सरबजीत: बहना, ओ बहना! [2/5]

मुख्य भूमिकायें सितारों की किस्मत होती हैं, चमचमाती थाली में रख कर ड्राइंग रूम में परोस दी जाती हैं. सहायक भूमिकायें अक्सर अभिनेताओं की झोली में उनकी मेहनत का नजराना समझकर डाल दी जाती हैं. कम से कम बॉलीवुड में बॉक्स-ऑफिस के इर्द-गिर्द मंडराती रहने वाली ‘बड़ी’ फिल्मों का तो यही लब्बो-लुबाब है. ओमंग कुमार की ‘सरबजीत’ उन्ही चंद फिल्मों में से एक है.

सरबजीत [रणदीप हुडा] सालों से पाकिस्तानी जेल में हिन्दुस्तानी जासूस होने के शक़ में कैद है. बहन दलबीर कौर [ऐश्वर्या राय बच्चन] की लगातार कोशिशों का दम-ख़म देखिये कि आज सरबजीत का पूरा परिवार उस से मिलने पाकिस्तान की जेल में आया है. बीवी [रिचा चड्ढा] भर्राए गले से पूछ बैठती है, “ठीक हो?” सरबजीत [हुडा] अपनी सारी टूटती सांसें बटोर कर कहता है, “अब हूँ!” मेरे ख़याल से पूरी फिल्म का ये सबसे कामयाब, सबसे कारगर सीन है. यहाँ आपको फिल्म से शिकायतें कम रहती हैं, पर कुछ है जो अचानक आपके जेहन में बिजली की तरह कौंध गया है. सीन में मौजूद सितारे [राय बच्चन] की चकाचौंध धीमी पड़ गयी है. दोनों अभिनेताओं को [चड्ढा और हुडा] बहुत थोड़ा ही सही, फैलने का एक मौका मिल गया है और वे उसमें इस कदर कामयाब रहते हैं कि आप सोच में पड़ जाते हैं, आखिर क्यूँ हर ‘मैरी कॉम’ को जरूरत होती है ‘प्रियंका चोपड़ा’ की?

जब ऐश्वर्या अपने चीखने-चिल्लाने के प्रतिभा-प्रदर्शन में कैमरे को लताड़ने में मशगूल रहतीं हैं, अक्सर बैकग्राउंड में रिचा चड्ढा या तो भैसें नहलाने या ढहती दीवाल की ईंटें हटाने में चुपचाप लगी रहती हैं. उन्हें पता है, उन्हें सिर्फ फिल्म चलाने के लिए शामिल नहीं किया गया है. हालाँकि ओमंग कुमार उनका भी इस्तेमाल अरिजीत सिंह के गाने पर बखूबी करते हैं, ठीक वैसे ही जैसे वो रणदीप को फिल्म के शुरुआत में ही ‘बैंड बाजा बारात’ का रणवीर सिंह बनाने में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ते. सरबजीत की बहन के रोल में ऐश्वर्या को एक माकूल ज़मीन देने में ओमंग इतनी शिद्दत दिखाते हैं कि फिल्म में हर बूढा-बच्चा-जवान ऐश्वर्या को ‘बहनजी’ ही कह के बुलाता है. उस पर डॉयलागबाजी का आलम कुछ यूँ कि ‘ग़दर’ का सनी देओल भी तौबा कर ले!

ग़ालिब अपने एक शे’र में कहते हैं, “मुश्किलें पड़ीं मुझपे इतनी कि आसां हो गयीं”. ओमंग कुमार भी ‘सरबजीत’ की कहानी में मुश्किलों को पहले तो यूँ सामने ला पटकते हैं मानो अब कुछ भी हल मुमकिन नहीं, फिर अगले ही पल उन्हें कुछ इस अंदाज़ से दुरुस्त कर देते हैं, जैसे पहले उनका कोई नाम-ओ-निशाँ ही न रहा हो. फिल्म अपने इसी लचर रवैये की वजह से अक्सर सच्चाई से परे झाँकने लगती है. सरबजीत का पाकिस्तानी जेल में लगातार अपने परिवार के साथ चिट्ठियों से जुड़े रहना, दलबीर कौर का बार-बार पाकिस्तान आना-जाना, वहाँ के लोगों को मुंहतोड़ जवाब देना; सब कुछ एक बॉलीवुड फिल्म के दायरे में बड़ी आसानी से समा जाता है.   

आखिर में, ओमंग कुमार की ‘सरबजीत’ रणदीप हुडा, रिचा चड्ढा और अपने छोटे से मजेदार रोल में दर्शन कुमार [मैरी कॉम, एनएच 10 वाले] के अच्छे अभिनय के बावजूद, ऐश्वर्या के उकता देने वाले अभिनय [???], धीमी गति और कहानी में बनावटीपन के पुट की वजह से आपके दिल तक शायद ही पहुँच पाए. [2/5]     

NH10: Raw, real and ruthless! Anushka leads the way!! [4/5]

The female protagonist has been put in a situation where every door knocked for help is an added danger to her life; this is not some breaking news for a Bollywood thriller. We have witnessed our leading ladies running after one possible hand of help turning ugly to another many a times and even rising from dust to stand at her own (Rekha is my personal favorite in such given stricture] against all odds. But when Anushka Sharma, calm and cold as corpse, with an iron-rod in her hand sits and lights a cigarette while watching her challenger crawling with a broken leg, this easily becomes ‘my’ moment to cheer for the invincible human survival instinct and all the women empowerment slogans coined just for the sake of it. This is raw. This is real. This is never seen before.  

