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Posted: 18 years ago
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Please Post all Awaarapan reviews here.

By Taran Adarsh, June 29, 2007 - 12:41 IST

Choosing an interesting story is difficult. But doing justice to the story is nothing short of an achievement. AWARAPAN, directed by Mohit Suri, gets it right on both the levels -- on paper first, on celluloid later.

For Hindi moviegoers, the story may remind you of Rakesh Roshan's KOYLA [SRK, Madhuri, Amrish Puri], but in actuality, AWARAPAN borrows from director Kim Ji-woon's Korean film A BITTERSWEET LIFE [2005; Korean title: DALKOMHAN INSAENG; starring Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Young-Cheol, Shin Mina]. Nothing wrong with being inspired, since every director has his way of interpreting a story. Also, Mohit adapts the content to suit Indian sensibilities.

AWARAPAN is as raw as a gash inflicted by a rod. A number of Hindi films have plunged into the underbelly of the underworld/mafia in the past, so how different is AWARAPAN from films of its ilk? AWARAPAN packs in all this and something extra in those 2 hours -- a love story and spirituality.

Write your own movie review of Awarapan
More than anything else, AWARAPAN marks the coming of age of one of the most under-rated actors on this side of the Atlantic -- Emraan Hashmi. Shunning and discarding his by-now-famous casanova image, Emraan enacts a role that every actor craves for in his heart since the opportunities are limited in the masala set-up. And the youngster interprets it with aplomb.

To sum up, AWARAPAN has style and substance, both. The film packs a solid punch in those 12 reels.

AWARAPAN is the story of man called Shivam [Emraan Hashmi], who searches for joy but finds pain and loneliness. It is the journey of a heartbroken lover who, in order to escape from the ghosts of his tragic past, dedicates himself to serve his gangster boss Malik [Ashutosh Rana], who runs a chain of hotels in Hong Kong.

One day, Malik asks Shivam to do an unusual job for him. He asks him to keep an eye on his young mistress Reema [Mrinalini Sharma] while he is away on a brief business trip. Reema is a young Pakistani girl who is a victim of human trafficking. Malik had 'bought' her in the flesh market in Bangkok.

The brief is clear: If Reema is found cheating behind Malik's back, Shivam has to eliminate her. From the moment Shivam sets his eyes on Reema, his frozen past begins to raise its head. He is reminded of his lost love [Shriya Saran] and how he had failed to save it from a catastrophe.

And then one night Shivam is shocked to discover that the innocent looking Reema has a secret boyfriend [Rehaan Khan], whom she has tucked away and is planning to run away with. Does Shivam remain loyal to Malik and execute his orders or does he take on his wrath by daring to go against him?

Frankly, you need to have a strong stomach to absorb a film like AWARAPAN. The film is dark, serious and violent. The romance, therefore, is minimal, but whenever injected in the plotline acts as a coolant.

Director Mohit Suri continues to grow as a storyteller. Note the sequence when Shriya's father catches Shriya and Emraan red-handed and the confrontation that ensues, leaving Emraan's life devastated. Note another sequence: Emraan walking up to Ashutosh Rana and after a verbal duel, fires at him from point-blank range. There're more sequences that only illustrate the fact that Mohit is amongst the finest storytellers today.

But, on the flip side, the excessive violence can be off-putting for a section of viewers. Emraan being buried alive or the constant gunshots and gore can compel you to take your eyes off the screen. This film is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Pritam's musical score is refreshing. The tunes are fresh and so are the voices. Cinematography [Raaj Chakravarti] is good, although a few sequences could've been better lit in some scenes. The background score [Raju Singh] is excellent. Dialogues are a highpoint. The dialogue between Ashutosh Rana and Mrinalini, drawing parallels with a sick puppy, is superb.

As mentioned at the outset, Emraan delivers a magnificent performance. When the year draws to a close and the 'Best Actor' nominations are being formalized, including this performance would only be appreciating and acknowledging qualitative work.

Ashutosh Rana is splendid and all you want to ask the actor is, aap kahan thhe itne mahine? Shriya Saran has a small role, but she sparkles every time she appears on screen. Mrinalini is a talent to watch out for. She's outstanding!

Purab Kohli is superb as the eccentric nephew of Ashutosh Rana. Ashish Vidyarthi is wasted. Salil Acharya is a welcome addition to the list of talented actors. Shaad [introduced in WOH LAMHE] is very good. Rehaan Khan [introduced in JAANA] is hardly there. Atul Parchure is nice.

