I have been blown away by the movie. I think I will leave my rational sense behind for a while and… ‘Let go.’ When the credits start rolling, I was in comatose with my eyes open. And I am sure, I had company.
There are many solutions to any given problem, John Nash had announced during his days at Princeton in the 1920s and that every solution is right only relatively! DJ, Aslam, Pandey, Sukhi, Karan and Sonia who represent the modern day youth had some options to choose from when their friend, Wing Commander, Ajay, a veteran of more than a thousand flights, dies in a mishap while on his MIG. Reports confirm that pilot maneuvered his jet away from a crowded village to engineer his unceremonious landing on an open turf. The cause of the accident – The defense ministry cut a few corners to acquire spares of “cost effective” quality.
What ensues is a masterpiece. Like most movies, this one takes a 180 degree turn after the intermission. But, it doesn’t seem deliberate. While the theme, fight of good against evil is not new; the novelty lies in the execution.
It would be unfair to say that the cast revolves well around Aamir Khan. While DJ (Aamir Khan) is the pivotal member of the group, the poet, Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), the nonchalant Karan (Siddharth Narayan), the adolescent 20 year old, Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), the baby faced Sonia (Soha Khan) play their roles to almost clinical perfection. Atul Kulkarni gets a cheer from the audience from every show for his rendition of ‘sarforoshi kee tammanna aaj hamare dil mein hain.’ While on one hand, together, they light up the screen with their practical jokes and friendly banters, a minute later, at the drop of the hat, they have the ability to make you gulp down a tear and feel every ounce of their pain.
The moment someone among the group starts a discourse on how we can make India a better place to live in, we are pleasantly interrupted by a street smart retort from DJ or Sukhi, and we let ourselves the liberty to share a laugh with the pranksters. The same is true when Karan, the boy born with the golden spoon lists his reasons why India is the last country he would want to be in. The point that stands out here is that the characters are consistent in their behaviors throughout the film. That’s what makes the film believable.
AR Rahman! The background score is eerily beautiful at times when the screen is filled with graphic images of the pogrom at Jallianwala baug; it sends a rush of adrenalin when you see the mo bike firing for another one of its rides; the silence signifying the gravity of the moment, too, is music to your ears. While the songs don’t seem inspiring, they have the integrity to take the film along with them and are as much part of the film as the film itself. They are not an alibi for you to sneak out for a quick visit to the rest room.
Binod Pradhan gives us a taste of Janus kaminski (of Saving Pvt. Ryan fame) when he shoots all the flashback scenes in a tinge of grayish green film. Special effects have been used intelligently. He doesn’t get too carried away during scenes of commotions and confusion. The camerawork is choreographed so beautifully that it speaks for the characters and their frame of mind which no dialogue can claim to do. An FTII graduate and a veteran of films like Devdas, 1942 a love Story, Mission Kashmir and Munnabhai, has lived up to his name and work!
Su, the foreign bred grand daughter of a British officer is seen holding the book, Shantaram. If one knows what the book is about, one would complement the director for his painstaking efforts towards attention to details. In another scene shot in dim light, Aslam and Pandey share a poignant moment by exchanging glances and with lights back on, they look away, albeit imperceptibly. The rivalry has turned sweet, but they are reluctant to acknowledge the camaraderie.
The movie ends with a flourish. There are too many things on your mind when you walk out of the theatre. The message is simple. The moral is not very profound either; Do the right thing and for its sake only. But, I guess the divinity lies in the simplicity of the execution and the innocence of 5 guys who find a path that is treaded by only a few who have the guts and the inclination to decide, ‘aar yaa paar’. Controversial? May be. Insanity? I think not!
Abhishek