With a powerfully violent, gritty and dark NH10; Navdeep Singh of MANORAMA SIX FEET UNDER returns to his deep-rooted den of atmospheric crime thrillers where the landscape speaks the language of ruthless nature of criminal mind and the characters don’t even need dialogues to express their anger, anxiety and agitation. Meera [Anushka in a ‘would die for’ role] and Arjun [Perfectly cast Neil Bhoopalam] is your regular career-focused, party-loving couple from Gurgaon- the emerging city of hopes seen working on laptops at their side of the same bed. A perfect holiday at a private villa in the outskirts is planned. It’s Meera’s birthday. A day-long road-trip on highway has started. Beware; even a small brawl can land you in the most brutal nightmare of your life. This is no bright-lit Gurgaon. This is the dark lawless badland where ‘killings’ are an ‘honor’ to the power man upholds. Of course, there is no looking back!

The plot of NH10 is never unforeseen; in fact you can predict the twists and turns miles before reaching at the end of the road but the undertones used to shake your souls and shiver your guts are very much surprising. The headlines of honor-killings might have raised your eyebrows till the time it’s on your screen but this is like abducting you from your drawing room and throwing in the deserted land of crimes done in the name of cast, creed and culture. A sister is poisoned by her brother [Darshan Kumar from Mary Kom] for loving and marrying boy of same ‘Gothra’. One gentleman in uniform enlightens, “Social norms should not be broken. Never! Try to drive on the wrong side of the road and accidents will happen.” Heartbreaking! Nerve-wracking! And a threatening state of real India-rural India!!

NH10 marks the arrival of a new Anushka Sharma. The pouting glam-doll sheds her comfort cover and brilliantly plays the carter of the long and hard-pressed angst of Indian women. Every time she screams at her opponents, she doesn’t scream for herself but all the women been ever in such circumstances. She is the answer to every sexiest and stinking remark made ever on any women out there, and the most powerful and the most influential one. The top-slot in the list of year’s best performers has already been taken. Bravura performance!

In others, Neil Bhoopalam supports well. He boldly shifts from charming guy next flat in the apartment to the fearing-frightened soul shaken by the harsh reality and the evil face of society. Though Darshan Kumar doesn’t have much to do in length but still manages to chill your bones with sinful looks. Can’t miss out on Deepti Naval for her surprise cameo!

On the whole, NH10 is a ride to hell. A hell every one must visit, admit and act against it. It is sure not a film best described with words like ‘flawless’ and ‘extraordinary’ but these expressions will fit in well in admiring and approving Anushka’s performance. The last act alone is like a winning shot you would want to put on ‘repeat’! [4/5]  

MARY KOM: Brands Shine in Real Mary Vs. Reel Mary! [2.5/5]

Considering the miserable condition of sports in India, while looking at the 2-min long sponsorship slide-show at the very beginning of the film; there is no prospect one would not sink in deep thoughts as if these many filthy rich business honchos would dare to promote the real life heroes in sports and not just a plain voracious commercial film on few of them, today we would have more than just one Mary Kom or Milkha Singh to be proud of. Art director-turned-film director Omung Kumar’s biopic MARY KOM is an ambitious film yet a noticeable victim of box-office centered commercialization in Indian cinema. And it hurts more than the innumerable solid muscular punches on our actor-in-desperation Priyanka Chopra’s face in the film!

Born as Mangte Chungneijang, Mary Kom is a five-time world boxing champion hailing from the outer world of Manipur. Earnestly we didn’t know much about her or I would say we were not much bothered until the announcement of this very biopic, but the saddest part is even the film, despite a great promise; plays quite cold towards its central character. In a very hectic and harried manner, we are told about her passion towards boxing, her uprise as a noted player in the ring followed by a quickie downfall in her career post-pregnancy.

Saiwyn Quadras’ story is packed with drama and thrills at regular intervals but never actually shocks you with its inevitable nature in the story-telling. Look at the plot development and you can easily identify the set formulaic patterns of just any sports film, only relief is that its central character is a woman, a mother of two and an underdog from one of the most deserted & sidelined states in India. Bollywood hardly and rarely shows guts of this kind!

MARY KOM’s biggest strength is its environs that plant you in the very real-very existent lush green world of North-East. Most of the supporting cast and people around in every frame make themselves rooted in the place they are directed to be in. But two odd things out that you can’t miss or ignore are the brand positioning and, despite not owning any symmetry or likeness in physical appearances, Priyanka Chopra’s firmness in will and exhorting efforts of all kinds to blur the line between real and reel Mary. So whenever you find yourself in awe to be inspired from the living sports legend being portrayed on the screen, there is one or other product placement ready to mellow down all the intensity, force and passion flowing out. An age-old pain-relief ointment, pregnancy test kit, low-calorie sweetener and what not! You can actually play ‘Spot the Brand’ exercise with friends, later.

Priyanka helms the brigade with some of the real promising talents. Darshan Kumar as Onler- the all season supportive husband to Mary is a revelation. He charms the screen with unconventional looks and true to life acting skills. Sunil Thapa as Mary’s strong-headed coach is impressive, so is the actor playing Mary’s father.

My issues with the film can go as much further as some of the sequences appearing too dramatic to be actual but let’s not get into it more and admire the fact that Bollywood has challenged itself with a subject not very common in practice! Better late than never, I say! Some stories need to be told. This is one. Had it been more focused, would have been better! [2.5/5]