| |||
Sonia Chopra | |||
After surviving almost three hours of this well-meaning but unbearably indulgent film, the audience is likely to be perplexed. There is a definite buzz around the film for its dewy romantic look, its lead actors, and for Pankaj Kapur ' an actor par excellence who has dabbled in writing before but makes his directorial debut with Mausam. These expectations crash resoundingly in the first half itself, and get further pronounced as the film progresses. The film delays in getting to the point, is manipulative to the extent of using common tricks like tearful toddlers, plus the newbie filmmaker is caught up in managing a canvas so complex that's set in different time spans and locations, he overlooks humanizing his characters. Mausam starts encouragingly enough. The love story is clichd from the start, but the atmospherics and beauty draw us in. Harry (Shahid Kapoor) lives in a laid-back Punjab village where there are sugarcane fields, tractors, and women exclaiming 'hai main mar jaavan'. Harry falls in love with new girl on the block ' Aayat (Sonam Kapoor) in a typical filmi first meeting where he has a clumsy accident and she finds it hilarious. The viewer sits through the two exchanging shy glances again and again. Just when their love story is about to progress, they are separated. Aayat leaves the village overnight and the two lovers are to have a coincidental meeting several years later. This pattern continues throughout the film ' circumstances seem to control this couple's coupling. Covering a decade, writer-director Pankaj Kapur borrows from real events like the Kashmir insurgency, Kargil war, communal riots, and the 9/11 terrorist attack. Kapur's aim is well-intentioned, but when an entire film rests on a romance, the film has to have a solid couple at the centre. Both charismatic actors otherwise, Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor don't make for an extraordinary couple. Part of the fault lies with their characterization ' Harry's character is utterly ordinary transforming into Hero No.1 towards the end, and Aayat's character is put on a pedestal of purity. It starts with the name (which means holy couplet, the film informs us), the mainly white-hued wardrobe, to the head-lowered "jee bua" type dialogue, and the graceful ballet dance scene. One concedes that Kapur wanted to make an epic, old-fashioned romance, but the characters at the center of the story cannot afford to be this staid. They have to draw out the viewer's attention at least, forget emotions. Humour is induced almost forcibly. So you have fat guy jokes, Gujju accent jokes, and so on. Suddenly, Shahid breaks into a Punjabi song to turn on the Jab We Met charm. Sonam is stuck with the ethereal beauty act yet again after Saawariya. She's dressed in pretty pastels, long neck framed by cascading curls, pale face, and measured voice. The actors do marginally well, but do not create magic as a couple; no, not even when they're ball-dancing ever so stylishly. Shahid's performances is consistent but one that's too controlled and self-absorbed. Sonam is convincing in this half-baked role, but one is still waiting for makers to cast this heroine in varied roles. The supporting cast, especially, Supriya Pathak, does well. But the level of acting overall is below the actors' potential (a pregnant lady must touch her tummy again and again, so the audience gets it!). The finale, unbelievable and completely out of sync with the rest of the film, could put the cheesiness of yesteryears' 'bichde hue judwa bhai' plot to shame. The script has some gaping holes. There is no explanation for the lack of communication between the two lovers in an era of mobile phones. Even if one argues that mobiles were rarer a decade ago, the landline could have been a tool. Aayat knew Harry's sister's number at all times. Even Aayat's dressing is inconsistent, flitting from burqas to salwars to skirts to colourless sarees. The best part about the film is veteran cinematographer Binod Pradhan's soulful camerawork. There are some humane moments that leave an impact ' the Kashmiri man who has fled to Punjab and is alarmed by innocuous commotion at night. Or the secularist take of the film in showing how all communities are adversely affected in the face of riots and bomb blasts. Mausam is a film one wanted to like. But the truth is, it's marred by long-drawn storytelling, mediocre performances, and a bizarre finale. Find your reasons, if you must watch it! Verdict: One and a half stars | |||
comment:
p_commentcount