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AAMIR- Starring Rajeev Khandelwal
A WEDNESDAY- Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir
These two movies released last year were the best to come out of Bollywood in a long, long time. And particularly relevant too, considering the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Lahore and concerns about future ones before or during the elections.
Aamir introduces Rajeev Khandelwal as a UK-returned Muslim whose family is held hostage by a unknown group of people, as he is sent on a journey through the gullies of Bombay, with the kidnapper gives him increasingly dangerous tasks, all the while trying to provoke him into violence in the name of his 'mazhab' and 'kaum'. The script is tight and fast-paced, without as many loopholes as other movies based on terrorism. I liked the music, especially the song 'Mehfuz', which, incidentally, is playing as I write this. The movie doesn't demand extraordinary leaps of faith in terms of the protagonist's choices and the situations he faces. It's not exactly a work of art, but is worth spending a couple of hours over.
A Wednesday is packed with powerhouse performers and deals with the aftermath of a bomb threats made by an unknown caller, which throws the whole system into disarray. The caller demands the release of four terrorists and their delivery to a Juhu airstrip. The Commissioner initially suspects a bluff, but after a bomb at a police station, he is forced to reconsider. I absolutely loved the story and the way it has been handled. The acting was restrained, with Jimmy Shergill, Deepal Shaw and Aamir Bashir holding their own opposite stellar performers like Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. Shah's monologue at the end of the movie captured the frustration we all feel, and our sense of desperation as more attacks rip apart the cities we live in.
These two movies are extremely relevant to the times we are living in. It shows a maturity level in Bollywood, earlier seen only in arthouse movies, and its first steps to actually show ground realities. The protagonists are ordinary people we meet everyday, and what defines them is the choices they make. It is also heartening to see these movies being promoted by biggies (UTV distributed A Wednesday), and I really hope to see more of such stuff on screen. Makes a refreshing change from the mindless mess that was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
A WEDNESDAY- Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir
These two movies released last year were the best to come out of Bollywood in a long, long time. And particularly relevant too, considering the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Lahore and concerns about future ones before or during the elections.
Aamir introduces Rajeev Khandelwal as a UK-returned Muslim whose family is held hostage by a unknown group of people, as he is sent on a journey through the gullies of Bombay, with the kidnapper gives him increasingly dangerous tasks, all the while trying to provoke him into violence in the name of his 'mazhab' and 'kaum'. The script is tight and fast-paced, without as many loopholes as other movies based on terrorism. I liked the music, especially the song 'Mehfuz', which, incidentally, is playing as I write this. The movie doesn't demand extraordinary leaps of faith in terms of the protagonist's choices and the situations he faces. It's not exactly a work of art, but is worth spending a couple of hours over.
A Wednesday is packed with powerhouse performers and deals with the aftermath of a bomb threats made by an unknown caller, which throws the whole system into disarray. The caller demands the release of four terrorists and their delivery to a Juhu airstrip. The Commissioner initially suspects a bluff, but after a bomb at a police station, he is forced to reconsider. I absolutely loved the story and the way it has been handled. The acting was restrained, with Jimmy Shergill, Deepal Shaw and Aamir Bashir holding their own opposite stellar performers like Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. Shah's monologue at the end of the movie captured the frustration we all feel, and our sense of desperation as more attacks rip apart the cities we live in.
These two movies are extremely relevant to the times we are living in. It shows a maturity level in Bollywood, earlier seen only in arthouse movies, and its first steps to actually show ground realities. The protagonists are ordinary people we meet everyday, and what defines them is the choices they make. It is also heartening to see these movies being promoted by biggies (UTV distributed A Wednesday), and I really hope to see more of such stuff on screen. Makes a refreshing change from the mindless mess that was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
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