Lakshya’s lakshya: Karan or Kargil?. Review on Lakshya

Farhan Akhtar shot to fame with his first film ?Dil Chahta Hai?. It was a film that stood apart with its modern dynamics and striking freshness. Everyone who saw it liked it and Farhan Akhtar became a coveted name to film lovers. Naturally, his next film Lakshya generated a lot of interest.

For me there was more in Lakshya besides it being another Farhan Akhtar flick. The unusual combination of two great actors of the past coming together with two talented actors of today in this film particularly intrigued me. Imagine Om Puri the art film hero of 70s and 80s working with Amitav Bachchan, the commercial superstar of the same era (Did they ever come together in a film before? I doubt.) in a film which has Hritik Roshan as the lead actor and Preity Zinta as the lead actress! Each of them is capable of carrying a film singularly on his or her shoulder. They have done so in the past. Therefore it is natural for the film to generate expectations. I too waited expectantly for the film to release. I devoured the rave reviews written about it after its release. Jitesh Pillai?s comment (TOI) ?There are films. And there is Lakshya? and many other reviews in praise of Lakshya slotted it as one of my ?must see? films.

I saw it, finally. And was sadly disappointed!

Story

Lakshya is the story of a happy-go-lucky boy undecided about his future. He loafs around with friends, spends time with his girlfriend and enjoys a secure life. In the course of the film, we see how the boy transforms into a determined, responsible and mature young man with a definite purpose or Lakshya in life.

Critical analysis

I like Farhan films because his characters and situations seem real. In Lakshya as well, Karan?s (Hritik Roshan) easy going character is well established in the first half of the film. His rich dad provides him finances, his servants provide him comfort and his smooth flowing life demands no responsibility from him whatsoever. His applying for the military service on the spur of the moment goes well with the character and the way it is brought out in the film is most believable. His latent grudge about his father (Boman Irani) is a conceivable reality. Preity?s growing affair with the guy who later turns out to be a typical hypocrite Indian male is credibly scripted. Overall, the first half seems reasonably flawless?.except the episode of Preity rejecting Hritik for backing out of the Indian Military Academy! It seems an unreasonably impulsive act for Romi who has been established as a mature, level headed and practical girl till then. Hritik?s running away from the Academy and returning to it reminds us of ?Officer and a gentleman?!

However, things tend to go awry in the second half. One feels as if the director is unable to handle the three complex subjects like Karan?s life, Kargil war and the honourable role of the military services simultaneously. Moreover, we feel the director is confused about the film lakshya?is it Karan or the Kargil war? So a film that starts with Karan?s life gradually drifts into rocky areas of patriotism, sacrifice and war. The script begins to crumble from this point. The war scenes that follow are jumbled up. There is plenty of fire, sound and action but it does not create the reality we witness in Hollywood movies like Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Pearl Harbour or Saving Private Ryan. Even ?Border? seems better than Lakshya as far as battle scenes are concerned. The Pakistani army lacks credibility too. Don?t they wear uniforms at battlefields or do they attire in casual pathan suits? Again, is it impossible for a war correspondent to move about in Kargil as freely as Romi does, bumping into Karan at hill tops and road sides? It is a pity that compared to Farhan?s true to life portrayals of interpersonal relationships, his fight sequences and war interpretations are so cliché and amateurish. Moreover, instead of being the backdrop, Kargil war inadvertently comes to the forefront thus interfering with the flow of the story. This must be the reason why the audience becomes impatient at this juncture. Their interest is restored at the rock climbing scene and the film gains momentum again. I must say that this sequence is technologically and aesthetically comparable to any Hollywood movie.

Cast

Hritik does a brilliant job in portrayal of a carefree Karan. He looks great, dances with amazing grace and his body language subtly conveys the finer nuances of his initial easy going attitude and later single minded grit.

Preity as Romi does her best to salvage a weakly conceived character. In the beginning we see her as an energetic college union activist who is otherwise calm and composed by nature. She doesn?t mind when her boyfriend leaves without meeting her. She acts as a mature wise girl when a visibly upset Karan comes fuming to her complaining of his dad?s dominating attitude. The scene in which Karan lies on Romi?s lap is also significant because there we glimpse the inherent strength and confidence of Romi?s character. Therefore later when we see her in a series of emotional, headstrong, impulsive acts --breaking off with Karan, taking no effort to contact him in spite of her undying love for him (which is evident from her conversation with her mother), returning the ring within a couple of days of her engagement on the basis of a single argument-- her character loses the depth and credibility it had established earlier.

Karan?s mother is for a change not the stereotype mom.

Lillete Dubey also steps out of the regular filmi mom?s shoes and makes the character come alive.

Boman Irani once again proves his acting skills. As soon as he appears on screen walking on the treadmill, the audience bursts into laughter expecting another repeat performance of his Munnabhai MBBS role. He proves to them that he is capable of acting in a variety of roles with equal conviction.

Shushant Singh, Raj Zutshi, Sharad Kapoor, Prasad Chainani and others?each one has his moment of glory which they enact with perfection.

But what about Om Puri and Amitav Bachchan? Even if AB as Sunil Damle has some limited scope, Om Puri has nothing to do at all. Ditto about Amrish Puri. It is a pity to watch actors of their stature being wasted on screen like this! Wonder why these stalwarts agreed to appear in such insignificant roles!

Music

The film?s music is average. ?Main aisa kyon hoon? and ?Agar main kahoon? are the two songs worth mention but they too stand nowhere near Javed Akhtar?s Lagan or DCH numbers.

Cinematography

Christopher Pop?s cinematography is commendable. The film opens with the striking beauty of the mountains ranges of ladakh. Be it the ruins of Delhi or the peaks of Ladakh, he captures them with artistic precision.

A final query. Why does Preity wear wigs that make her look so ugly??