With the stay order being lifted, I got the chance to be one of the first ones to watch the Movie Preview on 24th December. I had decided to write a review on it immediately after watching the show. However I lost the assessment I wrote on 24th night, soon after watching the movie and I am now trying to rewrite this one with the same zest and feel, may be a better one.
Being an ardent Aamir Khan fan it’s very hard for me to critically analyze his movies as I get too absorbed in his movies :). This time I tried to evaluate the movie while watching, to keep up with my promise(I made to myself) of writing a review. So here it is…
Aamir’s impact on the audience is evident from the fact that people were screaming, whistling and shouting as soon as the film’s title came on screen. This recuperated at the first glimpse of Aamir’s snap displayed on a computer monitor in the movie, in which he looked pale and ill and also when he first comes on, in formal attire. Gosh! the guys are equally crazy for him. I would call this to be Aamir’s best performance as an actor. He has portrayed every shade of the character – romantic, angry, violent, aggressive, confused, emotional, with full conviction. I am completely taken aback by his performance; he surely deserves an award for this one.
Director Murgadoss needs applause for remaking the movie with unscathed perseverance, conviction and enthusiasm. With almost everybody aware of the plot due to the remake, the core storyline of the movie was not a surprise. The movie would have done a lot better if the story was original and unknown. The murder sequence has been built with utmost attention to detail giving nail biting experience to the audience; I would rate this as the best sequence of the movie, right from the moment, Kalpana figures out that she is in trouble to the moment she succumbs. The Director has taken a little too long to build the pace of the movie as he shuttles between past and present to unfold the life of Sanjay Singhania to the audience. That being said, second half completely justifies every min of reel that went into making this a complete movie. Leaving aside the songs and Asin’s childishly funny portrayal in some sections, one scene less would have reduced the impact. What was missing in the movie was the actor’s transition from a stable business tycoon into an amnesia patient. The audience is allowed to think, about what happened right after the murder, the movie doesnt answer it.
Asin’s entry into the movie through a song was completely misplaced; it could have been done better. In fact most of the songs in the movie are misplaced except “kaise mujhe tum mil gayeeâ€. I fell in love with this one song. Asin has looked stunning in every scene, she has acted very well in her death scene, simply incredible. However, at many places she tried to act too well, that it reached the bar of looking unreal. Not many can relate to her character. Over all, Bollywood has got a promising actress. Jiya Khan has done a good job with the scope of character given to her.
All in all, a good Masaala movie, having the potential to gather good collections all across the country. This will certainly make to the league of best movies in 2008 and Aamir Khan should certainly get the best actor award. He deserves kudos for yet another entertainer with an absolutely stunning performance.The three aspects of the movie – Love story , Murder and Revenge connect intensely with the audience and form the core as planned by the makers. If you can bear the brutal violence, Go for it!