Boxing day..it is, when I sit down in my room with nothing much to do (A usual sight on a sunday morning), and I check my downloads. To my surprise, I find that my "Guzaarish-Torrent" is genuine, and that it is quite a watchable print.
I had heard mixed-reactions about the movie, but as the trailer was extremely moving....I singled out this movie to be watched. And..now that I've seen it..what do I think ?!! I'm a tad underwhelmed and still satisfied....
Sanjay leela Bhansali - Is he a self-obsessed psychopath ?! An eccentric genius ?! Whatever you may call him...the visual- splendor of his films cry out loud for you to notice them. His last effort - SAAWARIYA (I haven't seen it, hence I won't comment) had been dubbed as an arrogant, obnoxious and boring effort to tell a story. And this is what I got to know from almost everyone I spoke to, or heard from.
Now, back to his current movie...the idea is brilliant, he is equipped with two of the most amazing actors from the Industry, godly-technicians in Sumit Basu (Seriously...'WOW' is all I can say about the set-designs) and Sudeep Chatterjee (Cinematography) and also being backed by the biggest corporate in Bollywood (UTV Motion pictures), what more can you ask for to kick-start a project. I'll be honest, that Bhansali does well in setting the mood and creating the perfect-setting...but the sets are so beautiful, and so perfect that....it loses the subtlety of everyday life. The perfect red drapes, blue walls only distract. The movie protagonist makes it clear in the very beginning that he shall petition ('Guzaarish' in Hindi) for Euthanasia (The right to die for an individual), and hence we know that the screenplay is going to bank on flash-backs to tell the story.
Ethan Mascharenas (Hrithik ROshan) is a has-been Magician, who is now a qudraplegic because of an accident during one of his tricks. After laying motionless for almost 14 years, he is fed up of his condition and hence decides to make a decision to die. Will his plea be accepted ?? Will his loved ones let him die so easily ?? Will anyone EVER understand his state-of-mind?? These are the very questions, we start with, and they're all answered by the climax.
The cast gives strong performances including Hritik Roshan. Again....if I may mention the potential he has on screen to make even an average scene sparkle, with his razzle-dazzle. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as his nurse 'Sophia' comes out with a clever, restrained performance. Her recent understated performances (GURU and now this film) can be very easy to miss, because she becomes the very character, and we forget to differentiate between the two. Suhel Seth is the 'Doc', Shernaz Patel the lawyer do their very best with what they have....on paper !! Two tasteless cameos, threaten to let the Acting Department down. Surprisingly both these cameos come from very competent actors - Rajit Kapoor and Makarand Deshpande. The story is well-intended but it is let down by gimmicky sub-plots; like the one with the rival-magician is so fuzzy, and a one-scene-tell-all sequence !! If tapped properly, it could've been so much more. Same for the one about Sophia's marriage, a very undercooked addition to the story. The one about the Protege is sincere, but an unconvincing Omar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) makes it under-developed.
But where there is satisfaction, there has to be something good. A couple of moments seize your heart with their very sincerity. First the one in which Omar (The protege) performs a very difficult trick and you see that glee on Hrithik's face and the power of the scene hits you !! The music is done well, although the songs look forced into the story-line. The title track is one of the best songs I've heard..this year. The genius about that song are the quotes from "Romeo-Juliet" being said out loud suring the interlude.
In the era when "GOLMAAL"s, "HOUSEFULL"s and the "TEES MAAR KHAN"s are doing well, this is almost like a life-saving drug of art. It is better to fall short of expectations by making such attempts, and atleast try something innovative, that can be appreciated in most countries all over the world and give a healthy image of "Bollywood".
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