Movie Review - Aamir !! - Page 2

love Rajeev and can't wait to see this movie... I had doubts abt this type of movies, but after reading the review and that "He knows his job thoroughly"-- I already knew it though..lol -- can't wait to watch his bedut.

Movie Review: Aamir

Edge of the seat thriller

Grit, grime, great guerilla stuff!

Back to Section Stories Posted On Saturday, June 07, 2008

type=text/javascript> addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; addthis_pub = 'saatchigallery'; src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/addthis_widget.php?v=12" type=text/javascript> Mayank Shekhar A still from Aamir AAMIR DIRECTOR: Raj Kumar Gupta ACTORS: Rajeev Khandelwal RANKING: * * * Gupta, the evidently gifted debutant director, says in an interview to Time Out's Leo Mirani that his film has nothing to do with Cavite. It's apparently a mere coincidence that the premise, plot and the genre of the two are entirely similar. I find it odd then that the director says he's credited in the first frame a film he hasn't seen! Few outside Philippines and some film festivals may have heard of the said Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon's indie-flick (2005). In Mumbai, the first DVD-rental I checked (Shemaroo on Napeansea Road) didn't have a copy; the second (Movie Time in Bandra) did. At least we must credit the makers of this film for digging out an inaccessible source before setting out to brilliantly indigenise the subject. Aamir (Khandelwal), a young doctor in the UK, lands in Mumbai. He wonders at the beginning if destiny is handwritten. He is harassed at the airport-entry by a customs official. His name has something to do with it. Was it Amar, as he rightly says, the treatment would've been different. On this city's streets though, whether you're Amar or Aamir on the backseat, the cabbies never know the direction to any place. He gets off one and hails another to Dongri. The protagonist is in urgent hurry. A voice from a cellphone handed to him at the airport has been guiding him from the start. He is directed to several other innards of South Bombay, best known for the city's Muslim ghettos. Aamir's family has essentially been abducted. The voice on the phone is the captor's: a crack-head of an Islamic terror-group. The lead character need obey all instructions, for fear of losing his loved ones. Clearly the motive of the abductors is a lot beyond money. We follow the suited doc then across the gutters and garbage of Mohammed Ali Road, Nagpada, Bhendi Bazaar etc. These are portions of the affluent Island City that we've chosen to build over a JJ flyover, and keep our eyes away; conditions that needn't then affect our dead consciences daily. It's strangely cathartic to watch it bare on the big-screen, and closely observe for ourselves where we live. The abductor sends Aamir off on a gutter-trail firstly so he can learn the state of the 'qom' (or community) he's left behind for a life of a deracinated, urban, middle and upper-class individualist. The hero is rational enough to know terrorism is no solution still. He has a heinous task at hand, and a choice to make at the end of the film (which you may, or may not agree with). The grit, grime, gore that comes with guerilla filmmaking of this sort is immediately captivating. For once a film has been put together in the heat of real locations than the unnecessary technical wizardry of a cold edit suite. The intended pace of such a thriller is usually easy to go overboard on. This one doesn't. Here, the director need share applause with his leading man. I don't watch soaps. I'd only heard of Khandelwal from excited colleagues who'd plaster his face on top of TV pages, for a character called Sujal on Kahiin To Hoga (if I've spelt it right). It was a pleasant surprise to watch this rare actor as sincere in his performance as the film is carefully restrained in its narrative. I had to immediately rush after to watch Cavite as well. This is the best compliment to pay an exceptionally crackling (intended or unintended) adaptation. You should consider catching this one for sure.

Masand's Verdict: Aamir, a tight thriller

Rajeev Masand / CNN-IBN

Cant wait to watch this movie, but the rains shd stop first😭

Rajeev Khandelwal in Aamir

Not the Khan, the film. Gentlemen, hats off. Ladies, handbags down. On your feet, people, prepare for the ovation. Here's why:

1. Because it's the best directorial debut in ages [the film is directed by debutant Raj Kumar Gupta, who assisted Anurag Kashyap in No Smoking], and quite likely the film of the year. There's more than half of 2008 to follow but it'll take something both special and spectacular to top this awesome little film, and I honestly don't see that happening.

