Looks like I lost Legend and ali, some where in translation..screen shots should be in cyber space some where!
Film has been shot with two distinctive/filtered looks, Blue and Green murk!

Very interesting looking flick - any info on what it is about ??

Sorry for the delay Ash bhai.. here they are;





































Ali

Thanks ali bhaii, now as I have found you, stay tuned for MPKK!

FILM REVIEW: YAHAAN (2005)

Director: Shoojit Sircar
Producer: Gary G, Shoojit Sircar, Robby Grewal
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Minissha, Yashpal Sharma, Mukesh Tiwari, Dolly Ahluwalia, Gyan Prakash
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Lyrics: Gulzar
Cinematography: Jacob Ihre
Screenplay: Piyush Mishra, Somnath De, Shoojit Sarkar, Sameer Kohli

‘Yahaan’ holds aspiration and dreams of many people at the same time and a lot of them are counting for the success of the film. Directed by debutant Shoojit Sircar who was busy making TV commercials till now, ‘Yahaan’ is also the first sole film for actor Jimmy Shergill. Yahaan also debuts newcomer Minisha Lamba as the lead actress opposite Jimmy Shergill.

For the first time in many years the beauty of Kashmir is again stirred, with this film, which was left untouched by Indian filmmakers till date. What is more, it has been shot in the areas of Kashmir that perhaps nobody has ever seen in Hindi movies.

‘Yahaan’ is the story of an Indian Army captain who falls in love with a Kashmiri. Captain Aman (Jimmy Shergill) love gives her the strength to take on the might of the Indian Army, the bureaucracy and the militants. ‘Yahaan’ is also the story of Adaa (Minissha) who dares to love and take on the ensuing risks with courage and conviction. Adda is the sister of dreaded terrorist Shakeel Bhai (Yashpal Sharma).

Film is about an eternal theme-love:
Aman (Shergill) is an officer of the Rashtriya Rifles posted in Kashmir, who has been assigned to tackle terrorism and bring the misguided youth to the national mainstream.

While dealing with the disgruntled and misinformed youth, Aman is shown as a tough guy.

During one of his patrols in the backwaters of one of Kashmir’s lakes, he comes across Adaa (Minissha), a beautiful local girl. Emotions are stirred on both sides at the very first sight, but not even a word is spoken. Destiny brings them together again and in no time love springs and blossoms. The innocent girl is beautiful and strong willed. She keeps reasoning why many young people have taken up arms. She appreciates the spirit and courage of Aman for fighting terrorists.

Their love is accepted by none in the valley:
By an unwritten diktat, the girls in the valley are debarred from have any relationship with ‘outsiders’, particularly if they happen to be army guys. But Adaa and Aman defy this diktat and face disapproval from Adaa’s family and from local community, apart from threats from militants. In the film they also take on the might of the army and bureaucracy.

What follows, it tests their love:
It tests Aman’s idealism and Adaa’s belief in the good. There is an attack on the family, a court martial, a militant deep-rooted in his fundamentalist ideas, a peace-loving freedom fighter, a near-death experience, a hostage situation and the nation challenged.

Yahaan is about ‘Love against all Odds’
Adaa sees love, warmth and compassion in the eyes of an outsider. A man who gives her strength to stand tall and all alone, defending what she holds true. Believing in the power of true love, they combat the rigid structures of a complex situation, decades in the making. The movie is also tests a dedicated army officer deputed to the Kashmir Valley to tackle terrorism and also play a devoted lover. Jimmy Shergill plays the dual roles with ease.

Jimmy Shergill is the revelation of this movie. The film rests on his shoulder. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the actor has delivered the best performance of his career till date. Minissha has delivered a good enough performance, although there are some sequences where her discomfort shows. A decent debut overall.

Yashpal Sharma and Mukesh Tiwari ably support them. The actors playing the roles of Minissha’s father and grandmother [Dolly Ahluwalia] stand out with convincing portrayals.

