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By Joginder Tuteja, September 25, 2009 - 14:08 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Parzaan Dastur, Ayesha Kapur, Sanjay Suri, Madhavan, Arunoday Singh
Director: Piyush Jha
Producer: Sudhir Mishra Production & Big Pictures
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Justin-Uday, Sandesh Shandilya
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi, Neelesh Misra, Kumaar
THE FILM
First things first. On this side of the century, film makers have at least started thinking differently. And no, by different I don't just mean presenting a story differently (Kaminey was a live example of that). I actually mean a different story which belongs to the kind that would either have been relegated to Doordarshan a couple of decades back or perhaps made as a documentary or off beat cinema for festival screening.
In this aspect, director Piyush Jha needs to be acknowledged for the fact that he takes a different route and tells the story of two teenagers who find themselves knowingly or unknowingly becoming a part of militancy in Kashmir. Also, what needs to be mentioned is the fact that Sikandar doesn't have any jingoism or the usual trappings that come with films belonging to this genre.
So instead of focusing on the call of 'jihaad' or the life of militants or their operations, Sikandar focuses on the boy [Parzaan] who loves football and ends up wielding a gun 'just for the fun of it'. Of course this actually turns out to be the problem point of the film as well. Yes, his reasons for holding a pistol are justifiable to an extent since he wants to scare off bullies in his school.
So far, so innocent and so brainless, as some teenagers are expected to be. However, what is simply incomprehensible is to see this 14 year old being brain washed enough to kill a high profile man just so that he could buy a washing machine for his 'chachi-jaan'. Come on; now that's too much of a brain wash for a washing machine!
Moreover, it takes a good one hour for the film to reach to a point when the story actually starts picking momentum. Otherwise the scenes drag on and on that only makes you impatient as an audience. Once Parzaan gets hold of the pistol, one expects the conflict to begin. However, lot of time is spent in Parzan-Ayesha bonding which puts the proceedings on hold. What doesn't help the cause further is the fact that Ayesha is consistently below average throughout the duration of the film. She seems to be waiting for a cue with each of her dialogues and takes her own sweet time to respond to conversations happening around her.
Not that Parzan comes with a performance that would make him an award contender this year. He is decent in his portrayal of a young boy who is confused around the state of affairs he finds himself in. Still, it isn't the perfect performance that one expects from an actor who has been roped in as a central protagonist.
Thankfully, there is Madhavan who holds together the first half with each of his scenes standing out. As an Army Colonel, he gets to mouth some clichéd dialogues. Still, he does it all with good enough conviction that keeps audiences interest in the proceedings alive to an extent. Even newcomer Arunoday Singh (who plays the role of a terrorist in the film) is good and comes with the kind of looks and personality that could go soft and deadly as per the demand of the situation.
The second half belongs to Sanjay Suri though who makes sure that his performance and the reason behind agreeing to do the film are justified enough. There are at least a couple of twists and turns that take place during the second hour that make Sikandar a decent enough thriller. The end though is clichéd and predictable but the sequences leading till this junction are interesting enough. Watch out for the Kashmiri song and dance that plays in the background when the suspense is revealed. A well directed sequence.
PACKAGING
DVD of Sikandar comes in a regular plastic case
DURATION
The film's duration is 103 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Making of the Film
- Dhoop Ke Sikke Full Video
Sikandar may not boast of one of the most extensive 'making' videos. However, the least it manages to achieve is move away from the clichéd routine that majority of DVDs follow. This time around, film maker Piyush Jha does take audiences on the sets as well as behind the scenes. Also, the 20 odd minutes narration of this making is interestingly cut into various segments revolving around dealing with locals, technical glitches, climate issues and some actual footage of shot taking.
Of course there are bytes from cast and crew members as well but none of them go over the top in appreciating one another and cutting a rosy picture. They may not have revealed the most interesting of trivia surrounding the film but they are at least casual in their approach while describing the experience of having worked in the film.
One of the better songs in the film, Dhoop Ke Sikke, also finds a place in the DVD as a full length 'music video version'. This one features the composer trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. You may not end up watching the DVD just for having a repeat dekko of this particular music video. However, you won't mind catching it here at least once, especially since it didn't see good promotion coming it's way en route to the film's theatrical release.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 199/=
CONCLUSION
Film maker Piyush Jha had always maintained that he wasn't making an issue based film and in this regard, he sticks to his promise. He never claimed to have got into the psyche of militants or political parties or Army and never once declared that he was aiming at telling a realistic tale. His intention appears to be directed towards narrating a sensitive tale within Bollywood realms of things and in this aspect, he does manage to engage audiences at least in the second half of the film.
  
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