On the whole, AWARAPAN is a well-made product that should appeal to its target audience -- the youth, especially those who appreciate genuinely hatke themes. At the box-office, the film will be affected due to multiple releases in a week. Releasing the film in an open week, without oppositions, would've only helped. However, AWARAPAN should grow with a strong word of mouth.


http://indiafm.com/movies/review/13389/index.html

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Posted: 18 years ago
#2
Awarapan Review

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Shreya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma, Rehan Khan
Director: Mohit Suri
Producer: Mahesh Bhatt/Mukesh Bhatt
Genre: Drama/Action
Rating: **


I have never been an Emraan Hashmi fan but have to say this, after watching Awaarapan, I would be a fool not to praise the actor for giving such a power-packed performance in a film which doesn't really have the potential to appeal to the masses, all thanks to a bland story line coupled with mediocre dialogues. In spite of the multiple drawbacks in the film, Hashmi holds on to his own and delivers the finest performance of his career.

The Bhatt camp is known for providing us with unique cinema and that's what they do here as well, but unfortunately director Mohit's idea of expanding an incident in the life of a man into an entire two hour film falls flat.

Shivam (Emraan) is an atheist henchman of Mallik (Ashutosh Rana), a rich hotelier cum businessman involved in flesh trade and many such illegitimate activities in Hong Kong. Shivam follows Mallik's orders blindly. He kills people if necessary, runs Mallik's hotel, keeps an eye on his mistress and in no time becomes his confidante. But this strong bond between the two develops crack when Shivam is assigned the job of killing Mallik's Pakistani mistress (Mrinalini Sharma, extremely ordinary). The entire film then shows what is it that makes it impossible for a cold blooded shooter like Shivam to accomplish his gangster boss' 'kill my mistress' request...


The first half of the film drags enormously and by the time the film picks up in the second half, you are already bored. The film is extremely serious and tries to show the dilemma of a sensitive heartbroken aashiq (Emraan) and thus if you are going through 'without my lover' phase too, do carry a hanky along, as there is loads to sob about. Also if you are an avid watcher of 'escapist and feel good films' or 'entertaining' films, this film is not for you, so just stay away.

In fact the film won't work for anyone except for those Emraan Hashmi fans, who often pray to see him act without performing his trademark 'smooches'! Awaarapan's only USP is the fact that in the history of Indian cinema, you'll see an Emraan Hashmi keeping his heroines at an arms length!

Shreya Saran (acts well), promoted by the film unit as the lead heroine, surprisingly does a cameo; while Mrinalini walks away with a meatier role, which she doesn't do justice to at all.

Music is just alright, except for the track 'Ab Aa O Naa' which is simply superb.

Awaarapan, a tale of a heartbroken bloke and his excessive love for a woman will fail to satisfy even the hardcore lovers of mushy romance, leave alone the aam junta... We tackle a huge amount of depression on a daily basis anyways; don't need Shivam's extra emotional baggage to add to it!

http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2155759.cms
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Posted: 18 years ago
#3
IndiaFM
By Taran Adarsh, June 29, 2007 - 12:41 IST

Choosing an interesting story is difficult. But doing justice to the story is nothing short of an achievement. AWARAPAN, directed by Mohit Suri, gets it right on both the levels -- on paper first, on celluloid later.

For Hindi moviegoers, the story may remind you of Rakesh Roshan's KOYLA [SRK, Madhuri, Amrish Puri], but in actuality, AWARAPAN borrows from director Kim Ji-woon's Korean film A BITTERSWEET LIFE [2005; Korean title: DALKOMHAN INSAENG; starring Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Young-Cheol, Shin Mina]. Nothing wrong with being inspired, since every director has his way of interpreting a story. Also, Mohit adapts the content to suit Indian sensibilities.

AWARAPAN is as raw as a gash inflicted by a rod. A number of Hindi films have plunged into the underbelly of the underworld/mafia in the past, so how different is AWARAPAN from films of its ilk? AWARAPAN packs in all this and something extra in those 2 hours -- a love story and spirituality.

Write your own movie review of Awarapan
More than anything else, AWARAPAN marks the coming of age of one of the most under-rated actors on this side of the Atlantic -- Emraan Hashmi. Shunning and discarding his by-now-famous casanova image, Emraan enacts a role that every actor craves for in his heart since the opportunities are limited in the masala set-up. And the youngster interprets it with aplomb.

To sum up, AWARAPAN has style and substance, both. The film packs a solid punch in those 12 reels.

AWARAPAN is the story of man called Shivam [Emraan Hashmi], who searches for joy but finds pain and loneliness. It is the journey of a heartbroken lover who, in order to escape from the ghosts of his tragic past, dedicates himself to serve his gangster boss Malik [Ashutosh Rana], who runs a chain of hotels in Hong Kong.

One day, Malik asks Shivam to do an unusual job for him. He asks him to keep an eye on his young mistress Reema [Mrinalini Sharma] while he is away on a brief business trip. Reema is a young Pakistani girl who is a victim of human trafficking. Malik had 'bought' her in the flesh market in Bangkok.

The brief is clear: If Reema is found cheating behind Malik's back, Shivam has to eliminate her. From the moment Shivam sets his eyes on Reema, his frozen past begins to raise its head. He is reminded of his lost love [Shriya Saran] and how he had failed to save it from a catastrophe.