Gulzar’s lyrics complimenting Shantanu Moitra’s music and Sameeruddin’s background score are added attraction for the viewers. The music is indeed melodious and soul stirring. Swedish cinematographer Jacob Ihre’s camera has done a wonderful job. He makes the visuals and songs unforgettable.

The hand-held camera and its ensuing effect on the large screen lends the movie a documentary touch – something like a journalistic account – while the songs and colorful dresses, provide the dreamy, fictitious element.

It can’t be said that the film is perfect as it does have its flaws.
There are some scenes that look impractical and less convincing. The climax when Minissha approaches the television channel to prove Jimmy’s innocence looks improbable and the speakers that are kept outside the mosque so that the terrorist Yashpal Sharma has a change of heart appears very filmy. The story moves at uneven paces and the music and songs, although appropriate to the situations, are plain and leave little impact. The screenplay is not able to keep the viewer on the razor’s edge as the script required and this opens the scope for distraction.

The movie is light, emotional and romantic. Go and stirr your emotions!

RS Rating: 6/10

Another GREAT review:

Yahaan
Producer: Sahara One-Motion Pictures and Red Ice Films
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Starring: Jimmy Shergil, Minissha Lamba, YashpalSharma and Mukesh Tiwari
Music:Shantanu Moitra and Nizami Bandhu
Lyrics: Gulzar and Nizami Bandhu

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Genre: Drama
Recommended Audience: General
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Released on: July 29, 2005
Reviewed by: Alok Kumar
Reviewer's Rating: 9 out of 10
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Cumulative Rating: 9 out of 10
Rated by: 1 unique user
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Beautiful, well-made films are often ignored by the industry and public at large. Amongst the many films, 2003 had Armaan (Anil Kapoor, Gracy Singh, Amitabh Bachchan) and Saaya (John Abraham, Mahima Choudhary, Tara Sharma). 2004´s Meenaxi, Naach, and Lakshya were wonderful movies that came and went. In 2005, Sehar (Arshad Warsi and Mahima Choudhary) has already been forgotten by many, and now we can add Yahaan to that list. Debutante director Shoojit Sircar gives us a love story wiith intelligence and emotions, boldly defying norms to make a film that is surely one of the best pictures of the year. Stars Jimmy Shergill and newcomer Minissha Lamba are impressive in extraordinary performances. Sircar succeeds in doing what Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Khalid Mohommad fell woefully short of with Mission Kashmir and Fizaa - he makes no compromises in his script and avoids pitfalls and cliches of the genre.

Well-shot and intelligently mounted, Yahaan is not only a pleasant surprise, but a milestone in historically fictional films involving the conflict in Kashmir. Though the film revolves around a love story between a Hindu army officer and Muslim Kashmiri girl in contemporary strife-torn Srinagar, religious conflicts take are thankfully relegated completely to the background. The film instead chooses to embrace the universal theme of a desire for peace and a return to the near-paradise Kashmir once was. There are no frothing fundamentalist politicians and stereotypically fanatical Indians and Pakistanis. More apparent is the suffering of the Kashmiri people as a whole. The film brings to light the aching pain of the citizens of Kashmir and a universal desire to escape from the terrpr and pain of their daily lives. The story is simple - Adaa (Minissha Lamba) is a Kashmiri girl torn between her army officer lover Aman (Jimmy Shergill - finally in a lead role and excellent at that) and her jehaadi insurgent brother Shakeel (Yashpal Sharma). Trouble ensues when Aman´s superiors come to know his involvment with the sister of a terrorist and implicate him as an accomplice. Thus, Adaa begins a valiant attempt to save her lover from the perils of a court-martial and Shakeel is torn between his former family´s happiness and safety and his own jehaadi cause.

