I know it is quite late to write a review for a movie that has been around for some weeks now but then I myself happened to see it quite late. The reason why I feel compelled to write about the movie because I had a lot of misconceptions about how ’bad’ the movie would be and was proved wrong as it was quite a good movie.
I thought this movie, like most Hindi movies nowadays would only focus on cinematography and bland cliched dialogues without giving any regard to content. I was quite wrong as the content and the dialogue was very strong and very original. The acting was also superb. Probably the only movie where I like Katrina Kaif’s acting. Neil Nitin Mukesh, who I watched for the first time, was also brilliant.
The movie deals with forcible detainment and torture of innocent Muslim immigrants in USA post 9/11. It is a sensitive concept and the director carries it through well without any long rhetorical speeches and melodrama in the movie. The movie also moves at a quick pace and is very concise. The unpleasant scenes do not drag a lot. However, there is one torture scene in the movie that may make you uncomfortable but that too is deftly handled and is also a necessity to show the full impact of the message that the movie is trying to get across.
This movie reminds me of the Hollywood thrillers of the 1990s - full of impact and yet not too heavy on the head. One more thing I like about the movie is it takes a very neutral stance on sensitive issues. The plot however, leaves a few untied ends but is still strong nevertheless.
A good, original, non-melodramatic movie with a very strong message.