Movie Review: Mausam - Good Attempt, but Tiresome

Anitha S
Daijiworld Media Network - Entertainment
Rating: 2.5/5

Mangalore, Sep 23: One thing is certain about 'Mausam' - its central characters have much more patience than its audience would. Or perhaps it is to debutant director Pankaj Kapur's credit that he tries to make the audience experience the frustration that the lead roles go through in their quest to unite. Only problem is, rather than empathising, you feel bored.

Pankaj Kapur, being the seasoned actor that he is, would be expected to make a movie that defines the class he has set in cinema. But sadly, Pankaj Kapur the Director is not as precise Pankaj Kapur the Actor.

Plot

The plot is simple but narrated in a complex way. Harinder Singh or Harry as he is known (Shahid Kapur) is this happy-go-lucky popular village bloke who is waiting for a letter of appointment from the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, enter a burkha-clad Aayat, played by Sonam Kapoor (you can't help wondering what happened to the burkha later on, until it appears again all of a sudden). She is a Kashmiri who has been sent to the village with her aunt to take refuge during the strife in her state. Harry and Aayat fall in love, of course, but one fine day Aayat simply packs off her bags and leaves with the family, and at that very moment Harry too receives his letter.

The scene shifts to Scotland, seven years later, and we see them both completely tranformed. A short catch-me-if-you-can kind of chase begins as the two try to locate each other, and love blooms like before, until Harry is called away to Kargil just when he is all set to fix his alliance with Aayat. The characters have a penchant for shifting their houses, and that's what really tires you out. From Mullakot in Punjab to Scotland to back to Mullakot to Jodhpur to Switzerland to America to back to Mullakot to Ahmedabad - Aayat and Harry are forever going round and round, with each one locating the other's base just after the latter's relocation. Since its Bollywood, you know they are going to meet, but the wait is too long and stretched unncessarily. In between you have Harry suffering paralysis in his left arm in the Kargil war, and the bombing of the Twin Towers.

The two finally meet in the midst of Godhra riots, and pulsating super-hero kind of scenes follow where Harry with just one arm not only saves his long-lost love in the nick of time, but also helps a horse stuck in a stable and climbs a giant wheel to save a crying toddler. It would have been nice if we could get to know how he manages to climb down from that height with just one arm operating, with a child in tow. At the end, all are happy and united - Harry, Aayat, the crying toddler and the grateful horse.

The Movie

Cinematography is superb, and I would have given it full marks, except for the Kargil scenes that are less than convincing. Punjab and Europe are captured beautifully, and even the picturisation of the songs wins your heart. Pritam's music is hummable.

The movie unfortunately fails to grip you basically because of the director's attempt to put too many things into it. From the beginning of the 1990s to 2002, you have everything from Babri Masjid demolition to Mumbai bombings to Kargil war to attack on America to Godhra riots, but all of them in the background, perhaps except the last one which forms the climax. You would have expected a better dealing of the Kargil war, given the tension the director tries to build up in the movie; but when the actual war scenes emerge, they leave you sadly disappointed.

The first part of the movie takes a dig at Sardars, and the meeting of the village elders is delightfully humourous. The controversial train scene in the village gives you an idea of the kind of gritty person Harry is going to evolve into. In fact, the train is an important motif, culminating into the Godhra riots which were sparked off with the burning of a train. Strangely, that very part is missing.

Nevertheless, the message the director conveys through it all is simply this - true love stands the test of time, and despite all human strifes, it can still be alive amidst all the death and destruction. That message is also conveyed in a nutshell when Harry saves the child when the entire Ahmedabad is burning.

Performances

Shahid Kapur really stands out in his various roles - from a village boy to an IAF squadron leader to a man who has lost his love, he performs each one with elan and poise. Sonam Kapoor is graceful and appears vulnerable, sometimes too much so. Supriya Pathak as Aayat's aunt is in a class of her own, while Anupam Kher and the rest do not have much to do. Aditi Sharma as Lajjo does a fine job.

Verdict

Being his directorial debut, Pankaj Kapur has done a fairly good job, and one hopes his next venture would be chiselled better. You can watch it once, and get an almost three-hour lesson on patience with it.

To conclude, overheard at the theatre - "Yaar... sab mar gaye par kahani khatam nahi hoti..."

That, I guess, sums it up.