the end.NEW YORK is a film made on terrorism which caters both to the young and old.Its a good watching experience and a thinking one to coz you are left asking yourself WHAT NEXT?or Is this all ever going to end and if yes then how ?Think.