2. Because it explores the Mumbai underbelly with such grit that we can virtually smell the sweat and the biryani, hell, we can feel the blood splash on us as protagonist Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal) walks helplessly through a little galli and the rhythmic song he hears is punctuated with sounds of the meat cleaver, chopping up brain and bottom with guillotine precision.

3. Because it feels like it could happen to you. This is essentially a thriller about a doctor flying in from London [Images] only to find that his family is missing. Not just are they not waiting excitedly at the airport, but the phone at home is ringing answerlessly. Before Aamir can think about what to do, a cellphone is hurled at him, his luggage is scooped off, and he's suddenly following bizarre orders while still sweltering in his Mumbai-unfriendly suit and tie.

4. Because Alphonse Roy's cinematography deserves a 10 on 10. No kidding. This film perfectly marries the concept of a frantic handheld camera with tight, meticulously mounted extreme close ups, the combination giving it balance. When Aamir runs through an overpeopled haze in a fascinating chase sequence, the camera jostles wildly, as if it's also galloping, breathless and confused, just to keep up. Yet the handheld is never indulged to headache extents, while the tight close shots are steady and assured. Very nice.

5. Because the music by Amit Trivedi is gobsmackingly brilliant. It's been so long since we've had an effective theme tune for a Hindi film, and this one features a hauntingly simple violin solo that squirts in -- with eclectic and varied measure, playing rollercoaster havoc with tempo and rhythm -- just when it should. Awesome. The soundtrack is flawless, jazz tossed in atypical to the whore-and-heat surroundings, and Khusro just when you don't expect it. Buy the CD now.

6. Because the acting is spot-on. Rajeev Khandelwal has an incredibly compelling screen presence, and is consistently so natural that the fourth wall breaks on its own, and your identification with the character is complete. Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Gajraj Rao, shot almost completely in the dark, achieves such in-control fundamentalist menace that he makes you shudder, even when stroking an infant's cheeks. The supporting cast all look blessedly unfamiliar and have character dripping from them, especially the hotheaded cabbie.

7. Because director Raj Kumar Gupta has achieved this fantastic nugget of festival-worthy cinema with a really low budget, and while scoffing critics may point to the Filipino film Cavite for inspiration -- a tall order in itself, this is a wholly original Bombay film -- he has shown Aamir to the makers and gotten a no-objection certificate for the same. End the originality/plagiarism debate now; this is our own pikchur, and one we should be proud of.

8. Because while I'm itching to take the film apart and dissect bits of it and discuss the subtext, I just can't do that. It's too good to be spoilt, and the best thing for you going in watching this film for the first time is to watch it totally fresh. I will write at length on Aamir a while later, when all of you have seen it, but for now all I can really say about the film is that while it is a thriller, it is also an extremely internal film about character and conflict, while at the same time being a vividly real external experience, giving you a whiff of Mumbai, minus the cliches. There are bits I have issues with -- a dream bit feels like a cheat -- but I can't nitpick much without going into detail. This film rocks, bas.

9. Because it is a first film for the director, the music director, the cinematographer, and the leading man, and that mammoth fact reinstates faith in cinema itself.

10. Because I can't think of a reason not to applaud it, and if you can, tell me now, because I'm watching it in theatres again this weekend.

Rediff Review:

http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/jun/05aamir.htm

Luv,

Shagun

Review: Aamir does an SRK for Rajeev!
Spicezee Bureau

New Delhi, June 06: What happens when you have a TV actor making his big screen debut in India? Ninety nine percent of the times the debut turns out to be a dampener lest it's a Shahrukh Khan making his debut! But then there are times when you hit a bulls eye in life and that makes you seem as if you have changed things all around you for the best. The same has happened with Rajeev Khandelwal aka 'Sujal Garewal' who makes his debut with UTV's 'Aamir'.

