All audience reviews of Lamhaa- The untold story of Kashmir

LAMHAA...*ing SUNJAY DUTT & BIPASHA BASU with Mahesh Manjrekar, Kunal Kapoor, Shernaz Patel, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Yashpal Sharma & Anupam Kher. Directed By RAHUL DHOLAKIA & Producers BUNTY WALIA & PVR FILMS.

Reviewed At PVR-Saket(New Delhi) Rating: **

Sunjay Dutt hits the nail on the head when he says Kashmir may still be the most beautiful place on earth but it is also the most dangerous place on earth. But that is an outsider's view on Kashmir. People living in the so called Jannat feel it's actually been turned into a living hell by greedy politicians, blood thirsty terrorists and trouble creating neighbours who spend billions to ensure peace and calm does not return else that would spell their doom.

As one of the character loves lamenting Kashmir is a company that needs blood and money to be pumped in to regularly to keep it alive for vested interests. At the end of the day it's the local population that suffers in silence with unshed tears in their eyes and silent screams hanging in their throat as they seem to have accepted the terror and pain as their destiny. On one hand they are made soft targets by terrorists and on the other they are hunted and harassed by para-military forces who vent out their frustrations on them.

Lamhaa is a moment based on truth jelled with fiction in equal dollops so that it is hard to tell when fact closes shop and fiction takes over and vice versa. Rahul Dholakia seems to have become some sort of an expert on making docu-dramas that are not just hard hitiing but also spilling some harsh truths even if it means locking horns with the Establishment.

His very first film based on the Gujrat riots not only faced severe censor problems but had to fight tooth and nail to get a prolonged delay release in Gujrat for very obvious reasons.This time around his Lamhaa claims to have been banned by both Saudi Arabia as well as Pakistan for obvious reasons. That apart Lamhaa is engrossing so long as it sticks to the facts but the moment it starts offering juvenile solutions it falls flat on it's face almost making mockery of such a burning issue.

Having said that while Sunjay Dutt plays to the gallery Bipash Basu makes a highly unrealistic Kashmiri.Having seen the stunning Sharmila Tagore as the Kashmir Ki Kali way back in the early 60's sadly Bips is an unrealistic Kashmiri Beauty. But having said that, their is no taking away from her hard hitting performance which is indeed one of the best things about Lamhaa and may well go down as one of her best performances to date.

For an actress who is known for her loads of sex-appeal and abundant drop dead beauty (with make-up) it must have taken a load of convincing to get her to agree to actually have her face blackened and be humilated in public.Without doubt that is indeed the Kodak Moment of Lamhaa. I find it hard to even imagine any other main stream actress consenting to do such a hard hitting scene with such absolute conviction.

Lamhaa claims to be the untold story of Kashmir but sadly even after the lights do come on the story remains untold.because Rahul Dholakia does not have any inside story to begin with nor to end with. So the yarn is stretched and that's what makes the film more fiction than fact. But you cannot blame him for that he was making a commercial film for the box-office not a documentary for Films Division. So that much is acceptable except for the fact that when the mainstream audience seem to have given the thums down to Lamhaa what collections can it possibly expect in Jammu & Kashmir where the film is based. Not even a week since it released Lamhaa actually had less than a dozen watching this film in the above mentioned auditorium where people actually enjoyed the movie lying down...So much fo extra leg space!!!

What is however amusing is the disclaimer at the start of the film and then the film actually taking sarcastic dig at Aishwariya Rai Bachchan's expense when her first karwa chauth fast is mentioned as breaking news by the breaking news crazy electronic media.

The best thing about Lamhaa is indeed the photography that presents Kashmir as beauty personified on one hand that quickly turns ugly with all the gory violence that is soothed by the soft and soothing music that is lilting.

By THE LIP

CHHAYANKAN FEATURES less

Lamhaa is a blunt movie in its approach and it is too scattered. Even after two hours of the movie viewers are still confused as to who is favoring the terrorist group in the valley. Cinematography of the film is okay, but lot can be done more as Kashmir is heaven on earth.

The expectations with Dholakia is much more, but he lets viewers down completely in Lamhaa. The insider view of Kashmir is missing in the plot. Sanjay Dutt tried hard to look the character, but he couldnt. Even Bipasha doesnt look her part. less

It is rightfully said that being potent means everything. Having the banal tag lands you nowhere. Ever since our the Partition, there has been the dubious feeling as to whether we have enjoyed our complete Independence. We looked on in vain as India and Pakistan were separated in 1947. We looked on again during the Wars of 65, 71 and 97. And we look on with indignation, yet again, as politics and capitalism eats away the innocence and beauty of Kashmir in 2010.

Lamhaa is the perfect portrayal of a seething state in turmoil ever since time oblivion. It speaks of the echelons, who can pillage and murder for political satisfaction, the middle-class who are desperate for the industrialization of a dilapidated homeland and the poor labors and the hackneyed public who are allured into the nebulous balloon of hortatory speeches on political daises for repleting vote-banks of depraved politicians. On top of all this brouhaha there is the topping of militant extremists who masquerade as our regular neighbors and spread vehemence of holy wars and destruction amongst the public to portray the indelible antagonism in Kashmir for more than half a century.

