It was!
By combining a "coming-of-age" movie with a strident message at its heart, the director, Rakeysh Mehra, has made a movie that should resonate for a while yet. Visually, the movie is breathtaking. And here I am talking about the colours that are used, not just the sceneries or sets. A sepia tone is employed to show events of the early 20th century, while a colourful canvas symbolizes the 21st century. Seamlessly transitioning between two parallel storylines, the story juggles between the past that the characters will be influenced by, and the aimless present that they currently inhabit.
The change in the characters occurs over a period of time and is quite convincingly written in. And even after they realize their calling, they do not do anything that belies their abilities or positions. From start to finish, the dynamics of the group are kept consistent and every character is given enough room and screen time for us to be able to distinguish between them. A fear I had was that Aamir Khan would take over the movie post-interval, a la "Dil Chahta Hai", breaking the dynamics of the story. He does not. Instead, the director makes the character with the most to lose, portrayed by Siddharth, the public voice of the group. Aamir, in keeping within the defined framework of his character, remains the physical heart and soul of the group without trying to become the emotional leader.
In a movie filled with symbolism, the most subtle one made the deepest impression. The mother is in a deep coma and finally shows signs of awakening from it. When she does, the movie intercuts this with scenes showing the main characters finally fulfilling their date with destiny, symbolizing the metaphorical awakening of Mother India from a long slumber.
Another masterstroke was to use two different narrators - a sympathetic English jailor for the 20th century and his documentary film-making granddaughter for the 21st century. By employing a British narrator, the director managed to suggest an outside view that somehow seems to emphasize even further how impressive the protagonist's actions were.
A final word on the acting. My simple test for an actors performance is whether I am seeing the character or the actor on the screen. Initially I could not help but think that I was watching the actors. After a while when I saw them on screen I was associating them with their movie names.
I would strongly recommend watching this movie, and would suggest that you give yourself entirely to the experience. So do not get up to go to the bathroom, do not answer the phone and do not talk to anyone else in the room. Otherwise the connection between you and the characters will be broken and it will become a less impressive celluloid experience.
3 comments:
i liked the movie as well but i thought it was a little too dramatised in the second half. loved the first half of the movie.....
didnt u like the music? havent mentioned a word about it!!
Considering how the story shaped up, I expected the seond half to be dramatized, so I did not mind it. Also, I felt it was necessary for it to be dramatized.
As far as the music is concerned, I had not heard the songs previously, and like most Rahman songs, they all made a gentle first impression but having heard them a couple of times since then I like it a little more. One "song" that did grab my attention was "Lalkaar" by Aamir Khan and co.
was one of the best movie in years!!! which left an impression on me...
overall I can rate this movie as the best influential movie for me.
well said brother....
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