'Aamir' doesn't have the star power, no beautiful lasses, no naach-gaana, no frills and frolic. It is just a one man army calling the shots here and this one man is- Rajeev Khandelwal, who in all possibilities will be known as Rajeev 'Aamir' Khandelwal after this debut of his.

The movie 'Aamir' sees Rajeev putting an impeccably sincere effort to play Dr Aamir Ali, a commoner. It tells the story of an average middle class Indian Muslim man who has dreams for himself and his family, a guy who doesn't bother about the communal or political issues. But life changes for him when he returns home after studying abroad and how a phone call throws him into the throes of a conspiracy.

The story progresses to show how he finds his way out of this catch and how towards the end, Aamir lands himself in a perplexing situation where he is left with one option – whether to accept his destiny or to write one of his own.

The saga can be called an attempt to explore the consciousness of a modern 'foreign-returned' Indian as he comes face to face with the never seen before nightmares that of crime, radicalism and what not.

The movie takes you in its grips, taking you through an uncanny journey through Mumbai as seen through the eyes of the protagonist 'Aamir'.

It's fresh, hard, well abbreviated and miles away from the regular commercial potboilers that Bollywood is famous for. Alas we have a fairly unknown but fine director in the form of Raj Kumar Gupta who is successful in leaving a mark with absolutely nothing at hand but a bunch of newcomers.

Aamir as a flick proves the fact that with a superior storyline and screenplay there can be a decent BO winner in Bollywood too. Talking about Rajeev, one can say that we have a victor here, who's in your face and extremely likeable perhaps because he is one amongst us and no macho man with star like qualities. Whats more, he is determined to make it big. He wins straight with his uncomplicated performance. Period.

With no parallels drawn from SRK, we can still hope that this lad will go a long way too.

To sum it all, 'Aamir' is a film, which provides you with food for thought without burdening with sermons on the quality of existence. Whether Sarkar Raj's loss(?) will be Aamir's gain, remains to be seen.

Source: Zeenews.com

Aamir

Saturday 6th June 2008 17.00 IST

Rony D'Costa


Just like the rains bringing in some relief from the blistering heat of summer, Aamir wipes out the drought that Hindi cinema has been suffering for the past 5 months. Lovers of good cinema rejoice. The script is the backbone of any film & this film will reinforce your belief in good scripts. It is rumored to be inspired by a Phillipino film Cavite. I haven't seen it so that saves me from comparing the two. Even Bheja Fry was a remake of The Dinner Game. So what, as long as the film is good, from where & how you one derives inspiration does not matter.

Aamir is a well written film. It takes you into the middle of the story right from the beginning. As soon as Peggy Lane starts singing "It's a beautiful day" you know it's going to be quite the opposite, you also know that this film will be "different". Syd field says in his book on Script Writing that an audience decides in the first 10 mins of the film whether they like the film or not. You will like Aamir 5 mins into the film. It's a difficult film to write because the film is set on the streets. Bombay is an important character in the film. Locations are the supporting actors. All credit to writer Rajkumar Gupta for having written a film like this. But, if he really was inspired by Cavite why didn't he acknowledge it. What I didn't like about the script is that it does not explain why Rajeev was chosen to do what could have been done by anybody from the terrorist group? This is an important link which the script misses out on.

Rajkumar delivers a slap on many debutant film makers. This is the kind of debut the audience is expecting. Solid, confident, passionate. He is ably supported by the lead actor Rajeev Khadelwal. Aamir literally means Leader & Rajeev leads the film as an actor. The most powerful debut by an actor in a long long time. He makes you go through the emotional graph of the character from the beginning till the end. The supporting characters are so perfectly cast & enacted that they bring respect to the credit called "supporting cast".

