The team behind Aamir must be really feeling on top of the world. Their effort has been subjected to overwhelming praise from critics, who don't spare even the mighty Khan, the flaunty Bhatts, or the sugary Chopras. How did they fall head over heels in love with this flick? Kaisa jaadu daala re?
Was it the low key, almost hypeless marketing and release of the film that set almost no expectations among both experts and audience? That could be the reason, because unless you go around trumpeting about the film, people don't really care to probe and find what the it is all about. When they uncover the plot in the cinema hall, the intensity and impact is simply unimaginable.
Was it the fact that the film exposed the underbelly of the financial capital of India? Mumbai never looked so intimidating or filthy in any movie ever, and while it may be grose for some, others might find it quite interesting and even involving, because it presents a Mumbai that many of us wouldn't ever visit in our lives! I felt quite ashamed and sad looking at the 'forgotten' part of Mumbai, where people still live in horrendously bad conditions.
What exactly made the film click? Sometimes I feel that the success of the film doesn't really depend on the film itself. Its a complex combination of internal factors like the quality of the film, its actors, director, etc, and innumerable external factors, like season, competition from other Hindi and English films, week of the month, target audience profile, audience mood, expectations from film and many others.
Which brings me to the point, “What do I think about Aamir?” Lets begin with a few myths surrounding this film.
Myth #1** : Aamir is the best debut by any director in past few years
Reality #1: Far from it. If one speaks about debuts, how about looking at gems like Shool (E.Niwas), Black Friday (Anurag Kashyap), Dil Chahta Hai (Farhan Akhtar), and Ab Tak 56 (Shimit Amin)?? Aamir doesn’t outshine these cult classics, which created an impact that resonates in the minds of the audience for a lifetime.
Moreover, the way in which the story has been presented is a little amateurish. If the intention was to make it look and feel real, the director messes it up by showing that Aamir is being watched wherever he goes and whatever he does, which is not just difficult, but humanly impossible.
Myth #2: The plot is brilliant and innovative
Reality #2: Again, nothing could be further than the truth! Let me reveal the suspense now, which lot of you may not even know about. Aamir is inspired by not 1, but 5 different films.
Film #1 - Most of you must be knowing that Aamir is copied from Cavite, a Filipino film. But there are more possibilities, if you notice closely!! Here's the breaking news people!!
Film #2 - Nick of Time, starring none other than Johnny Depp. Just check out the scenes where Aamir stands near cops and somebody comes in a bike and warns him not to think about it....ekdum carbon copy!
Film #3 - The Game. Cavite sure is a clever copy. They copied the premise from Nick of Time, and the twists from this one! Just like Michael Douglas is made to run around the world, Aamir runs around various dungeons in Mumbai based on instruction of the terrorist leader.
Film #4 - Arlington Road. This is a brilliant film that not many have heard of. The fight with local goons and the climax borrows heavily from this one, where Aamir grabs the bag, gets into and out of the bus, and realizes the folly. The only difference is the fact that Aamir saves people, while Jeff Bridges ends up blowing up the CIA headquarters. Watch it for a thrilling viewing experience.
Film #5 - Rajkumar Gupta pays tribute to his mentor Anurag Kashyap through this film. The film's look bears a striking resemblance to Anurag's masterpieces "Black Friday" and "No Smoking", which also look at the unclean side of Mumbai, and feature chase sequences through the exact same slums.
Most importantly, the plot seems quite implausible and foolish. Why on earth would the leader of a terrorist organization want to use normal Muslims as guinea pigs for his plans by subjecting them to such a rigorous induction program, which makes them run around alleys, get punched and bruised, and even vomit?!
Myth #3: The editing, dialogues and performances are great
Reality #3: Let’s take them one-by-one.
Editing (Aarti Bajaj) - Some of the experts accepted in their reviews that the editing was loose, yet also wrote that it was brilliant. How contradictory can one get?! To be fair, the editing is loose and one wonders why many of the scenes just linger on and on. Inspite of being just over 90 minutes long, the film feels like it could do with 10-15 minutes of trimming, and that itself says volumes about the editing. If it was done deliberately based on the director’s insistence, one really can’t blame her.
Performances – Rajeev Khandelwal has become the darling of classes and critics alike after this film. After watching, you can’t but wonder what was so spectacular about his performance. Yes, he looks vulnerable, and you do feel for him, considering his plight. But his voice modulation is poor, and his face remains wooden at most times. To aggravate the problem, the camera mostly focuses squarely on his face! Gajraj Rao is quite amazing in comparison, with menacing looks and a thundering voice.
Dialogues – One of the weakest links of Aamir, the dialogues have neither the punch nor the depth that was so necessary in such a film. On most occasions, they are corny and only induce a yawn. Sample this: Aamir constantly pleads over phone with the terrorist leader, saying “Mujhe ghar jaana hai. Tumko kya chahiye?”
Myth#4: Amit Trivedi’s background score is awesome
Reality#4: Amit Trivedi does an excellent job for a first timer. The background music does heighten the suspense and thrill factor, but when the scenes themselves are dragging, it can do precious little to elevate them to a different level. Also, there are way too many songs which appear as part of the BGM. The first one was definitely the best. To know how BGM can really transform a film, watch Ab Tak 56.
Reality#5: The cinematography, sound design, art direction and location planning are top-notch. Alphonse Roy does deserve all the credit for the “stark and real” look of the film, although it does remind us of Black Friday.
Having critically analyzed the film in every respect let me now come to the conclusion. Is it worth spending moolah, which has become very precious after inflation started roaring? The answer is a big YES. Not because Aamir is such a great film that it is being made out to be, but because everything around it is so mediocre and hopelessly bad, that this one starts shining like diamond in the coal!!
