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Maqbool aflame, Paap washed out
Scene from "Maqbool" now showing at cinema halls across Delhi.
MAQBOOL
(At Chanakya and other Delhi theatres)
ETERNAL YOUTH, old flame, desires secret and sinful... she has them all. Not a blossom of her loveliness knows withering, no pulse has dimmed since the fiery "Maachis". Her face still reflects an unblemished beauty. Here in Vishal Bharadwaj's film, her eyes are aglow with passion, her lips aquiver with anticipation. She arouses the poet in you, and the man in the poet surges forth. As a moll to a don, Tabu is a tempting, tantalising temptress, who lives with the ageing man, pines for the pulsating youth of his sidekick. The young man, after initial dalliance with virtues of patience, is a moth to her candle burning bright and beautiful. And the old man is like a candle without a wick, he can melt but can't burn.
This film, based loosely on William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", is an outstanding effort from a director who gave us "Makdee" not too long ago. And in Tabu, he has an actress who never ceases to amaze you with her versatility. Here, she lords over the film in a manner befitting a seasoned artiste. And she does get some real hot competition. We have Pankaj Kapoor as the don. After what seems like infinity the man has got a good meaty role in Bollywood, and comes up with a controlled portrayal in a well fleshed out character. We have Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, as the two cops quite unaccustomed to scruples of conscience but delighting the audience with their chemistry. Above all, we have Irrfan, as the young sidekick who would be the king. He is a winner. Never once does he get overawed by the better-known names in the frames he shares with Tabu, Shah, Puri. And in almost all of them he manages to leave a lingering impact with eyes that mirror his mind.
Yes, take some time out to watch "Maqbool". It may not be very popular just now but it is bound to leave the discerning audiences pleased. Bharadwaj has done a neat job. By just changing the setting of Shakespeare's work, he manages to give it a contemporary touch. The editor is his best friend here, and the film almost never gasps for breath. He also gets some good music support. The interplay of underworld politics, the dark side of desire and the many facets of a woman, now a faithful partner, now seeking newer pastures, now using the man, now allowing him to use her... all make for engrossing fare. Watch it.
PAAP
Scene from "Paap" now showing at cinema halls across Delhi.
(At Chanakya, 3-C's and other theatres)
IMPERMANENCE IS the only permanence in life. Wait for the next moment, and you might as well wait for infinity. Dreams, death, desire all are in a moment. Yet the salvation lies in conquering the moment, in resisting desire. Yet again, the biggest desire is to overcome desire! On such philosophical lines goes Pooja Bhatt's directorial debut, "Paap". Unfortunately, the film only skims the surface of inner thoughts and has nothing even close to a sin to offer. It is a misleading name for a beautifully shallow film.
Yes, it captures the landscape of Lahaul Spiti like seldom before in Hindi cinema. It also has some haunting tunes. Everything seems bright and beautiful until you start looking for a soul. Everything is fine until you start looking for a clear storyline. Everything seems fine until you expect fresh-faced debutante Udita Goswami to do a Bipasha of "Jism" or John Abraham to carry a film on his well-toned and exhibited shoulders. Now, if the film disappoints, you know it is your desire for better fare that is responsible for dejection! Heavens are unlikely to rain goodies at the box office for "Paap".
WOH TERA NAAM THA
(At Odeon and
other Delhi theatres)
KUKU KOHLI goes down history lane and comes up with a period love drama set in Bhopal, a land where the ink flows from a poet's pen, melody from a singer's chords, and a photographer captures its scenic beauty. He takes us to the Bhopal Jama Masjid, its pir baba's dargah set in water, its pond. He also takes us to its forked lanes, and times when a tonga was the preferred mode of communication, when car was a novelty, when what you possessed was always subservient to what you were. He also brings back the haunting charms of Reshma, full 20 years after she sang her way to Indian hearts with "Lambi Judaai". Alas! That is where the merits of Kohli's film with four debutants end.
This is a Muslim social drama with all those free-flowing ghararas, black sherwanis, tilted caps and salt and pepper beards, not to forget those elaborate adaabs. One thought all that was in the past. Obviously one had reckoned without Kohli, whose film is at best a mediocre poet's work gone awry, and at worst the attempt of a man who does not quite know his limitations. This one is the story of a boy, a tongawallah, who loves his neighbour, a self-effacing singer's daughter. The girl is friends with him but loves his best friend better. And our tongawallah yearns for her while another girl from the neighbourhood yearns for him! Then we have the rich businessman's spoilt son longing for this singer's progeny who obviously cannot acquiesce. Confused? Well, so were many who sat through this one. What is it that they call it? Woh Tera Naam Tha? Whatever. This period drama should have remained in the mothballs of history.
ZIYA US SALAM
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