KURBAAN
(Published on www.mastradio.com)

Kurbaan which released in theatres on Friday is a thought provoking and a powerful movie which has hit theatres in the year 2009. With this movie, Karan Johar provides the thoughtful and intense Indian cine goers paisa vasool entertainment. In a way, this film is as fresh as a wind that easily blows the old thoughts away and it tells us that Karan Johar has an eye for history. The Indian audiences asked for a change and honestly speaking, this film was a honest and a better one. It looks as if Rensil Desilva, the director of the Kurbaan is more like a scientist to whom every drop of titration matters, as every minute of the film is hard hitting and succeeds in gripping the audiences thoroughly. We don’t have to look very far but only as far as early 2009, with Kurbaan its three hits in a row for Karan Johar as a producer (Dostana, Wake Up Sid and now Kurbaan) and he is set for more with My name is Khan to be released in early 2010. Karan succeeds to raise the Dharma Productions banner flying high. The film is based on the backdrop of terrorism. It taps specifically the life in the United States of India after 9/11 and clearly succeeds in doing that.

Kareena Kapoor plays Avantika in the film, a university teacher and falls in love with another professor from the same university, Ahsaan Khan (Saif Ali Khan). They marry and shift to New York in the United States. They buy a house next to a Muslim family and move in. The Muslim family invites them for a dinner together and that’s when things start changing for Avantika. One of the women of the Muslim family Salma (Nauheed Cyrusi) tells Avantika that her life is in danger and she needs help. What happens later on in the film is simply unpredictable and unthinkable. Avantika digs deep and realizes that unknowingly she has been a part of a huge conspiracy. She secretly gets help from news reporter Riyaaz (Vivek Oberoi) and plans to foil the terror plan.

Rensil is a delicate and poignant story teller and brings in all his 18 years experience of writing in this film. He succeeds in superbly catching the chemistry of a couple who are actually in love with each other. Secondly, he also succeeds in catching the psyche of people who think and feel deeply for their religion and how they think they ought to fight for it. Above all, he has superbly captured the mindset of people who actually go through the entire ordeal. The climax of the film is simply unthinkable.

Saif Ali Khan has succeeded in showing how wonderfully versatile he is, whereas Kareena (looks like million bucks) is exhilarating and shows why she is a top notch actor and amongst the best today. Vivek Oberoi whose career was more uncertain than even a stock broker, comes back on his own after a long lull. Kurbaan is a ray of optimism for him and could really be a defining film of his career. Om Puri is a unique actor who has a unique ability to communicate very well with the audiences. Kiron Kher too comes out of her usual self of a boisterous Punjabi mother and settles well with the Afghani accent. The music by Salim Suleiman needs a special mention as he succeeds in enthralling the audience with two wonderful songs “Shukran Allah” and “Ali Maula”. Overall the film is a sensitive one and succeeds in meeting the fundamental expectations of the audiences which is - a return for money.

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