Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2001 5:53 pm
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Cruise on ur own RISK! SPOILER: may be?
Tabu dares to be different
In Manoj Punj's Zindagi Khoobsurat Hai, life IS beautiful
Ronjita Kulkarni
In Zindagi Khoobsurat Hai, life IS beautiful.
Even if it is a prostitute who yearns to live a normal life pretends to be someone else whenever she gets the opportunity.
Even if it is a struggling actor waits 12 years to make it big. And when he gets the chance, he cannot accept it.
Even if it is a mentally challenged child sees death as routine.
Punj takes it upon himself to portray an optimistic life even in the worst situations. With his refreshingly fresh storyline, here is a filmmaker who dares to be different.
Her relationship with Amar (Gurdas Maan) is initially platonic, a break from the relationships she has with other men. She tells him her dreams, but does not complain. She drinks with him, but does not cry. She wants to be one with the crowd, with a loving husband and child. He wants to be a famous actor. Yet they have to be content with Peppers, a nightclub which she frequents with her clients and where he sings for a living.
While she forms one aspect of Amar's life, Jameela forms the other. A mentally challenged daughter of an underworld don (Ashish Vidhyarthi), she stops crying only when she sees Amar singing on television. Amar starts educating her and soon, becomes her legal adopter, in case of death of her natural father.
While Punj treats his main plot with sensitivity, he neglects the subplot. The don's sister marries into his sworn enemy's house, which leads to a brutal massacre on the wedding night. The sister carries the emotional scars all her life and, one day, takes her revenge through her son. This only lengthens the film, provides it with action sequences and leads to a ridiculous climax.
Ashish Vidhyarthi looks like a caricature, waving a sword and looking silly in this day and age. His only emotions in the film alternate between extreme cases of hate, love and anger. It is a pity a talented actor like himself has to contend with such roles.
Punj's effort may not score at the box-office, yet he is commendable. He extracts good performances from his protagonists. He falters when he tries to add masala to the film. Besides, the film's narrative is constantly interrupted with often tiresomely uninspiring songs.
His first film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh, a surprise hit, also dealt with a sensitive true story of a husband and wife separated due to the partition of India and Pakistan. The film was later the inspiration of another blockbuster, the Sunny Deol-Amisha Patel starrer Gadar -- Ek Prem Katha.
Tabu renders a brilliant performance. The role offers her ample opportunity to perform. While she appears loud in some scenes, she seems vulnerable in others. She moulds herself into her character skilfully.
Maan's anguish as a struggling actor does not come through. Eventually, when he has to give up his dreams for something else, his dilemma seems nonexistent. Yet, Maan turns in a good performance in his second film. He underplays his character and emotes with his eyes. The actor critical acclaim for his debut film with Punj, Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh.
Jameela, who has an important role in the film, unfortunately does not gain your sympathy. Her performance is restricted to laughing and crying at various times. One would have hoped that the director had done a bit more research on the behaviour of mentally challenged children.
The other actors, Divya Dutta (who played the female lead in Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh), Rajat Kumar and Akash Khurana, do their parts well, though at times, Dutta may sound jarring.
Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai may not be a Shaheed-e-Mohabbat, but it should be credited for daring to be different.
http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/04zind.htm
*** GUY with FREE TICKET! GO WATCH it and let us know?
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