Cast – Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher, Anuj Choudhry, Anjali Patil, Art Malik, K.K. Raina, Om Puri
Director – Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Writer – Gulzar
When you have stalwarts like Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Gulzar, Shankar Ehsaan Loy joining hands to bring us a so called musical, and you see some intense and visually impressive teasers, it’s not unfair to have some good expectations.
Even though trailers did give an idea that the movie was not going to be a routine affair, I was not prepared to find it such a big let-down.
To begin with the good, the cinematography is simply the most impressive aspect of the movie . The frames are picturesque; colours and opulence have been used to the hilt along with impressive camera work.
High production value is evident from the opulence of sets, detailing of costumes, right to the shining horses in the polo match.
The old folklore,as part of the songs, runs in shades of grey in slow motion interspersed with the contemporary story that is full of colours of Rajasthan and grandeur of royalty.
Talking of performances , Harshvardhan is definitely promising and someone to watch out for with some polishing and better written roles. He makes his mellow and soft spoken character very endearing.
Anuj Choudhary as the prince was the most impressive. He played the blue blooded character to the core without being over the top and his portrayal of the wronged one was a perfect blend of betrayal, hurt and anger.
Saiyami is just good looks .
The support cast of Art Malik , KK Raina and Om Puri is all good but has nothing to bite on.
Music is rustic and different but not too great. At times, it felt out of place.
The screenplay by Gulzar surprisingly was the biggest let down. The characters seemed to lack depth and did not seem etched out well. Though it’s a film of few dialogues but who says less cannot be impressive. There was a lot of Shakespeare in dialogues and its shades in the story too but it needs a Vishal Bharadwaj I guess to blend it well with the contemporary.
There was no chemistry between the lead characters to justify the kind of rebellion that was required in the story.
I felt zero empathy and emotion for the star crossed lovers.
Mehra’s visualisation was very artistic and the product is definitely visually magnificent but the very soul of the story is missing. It simply fails to connect.
The cinema lovers who can relish the movie as a visual treat and want to give chance to someone who has given likes of RDB and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag can go for it and for the two debutants – Harsh and Anuj.
Score – 6 on 10