Movies with courtroom dramas have also interested me. And that’s one of the reasons why I was longing to watch Shaurya. And also the out of the box plot was also one of the reasons. And Shaurya doesn’t disappoint, though it falls at a few places. Overall, the film is extremely thought-provoking and exposes the viewers to a disturbing truth.
The story of the movie: On March 8 2007, Javed Khan (Deepak Dobriyal), an army officer, shot dead his senior Captain Vikram Rathore. He was arrested and proceedings were about to begin on him. His defence lawyer was Siddharth Chaudhary (Rahul Bose) and the prosecution was to be handled by Akash Kapoor (Jaaved Jaaferi). For Siddharth, there were a lot of difficulties. Firstly, he was not at all interested in being the defence lawyer. Secondly, Javed was not at all opening his mouth for reasons best known to him. But after meeting a journalist Kavya (Minishaa Lamba), Javed’s mother (Seema Biswas) and Brigadier Pratap (Kay Kay Menon), Siddharth’s life changes and he decides to take his job seriously and find out Javed’s motive behind killing his senior officer.
The writers and director deserves a pat for choosing such a subject for a film. The film has several hard-hitting moments which remains etched in a viewer’s mind even after the film concludes. And the climax was outstanding and powerful. The shocking truth exposed in the last 20 minutes and Kay Kay Menon’s bravura performance leaves one speechless.
However, it would be wrong to say that the film is flawless. The film has few flaws which prevents the film from becoming an outstanding piece of cinema. Firstly, the film drags a lot in the second half and several scenes were very lengthy and boring. Jaaved Jaaferi’s engagement scene was supposed to be funny, but it fails to make us laugh. The story could have done away with Jaaved Jaaferi’s fiancé’s character as she served no purpose in the main story. Also, editing should have been crisper to maintain the interest.
However, it’s the excellent climax which compensates for every flaw! Also, the film, in order to support the story’s nature, in the end throws light on some of the real incidents in which the army officers were proven guilty.
The best performers of the film are without a shred of doubt Rahul Bose and Kay Kay Menon. This has to be Rahul Bose’s one of the finest performances of his career. The way he does his each role with utmost perfection is worth applauding. In Shaurya too, he was absolutely perfect and doesn’t disappoint or overact even in a scene. He claims that at present he has 10 projects in his hand and I am eagerly waiting for his 3 films-Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam, Mumbai Chakachak and The Japanese Wife. I hope all his 10 films are successful. Best of luck, Mr Bose!
Kay Kay Menon was outstanding. Though he was there in a brief role, it is his outstanding performance which will remain in your mind for a long time after coming out of the theatre. His entry scene was terrific! In the climax, his speech in an angry tone shocks you as to what this actor is capable of! Kay Kay Menon has given memorable performance in movies like Chhal, Deewar, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Sarkar, Corporate, BLACK FRIDAY, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Life in a…Metro etc but his performance in Shaurya stands out from the rest of his performances! Splendid work, Kay Kay!
Jaaved Jaaferi fails to impress. And he hardly had anything to do in the second half. I think he should concenterate only in comic roles. Deepak Dobriyal who impressed everyone in Omkara and 1971, again manages to come up with an excellent performance. He shines in the flashback sequence and the interrogation sequence.
Minishaa Lamba looked great and gave a good performance. Seema Biswas was okay. Amrita Rao as Vikram Rathore’s wife gave a powerful performance, though she was there in a special appearance. The guy enacting the role of Vikram Rathore was also good. Others were fine.
Adnan Sami’s music was not that good. Only one song was good-‘Dheere Dheere’. Cinematography was normal but in some aerial scenes, it was fantastic. Sanjid Datta, the editor, could have done a better job. Background score was proper. Aparna Malhotra’s dialogues were sharp, especially in the climax.
The story written by Samar Khan, Aparna Malhotra and Joydeep Sarkar was excellent though it was not original (taken from Hollywood flick A Few Good Men). Joydeep Sarkar’s screenplay was excellent and gripping but lackluster in a few places.
Samar Khan, who directed the dud Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye three years ago surprises with Shaurya. It also proves that he is capable of handling difficult subjects. He also deserves kudos for handling the film in a realistic and sensitive manner, without producing any hate or controversy. I hope he does well in his forthcoming films as well!
Some of the excellent scenes of the movie:
1. Rahul Bose’s entry
2. Siddharth meeting Javed for the first time
3. Siddharth and Kavya meeting for the first time
4. Minisha Lamba’s entry
5. Kay Kay Menon’s entry (Terrific!)
6. Pratap and Siddharth’s first meeting
7. The intermission point
8. The flashback sequence
9. Amrita Rao’s scenes
- The climax (excellent!)
On the whole, Shaurya is a great flick which has a different story and concept. It has some few flaws due to which the film falls short of being an outstanding flick. Worth watching!
P.S.:Last Friday, I had a chat with Rahul Bose on BollywoodHungama.com Live Chat Session. I asked him “Dont you think that SHAURYA is not properly promoted and this may affect its collections?” To which he replied “Fenil, I think that 1 cud say this abt every film. Ultimately, every film has to impres ppl enough with its content to clik”. And then he said something (though jokingly) which surprised me. He said, “fenil, I have recommended yr name 4 the Nobel Prize 4 the best judgement!”!!
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