The movie is a deft research source for a person who wants to understand the condition of Kashmir. But as a movie and the cadence with which it is expected to flow, it flounders to deliver a positive result on how to quash the dilemma of corrupt politics. There is a regular dose of espionage and macho-weapon brawls between the military and the militants, but the upshot turns out to be the monotonous quelling of a dangerous mission and not the actual perilous contagion of corruption which isnt lesser than any cancer. As usual, Sanjay Dutt is the hero of the hour who tries to steal the show with his versatile moves and foxy mind but is unfortunate to not do so. Kunal Kapoor may be the young blood needed in the fight for a revolutionary movement but his blood remains as if a clot on a contusion. His speeches remain as that of a fledgling and an Ajay Devgan or a Manoj Vajpayee could have delivered way better. There is a lot of political khichdi in the film and it becomes difficult for an outsider to understand the sequence of events if he or she isnt well versed with the Kashmir quagmire.

However, it is imperative for the Indian public to know about the present situation of Kashmir. This film may not be the perfect documentary, but it tries to deliver the news in fiction to some extent. A one- time watch could be the best concluding remark but not something to keep on the shelves! Go and have a dose of the film with the following adage in mind: God made Heaven. Man created Hell. This is the story of Kashmir. less

Haji Anupam Kher kils Maulvee 2 create tension in Kashmir, gains spiritual leadrshp n adopts Maulvee's daughtr Bipasha. Special intelligenc officr Sanjay Dutt is postd 2 stop secret mission by terrorists. Kunal Kapoor is young political leadr who wishs 2 win electns n bring peace. Anupam tries 2 kil Bipasha n Kunal in separat instances bt Sanjay savs dem. Sanjay provids proof against Anupam 2 Bipasha who in turn xposes him in media. 2 hr incomplet story wit dilutd msg. Plain narratn in climax n impropr finishin. Castin inappropriate whr dark skind Bipasha dint resemble fair Kashmiri, Sanjay lukd old grandpa, Kunal lukd terrorist in long frizzy hair. Treatmnt 2 story n editin is too confusin. Camera shivers in actn stunts n dull play wit light makes it difficult 2 view. Same old already xplord topic of factory of terrorism in kashmir. Lamhaa not worth a moment even! Jai Shri Krishna! less

The biggest casualty of war is the innocent This statement kind of personifies the intent that the director had to give The Untold Story of Kashmir. But neither does he give us something that was untold but also keeps us waiting for the essence of the message to come through strongly. Yes there is an attempt to get the message across but Rahul Dholakia comes up short. Surprising that this is the same guy who gave us Parzania which was far more hard hitting and true to reality.

Mohd Hussain Rauf (Yashpal Sharma) is an undercover ISI officer in India who works closely with Brigadier Sharma from the Indian Army known to be a corrupt guy but no proof for the same. The key to their success is Samar Singh a power broker.

In an attempt to break their nexus, Col. Kapoor (Vipin Sharma) calls for Vikram Sabharwal (an extremely ragged 50 year old Sanjay Dutt ) an agent from outside i.e. outside of Kashmir returning after 18 yrs. Then current year is shown as 2009 and past is shown as 1989. Then Dear Mr. Dholakia, mathematically it is 20 right? Anyways about 20 years back is when the leader of Azaad Kashmir movement Mir Owais Ansari was shot dead following which almost every male Kashmiri for interrogation. Thousands of such Kashmiri men disappeared sometime in the early 90s. Kashmiri Pandits left kashmir and no one tried to stop them. People had taken to arms. Sabharwal now makes his way back into the valley undercover as Gul Jahangir. No one knows about him and what do you know no one can find out either

People for Kashmiri Freedom is an organization led by Haji Syed Shah (Anupam Kher) who took over the reins after Mir Ansaris death and adopted his only daughter Aziza Ansari (Bipasha Basu). Aziza is romantically involved with Aatif (Kunal Kapoor), one of the key members of PKF but is expelled due to his aversion to arms and wanting to make a difference without involving external militant entities like the Lashkar e Toiba. Aziza also is a key member of the Fatima Squad, a bunch of burkha clad women who like to take action against any societal atrocities.

Aziza starts rubbing the seniors @ PKF the wrong way when she inadvertently uncovers a sex scandal that involves someone senior from the PKF

Things take a slightly nasty turn when a 17th attempt is made on his life. But this time under the watchful eyes of Jahangir who smells a fish and takes to investigating it. Hajis right hand man is Pervez (Yuri Suri) who seems to be like the fish. He poses as Yusuf Khan (now I am going to lose track of who he is Sabharwal, Jahangir or Khan) and recovers a CCTV footage of the blast (wonder how it survived the blast in the first place). His investigations slowly lead him to Anwar who is the guy responsible for the blast and then eventually to the fish (Pervez in case u have lost track of the review by now). But Sabharwals mission has just started. There is more to come and he needs to figure out what the root cause of the problem is.

There are several attempts from the director to try and paint a sentimental picture. He tries to do that through a village cornily called Dardpura which has half widows (who dont know whether their husbands are alive or dead). Through a scene where Sabharwal wakes up to see a kid play with bullet shells instead o marbles. Through a bunch of kids screaming Ai Ai Lashkar Ai - Bharat Teri Maut Ai. But none of these scenes have any amount of intensity in them.

There are a whole host of corny dialogues God made Heaven. Man created Hell. This is the story of Kashmir OR Aakhon mein gussa har kashmiri ko virasat mein milta hai OR Aaj hamari identity I card banke reh gayi hai. Mr. Dholakia I refuse to believe that you made Parzania.

Several editing flaws and consistency flaws and sound editing flaws dot the movie. I have no clue why Sanjay Dutt needs to have a swagger in a movie that is oriented around Kashmir. Completely gets the seriousness out of the movie. Bipasha speaking Urdu well the lesser said about it the better. Kunal Kapoor does not have even a % of intensity that he showed in Rang De Basanti. Performances are insipid all around. Wouldnt highly recommend Lamhaa. Its at best a 4 on 10 for just the effort of putting it together. less