Music director Amit Trivedi has composed a soundtrack aimed straight at your soul. The theme track resembles the track from Requiem for a Dream though. Amitabh Varma comes up with some fantastic lyrics after Life...In a Metro. The background score by Amit Trivedi is a lesson for the likes of Salim-Suleiman & Amar Mohile. Editing by Aarti Bajaj is seamless. Her style reminds me of Renu Saluja, who according to me was one of the most fantastic editors in the industry. The real star of the film though is ALPHONSE ROY. Without his cinematography the film wouldn't be what it is. He adds soul to the film. If the film gets gets nominated for awards, the categories should be Best actor, best director, best cinematography, best editing, best script, best music, and best lyrics. When the nomination list is announced next year if you find these 7 nominations missing, you can stop believing in awards. (This reviewer certainly stole the words from my mouth)

Final Few Words: Put this film on your must watch list. It's by far the best film of the year 2008. Watch it. If you like it, recommend it your friends, family & enemies. And please don't watch it on pirated dvd's or vcd's. Independent cinema needs your money to make more Aamir's.

*** (Very Good)

P.S: star less for that vital missing link in the script

Source: boxofficeindia.com

one of the best debut of an actor and a director.

AAMIR
BOLD AND MEANINGFUL
by Vishal Verma

Rating:

What is it?
And the debate continues……… after the powerful 'Khuda Ke Liye', thought provoking 'Hope and a Little Sugar', the zest of new age helmer's to convince and convey is on. This time it is first time helmer Rajkumar Gupta, who takes the viewer to a soul stirring search of identities and the problems faced by the modern, educated and liberal Muslims in today's times who are disliked by the fundamentalists in their own community because of their modern thinking and their western attire and at the same time they are viewed suspiciously by the western world too because of their Muslim names.

The 9/11 incident has inspired many film helmers and this is one is also falls in the same league though with a difference.

First of all it doesn't preaches and characters don't start giving speeches like netas and a thank u to the director for that.

It simply conveys in a thrilling, never a dull moment, high –wire act were the protagonist is always on the move courtesy (Nokia & Joel Schumacher Phone Booth (only to a minimum extend). The dilemma & powerlessness of a London returned doc Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal- impressive debut) is a high –wire sustaining conceit of a feature, which offers an oblique critique of the contemporary political scenario of the world politics.

First of all it needed balls to even think of making such a flick & utter a brilliant attack against a clergy that encourages hypocrisy, cruelty, inflexibility, ignorance and medievalism. & tell the world that irrational cynicism against the religion is self-defeating.

This movie is an eye-opener for those misguided youths who feel blood, bullets and explosions will serve their cause.

What is it all about?
Aamir has returned to his motherland after the London up market blast, and after being checked thrice for being a minority, he falls prey to a group of fanatics who had kidnapped the docs family and wants him to plant a bomb in a bus in the name of 'jihad'.

He leaves the airport and a guy throws a cell phone at him. The bell rings and trouble speaks from the other side (face not shown properly but done well by the anonymous kumar – anyway there are many in this flick which is been shot on the streets of Mumbai.)

The doctor follows the directions of the caller and in between we get some fodder for thoughts regarding the faith and believe of hardliners and liberals.

He follows each and every order of the caller but except the last one and emerges as the true leader & a fighter. The asli hero.

What to look out for?
A never a dull moment, engrossing, high –wire act with acts as an eye-opener in the end by Rajkumar Gupta.

Watch it for its two symbolic scenes which make an impact.

Number one when the fanatic talks to the liberal doc on the phone while playing with a toddler, making him smile, angry & sad.

And another when the fanatic plays with a toy monkey while talking to the liberal doctor.

Rajeev Khandelwal makes an impressive debut.

What not?
Sadly, some of the questions remained unanswered like why the London returned doc was chosen to plant a bomb in a bus. This could have been done easily by any decently clad guy. And excuse me, why this on earth this red colored bag which can be easily distinguished in any public place.

Recommended: Highly

http://indianmotionpictures.com/boxofficereview/aamir.html