The performances in the film are excellent and award-worthy. Finally, Jimmy Shergill finds a lead role worthy of him after many missteps and supporting roles. Shergill has always been a superb performer and ever-dependable in his supporting performances. With Yahaan, he shows his acting chops and his ability to carry a film as a lead. His wonderful performance is bound to get noticed and will most definately lead to further successes, propelling him into the upper echlon of stars. He is charismatic and especially strong in his emotional scenes, a sure-fire contender come awards time. Lets hope producers recognize Shergill as a force to reckon with rather then signing rejects like Zayed Khan and Tusshar Kapoor. Debutante Minissha Lamba is a revelation as well. Like Vidya Balan before her in Parineeta, she shows formidable talent and performs quite well - and not just for her first time. She gives most established so-called actresses a run for their money with her polished performance. While Lamba is not strikingly pretty, she looks stunningly beautiful when she smiles and is like a breath of fresh air in an industry of beauty queens and pin-ups. Her next release is Madhur Bhandarkar´s Corporate, costarring Bipasha Basu and Kay Kay and you can bet I´ll be in line for that one after seeing her astonishing work in this film. She´s a vibrant combination of fragility and vulnerable simplicity and is totally endearing throughout. Yashpal Sharma adds a touch of humanity to what might have otherwise been a cliched terrorist role. His anguish concerning his sister is touching and poignant. A strong performance from an otherwise serviceable actor, he comes into his own with his work in Yahaan. Special mention must go to child-actress Juhi, who plays Siri, a mute orphan with permanent circles under her sad eyes from constant crying. The little girl is heartbreaking as she realizes she´s orphaned again after a bomb blast in her foster home.

The ambiance of the film is gritty and realistic, having been shot with a permanent dull blue-gray tint. The effect is the emphasis of the plight of the state and it´s citizens. There is a permanent atmosphere of gloom over the proceedings, even during the tender sequences between Adaa and Aman. The dialogues are well-penned and a suitably sweeping love score remeniscent of John Barry and Hollywood (unfortunately not offered on the soundtrack) help involve the viewer. Shantanu Moitra´s music is likeable as well, with "Naam Adaa Likhna" as a soft highlight. All in all, Sircar combines gritty realism with a sweeping, emotionally-involving love story with striking effects- Yahaan is moving and original.


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I just watced couple of days back this movie is just great but the quality of dvd was not good i strongly recommend and want to hear your comments too

Released in India under the INDUS label -- extremely good 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, quite okay non-anamorphic widescreen video (looks like 1.85:1), and an above average movie -- delightful treatment

P.S. - The movie itself has been shot in Blue tone for some screens and in Green tone for other scenes... as such this is not a DVD defect In fact, the DVD video transfer, even without being non-anamorphic, is quite okay.

Actually the movie is not at all similiar to or based on Roja, the only thing common to both films is the Kashmir terrorism theme. The film itself is very good and a must see. It is sad that good films like this go unnoticed and that actors like Jimmy Shergill, who is definately a far better actor than most of the star sons, don't get too many opportunities.

I strongly agree with you sanjay if this would have been with any of the stars son it would have been a abig hit.

If you want to experience romance in Hindi movie must must see

gautam

I saw this film yesterday at the Raindance film festival in London. I didn't know anything about this film before-hand and believe it was poorly marketed by India, which is sad as it's probably too intelligent for your typical bollywood audiences (critics included). It's a shame it probably didn't do well with Indian audiences but I believe if promoted well it would do well with western audiences as most of the non-indian audience liked it and were surprised as they expected it to decend into the usual bollywood formula. Those foolish Indian critics who sent some mediocre films to the oscars should have taken a look at this. It may not win oscars but it can certainly do well at international film festivals.

This film was great and better than most films I've seen about the Kashmir conflict. It reminded me of Maachis (also featuring Shergill) in terms of look. It was more serious than a bollywood' film, with no silly masala or comedy and had songs that fit in well with the film. All the actors performed well and Shergill proves he can really act when he needs to. I would definately recommend it for those who wish to see more serious Indian cinema and it's already one of my favourites in the past few years.

By the way, it's not at all like Roja. This film proves that India can produce some great films that can compete on an international level but Indian audiences still prefer to see crap.

http://www.raindancefilmfestival.org/fe ... yahaan.htm

I'll try to find my Indus dvd... btw, wasn't the theatrical AR 1.85:1? I remember seeing this im a Delhi theatre and they had curtains on left and side of the screen to create the (smaller) 1.85 space -- that's if I remember correctly