The Hindu : Karnataka News : Gripping drama at a brisk pace

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Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Gripping drama at a brisk pace

At the receiving end of terrorism.

Aamir (Hindi)

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Gajraj Rao

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Raj Kumar Gupta may not yet be a name to sell a dozen box office tickets. Unheralded, unsung, Gupta, however, manages to shame many more illustrious colleagues with a film so passionate, a drama so riveting that we scarcely realise when it starts, when it all ends. Yes, “Aamir” is that rare, rare film these days that shows a Muslim at the receiving end of terrorism. Nothing melodramatic, hardly anything larger than life, just a biting portrayal of a secular Muslim — again an endangered species — at the receiving end of the system. There are bigots of other faiths for whom his name is sufficient to draw sneers. There are bigots within who feel he’s sold his faith for selfish ends. His space for dialogue, for free expression is usurped by people ill informed or ill-advised or both.

More than faintly reminiscent of the aftermaths of 9/11 where having a particular name and religion is often a cause for global concern, “Aamir” is a film that says a lot, but never from the rooftops. The message, hard hitting and trenchant, comes rolling all through as we come across a Muslim doctor coming back from the U.K. because there are more fingers of interrogation than approbation. He wants to come back home to Mumbai. But before that there has to be a visit to the airport, where again just his name is sufficient to invite questions from the ignoramus who paint an entire community with the same brush. But here, the airport trouble is only the beginning. Willy-nilly the hero finds himself caught in the crossfire between radical Muslims, out to avenge wrongs, real or imagined, in ways wrong and insidious. And the larger system. How he rises above the immediate is a gripping story that holds you spellbound right till the end. The location shots, the chases and the utter helplessness of a secular being in a callous system is mind blowing. The only dampener being provided by a couple of songs in the second half, one of which has to go down in history for the worst possible pronunciation.

Though it is a low-profile entry at the box office, do watch “Aamir”. Watch it for its debutant hero Rajeev Khandelwal, poised, polished and suitably understated. Watch it for its gripping drama and a brisk pace. Watch it for its low-key serious approach to cinema. Importantly, watch it for a director who has managed to say it all when others have equivocated. Three cheers to Gupta.

ZIYA US SALAM

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