A Worthy Kurbaani!

Kurbaan is Karan Johar’s darkest, intense and most serious film yet. He has made a successful departure from his comfort zone of glossy, feel-good cinema to give us a film that is thought-provoking, gruesome and touching. As you might have gauged from the promos, it has shades of Fanaa and New York, but it is the finest, most non-filmy film among the three.

Kareena plays Avantika, a beautiful Psychology professor who is wooed by Saif’s calculative yet persuasively charming Ehsaan Khan. They fall in love, get married, and move to the States where Avantika discovers Saif’s true identity as terrorist mastermind Om Puri’s second-in-command. The rest of the film depicts how Kareena copes with her new, grave reality, among other things that you will discover as you watch the film.

This is Saif’s most kamina role since Omkara. He is irresistibly and persuasively charming initially but as the film progresses, you loathe the cold-blooded killer he actually is. He excels in the action scenes and looks undeniably handsome and suave throughout the movie. Yet, you hate him. It’s another flawless and memorable performance from the versatile actor who was pulled off the lover boy role in Love Aaj Kal, earlier this year, with equal panache and élan.

Kurbaan is as much Kareena’s film as it Saif’s. She looks stunningly beautiful (the weight gain suits her) when she is dolled up and innocent and helpless in her distressed avatar. Her Avantika is guileless, beautiful, righteous, strong-willed, inquisitive and seductive, all at once. She doesn’t have much to say but conveys her pain and resignation beautifully through her green eyes. The last scene will make you cry and Kareena’s noticeable snot only makes it more real. The off-screen chemistry of the couple reflects on-screen. Their courtship days are breezy and joyous with a bold ‘kissing-in-the-library’ scene thrown in. The love-making scene is of the never-before-seen variety in Bollywood.

Pretty Dia Mirza’s miniscule role isn’t clearly defined but has an impact on the story. After Shootout at Lokhandwala, this role of Riyaz Masood, a progressive ‘I am an American first then a Muslim’ gives Vivek Oberoi the scope to perform and he delivers, holding his own against Saif, Kareena and Om Puri. His Yankee accent is perfect.

If you are bored of watching Kirron Kher in motherly roles, Kurbaan will make you change your mind. As Om Puri’s equally fanatic wife, her Afghani accent is authentic and this is the meatiest and meanest role she has essayed in a long time. Om Puri as the jihaadi is flawless and stern. Nauheed Cyrusi makes an impact with one scene. All the other characters are aptly cast.

In the first half, we see the flaws of orthodox and fanatic Muslims but the second half voices how racist and jingoistic America is; that it has given practically given birth to terrorism and what motivates a person to become a terrorist. Each character has a different point of view. It also focuses on female suicide bombers.

Kurbaan keeps you engrossed all along. Watch out for the way Kareena and Vivek team up against Saif and his clan, the twist in the climax, Saif revealing his identity to Kareena, the shootout between Saif and the cops, the scene where Kareena retrieves the bullet is plain gruesome and will make you cringe and the classroom scene between Saif and Vivek. The movie keeps you at the-edge-of-your-seat and you might shed a tear when the love story between Avantika and Ehsaan culminates with an element of redemption.

Kurbaan is technically flawless. Hemant Chaturvedi’s cinematography is top-notch capturing the happy mood in Delhi and the dangerous, somber mood in New York. The grey opening titles that reveal the machinations of a terrorist organization have a very international feel.

This is Salim-Sulaiman’s best score in a long time with the romantic Shukran Allah, the haunting Ali Maula and seductive Rasiya. Their Sufi-rock background score enhances the narrative of the film.

On the flipside, a lot of premises in Kurbaan are similar to those in New York. Especially, the way Vivek and Saif become friends as Vivek pretends to be a disgruntled Muslim and Om Puri asks Vivek to shoot an innocent American. However, the direction and acting is much superior. Also, the basic plot is reminiscent of Arlington Road, a 1999 American film starring Tim Robbins, Jeff Bridges and Joan Cusack.

There should have been more emphasis on why Saif’s Ehsaan married Kareena’s Avantika and some more interactions between them during her house arrest. The FBI is glorified as usual and after a blast, an agent escapes pretty much unscathed. The end may seem abrupt but later on, you will figure that it fits with the theme of the movie.

All in all, Kurbaan is a serious, thrilling and balanced film that you must watch. It doesn’t really preach; it blatantly lays out the facts in front of you so you can decide. In his first film Rensil D’silva handles romance and thrills quite well and we can rely on him to give us engaging and relevant films in the future.

Janhvi Patel/Hill Road Media