Movie Review: Kurbaan

Director Rensil D'silva tries once again to weave the 'Rang de Basanti' magic by tossing a commercial story with a gritty, realistic undertone. The ploy however does not quite work in 'Kurbaan' as the film becomes exceedingly indecisive as it plays on - should I be a serious, shrewd drama? Or should I resort to being just a masala entertainer?

The disappointment is not because Kurbaan is a bad movie, it is because it is a good movie frustratingly laced with so many plot holes you'd want to bomb the writer's office. Characters, who seem to be smart, convincing and well fleshed out suddenly take buffoonish decisions; irrelevant plot twists that pop in out of the blue negate all the good work done; and the wretched typical Bollywood heroism takes center stage just when the story needs a pragmatic approach.

The other problem with Kurbaan is that it is very predictable, and the Yash Raj vehicle 'New York' already having come and gone doesn't help. You know who Saif Ali Khan really is, you know what Kareena is going to do about it, you know what Vivek Oberoi is going to do something unintelligent and daft, all the while mouthing some corny-accented dialogues. Heck you can even guess what's going to happen at the climax halfway into the film.

The story is appealing enough - Saif and Kareena are college professors (movie star-like profs! Booya!) who have the hots for each other. The duo get married and move to NYC. Kareena finds out that her hubby is a manky terrorist who plans to bomb the NY subway with his terrorist pals. She seeks help from Vivek Oberoi, a news channel cameraman who infiltrates the gang. Taut, thrilling premise? Check. Snappy editing? Check. Intriguing plot points? Check. Jagged, addictive music to go with it all? Check.

Now here is where the incredulity sets in, and the Bollywood balderdash ruins a fine product. Almost all of the Muslims here are portrayed as radical fundamentalists miffed because their innocent brothers were butchered in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not every bullet pumping pot junkie in NY is an Islamic terrorist, you know. And why the redundant, overbearing dialogues on 9/11, US war on terrorism, jihad etc etc? Yes, the Indian junta is matured enough for the new wave polished cinema but that doesn't mean they will confuse inept half baked trash with provocative, intellectual dialogue. How does a female obtain secrets from the enemy who's a male? By sleeping with him, of course. This is a Karan Johar production, and the key words are 'grand' and 'exaggerated' - the sex scene is made overly filmy and dramatic as Kareena tries to nab some super secret documents that would prevent the terrorist attacks.

And if that wasn't enough Saif's character goes ahead and stabs a man in a public bar! And all the while he walks about in the open NYC streets! Even as he is wanted by the FBI, who have a photograph of him! Have Karan Johar and D'Silva ever been to New York? Post 9/11 even a brown skinned bearded dude is suspected of being Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's brother. And Saif's terrorist gang simply recruits Vivek Oberoi for the mission, without even doing a background check on the guy. Juvenile attempt at attention to detail, this.

Coming to the performances, Saif Ali Khan is pretty good and restrained throughout, but he hams it up by making asinine expressions in the otherwise thought provoking scene where Kareena tends to his bullet wounds. Kareena Kapoor is refreshingly assured after her annoying turn in KIshq. She is quite talented and certainly deserves better films. Vivek Oberoi veers between a bad accent and overacting, but the culmination of both in a few scenes makes for some good humour. Om Puri and Kirron Kher are passable, but Dia Mirza, Nauheed Cyrusi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda sleepwalk.

'Kurbaan' is way better than 'New York', but is more disappointing, because while that Yash Raj flick never had the potential of becoming a masterpiece, this one did.