And then one night Shivam is shocked to discover that the innocent looking Reema has a secret boyfriend [Rehaan Khan], whom she has tucked away and is planning to run away with. Does Shivam remain loyal to Malik and execute his orders or does he take on his wrath by daring to go against him?

Frankly, you need to have a strong stomach to absorb a film like AWARAPAN. The film is dark, serious and violent. The romance, therefore, is minimal, but whenever injected in the plotline acts as a coolant.

Director Mohit Suri continues to grow as a storyteller. Note the sequence when Shriya's father catches Shriya and Emraan red-handed and the confrontation that ensues, leaving Emraan's life devastated. Note another sequence: Emraan walking up to Ashutosh Rana and after a verbal duel, fires at him from point-blank range. There're more sequences that only illustrate the fact that Mohit is amongst the finest storytellers today.

But, on the flip side, the excessive violence can be off-putting for a section of viewers. Emraan being buried alive or the constant gunshots and gore can compel you to take your eyes off the screen. This film is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Pritam's musical score is refreshing. The tunes are fresh and so are the voices. Cinematography [Raaj Chakravarti] is good, although a few sequences could've been better lit in some scenes. The background score [Raju Singh] is excellent. Dialogues are a highpoint. The dialogue between Ashutosh Rana and Mrinalini, drawing parallels with a sick puppy, is superb.

As mentioned at the outset, Emraan delivers a magnificent performance. When the year draws to a close and the 'Best Actor' nominations are being formalized, including this performance would only be appreciating and acknowledging qualitative work.

Ashutosh Rana is splendid and all you want to ask the actor is, aap kahan thhe itne mahine? Shriya Saran has a small role, but she sparkles every time she appears on screen. Mrinalini is a talent to watch out for. She's outstanding!

Purab Kohli is superb as the eccentric nephew of Ashutosh Rana. Ashish Vidyarthi is wasted. Salil Acharya is a welcome addition to the list of talented actors. Shaad [introduced in WOH LAMHE] is very good. Rehaan Khan [introduced in JAANA] is hardly there. Atul Parchure is nice.

On the whole, AWARAPAN is a well-made product that should appeal to its target audience -- the youth, especially those who appreciate genuinely hatke themes. At the box-office, the film will be affected due to multiple releases in a week. Releasing the film in an open week, without oppositions, would've only helped. However, AWARAPAN should grow with a strong word of mouth.

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Posted: 18 years ago
#4
oh i so wanna see this movie 😊
lucky_lakshmi thumbnail
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Posted: 18 years ago
#5
I dun believe Taran Adarsh...But I feel Awarapan will be a good movie.. 😃
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Posted: 18 years ago
#6
i strongly believe awarapan will be a gr8 film 😳 😳
planning to watch it tomorrow........ cant wait 😃
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Posted: 18 years ago
#7
Movie Review: Awarapan

Awarapan: Hatke hai


indya.com rating: 3 out of 5 *

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Mrinalini Sharma, Shreya Saran and Ashutosh Rana

Director: Mohit Suri

Synopsis: The film tells the story of an atheist's journey towards belief in the almighty. Living in Hong Kong, Shivam (Hashmi) is the most trusted man of ganglord Malik (Rana). While leaving for a 2-week trip to London, Rana entrusts him the duty of keeping an eye on his 'special girl' Reema (Mrinalini), a Pakistani, suspecting disloyalty. Shivam discovers that she is having an affair on the sly. When he reveals it to Malik, he is ordered to bump her off. But when he is about to do that something which has been burning inside him for long stops him. What follows next is what the rest of the film all about.


Acting: Emraan triumphs in a difficult role. Mrinalini despite lot of rona dhona attached to her role never goes overboard and perfectly brings out her character's anguish. Shreya is charming in her small part. Ashutosh Rana is excellent. Purab Kohli overacts.

indya.com rating: 3 out of 5

Direction: Mohit Suri's direction is stylised and exhibits his growth. He handles the high tension sequences (which are plenty) very well. He succeeds in extracting very good performances from his principal cast.

indya.com rating: 3 out of 5

Script: Loosely based on the Korean film, A Bitter Sweet Life (2005), the film's basic theme is genuinely hatke but Mahesh Bhatt muddles it a bit by adding his regular underworld elements seen in his crime thrillers. Having said that, the spirituality angle was never explored with such a great impact before in any Bollywood film.


indya.com rating: 3 out of 5

Music: Pritam's numbers though not particularly of the chartbuster variety appear better on screen as they are more situational. Tera Mera Rishta and To Phir Aao are simply fantastic.

indya.com rating: 3.5 out of 5


Fashion_2005 thumbnail
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Posted: 18 years ago
#8
i also don't beleive Tarun's reviews 😆 but awaarapan looks very interesting 😃
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Posted: 18 years ago
#9
im becoming more eager to watch the film now 😃
mandy0310 thumbnail
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Posted: 18 years ago
#10
I can't wait to watch this movie! I love the songs and the film looks really good!

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