Sep 23, 2011 08:55 AM
4020 Views
'Mausam' is a futile journey through Punjab, Gujarat, Switzerland and Scotland where a lollypop of hope is forever doled out to you ke 'ab kuch kuch hoga' but 'khasmanukhaniyan' nothing really happens. So much footage is wasted for a 'Love' (the 'romance' is seriously missing) that happens in a few day's time (Punjab-Scotland-Gujarat included) over a span of 10 yrs with significant world events flowing under the long long river of endless dialoguebaazi and travelogues. At almost 3 hrs running time, 'Mausam' is a badi si, boring love story that stumps you with its absolute absurdness and lack of entertainment value.
The narrative flows at a laid-back sleepy pace with a disregard for connectivity. In fact it seems, the film must have been way longer than the final product and at the editing stage, several key portions were chopped off. After a point of time, Anupam Kher goes missing. When Aayat (Sonam Kapoor) didn't marry Akram, then why did she go away with him to America? Why the hell did Harry (Shahid Kapoor) have to go on a save-the-kid mission in the climax in a typical seventies-eightees cinema mode when there were other pressing issues like getting out of a riot situation? The love-moments between Aayat-Harry (especially in Scotland) elicited laughter from the audience rather than getting them into a groovy mood. Not a positive sign for the fate of any movie when people laugh at serious situations.
On the positive side, the initial portions in Punjab have some fun moments. Manoj Pahwa as Gulzari brings in light moments. Rajjo's love for Harry and the fooling-around senior sardars bring in some of the worth-carrying-with-yourself-home moments. The much-talked-about IAF sequences are impressive to start with but the actual air strike is tacky. If this is the idea of 'Top Gun' then we are not even remotely close to it. Music is good. 'Rabba' and 'Sajh Dhajke' are picturised well. 'Mallo Malli' sounds good when heard in audio but its placement in the film is no 'Mauja Hi Mauja'.
The problem with 'Mausam' is the confusion in trying to bridge the gap between Art and Commercial. Director Pankaj Kapur tries to build his story on some key incidents in the recent world history like Babri Masjid demolition, Mumbai Bomb Blasts, Kargil War, 9/11 in USA and Gujarat Riots. A novel idea but the manner in which he tries to weave the love story between Harry and Aayat with these incidents as the backdrop, doesn't work at the level of story or execution. The worrying aspect is that 'Mausam' is an expensive film and the needless frequent flying in Europe and the costs involved in managing a big crew in such situations will cost dear to the producers.
Shahid Kapoor as Harry has a role of a lifetime and does justice to it. Almost. He is funny when required, grasps the Punjabi twang effectively and emotes well. But the Air Force Officer part (specially in Scotland) smacks of arrogance. Sonam Kapoor had a dream role but she messes it up. There's an artificiality in her performance that's amateurish. Kareena or Vidya Balan could have taken this role to another level and maybe bring in a semblance of realism (which must have been the aim of the director in the first place).
A good actor necessarily need not be a good director. That's exactly the case with Pankaj Kapur. He must have had a sound idea but the execution is missing. When a love story lacks the soul and heightened romance, it fails to connect, as is the case with Kapur's directorial venture. Binod Pradhan's camerawork is exceptional and is the highpoint of the film. Sreekar Prasad's editing is lackluster. Either he was sleeping while editing or he was made to snooze. Pankaj Kapur's dialogues are sprightly in parts but generally they are verbose or pedantic.
'Mausam' is not the kind of film that you'd want to go out with your loved ones unless you are desperately searching for ways to 'break-free'.
Star Rating: 1 1/2 stars
