Haider- Movie Review

Haider- Movie Review

3 Stars out of 5

Visahal Bharadwaj, man who is known for his unique film making. He has given us critically acclaimed movies in recent era. Likes of Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey, 7 Khoon Muaaf and many others were not only praised by who’s who of industry but also well appreciated by the aam janta, making handsome amount on box office. Another thing, which makes Bharadwaj different from others is his great and unmatchable combo with veteran Gulzaar sb. Dialogues, poetry and lyrics used in his films are extremely beautiful. Earlier adapting Macbeth and Othello in grand cinematic ventures, this time he has come up with yet another Shakespearian classic “Hamlet”.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, to me, is undoubtedly one of the best and most praised work of Shakespeare. No doubt, it is baap of tragedies. Scenes in the drama are beautifully written with never read before intensity and sensitivity. All the characters look so classy, yet real that you can get over of it. And when you get to know duo of Bharadvaj and Gulzaar sb is coming up with yet another Shakespearean story to tell, expectations are bound to go well above the sky.

Just, if you have not read Hamlet, it’s about a son’s revenge. Prince Hamlet is asked by the spirit of the assassinated King to take revenge from his mother Gertrude and his uncle Claudius. Bharadvaj has been successful in creating a very relatable script in the backdrop of Kashmir. It is a very intelligent screenplay, pictured with utmost authenticity. Characterization has been the backbone of all of his movies and this time, has once again succeeded in engaging sheer talent for the roles, that can only be enacted by these artists. Tabu in the role of Gertrude, KK Menon in the role of Claudius and Shahid Kapoor as Hamlet is almost a treat. They have done their parts with great class and style. Honestly speaking Shrada could not do the justice with the role of Ophelia. However, gem of the story is Irfan Khan, as the spirit of deceased King. Very authentic, very real, very classy and very artistic.

Some scenes of Hamlet are out of this world, especially when Hamlet visits his mother and King for the first time after the death of his father in the drama and the graveyard scene after the death of Ophelia takes your breath away, while reading. Unfortunately, Bharadvaj was not at all successful in maintaining the feel. Both of the scenes look so ordinary. Graveyard scene could have been made much more authentic. That was a huge disappointment for me.

Bharadvaj has always composed exceptional sound track for his movies. Songs like Tu Mere Rubaroo (Maqbool), O Saathi Re & Naina (Omkara) and Bekaraan (7 Khoon Muaaf) are master pieces. But this time, his sound track has not done wonders. Rather it’s a very average track, with almost nothing to cheer about.

Overall, this film is technically very correct but what it lacks is the real feel of the tragedy. Bharadvaj completes the trilogy (Macbeth, Othello and now Hamlet) but not in his very own unorthodox film making style. May be, I was expecting much more from the dream cast. Omkara is still the best of his works. Best of luck to Bharadvaj for his next ventures.

Operation 021- Movie Review

Operation 021- Movie Review

1.5 Star out of 5

I literally never wanted to review something like Operation 021 but I am compelled to do so. Jami is one of the best video directors of Pakistan, who has credit of many hit videos during the course of time, when our music industry was in full boom. And when he came up with incredible cast including critically acclaimed and commercially super successful actors like Shaan, Ayub Khosa and Amina Sheikh, diversion of attention was bound to happen. Last Eid, we have seen Bilal Lashari’s master piece Waar. Shaan and Shamoon Abbasi at their career best. Trailer of Operation 021 was undoubtedly one of the best that has ever struck to the Pakistani screens. Expectations were undoubtedly sky high. Now lets see, what Operation 021 was all about.

This film has the back drop of current situation of Afghanistan war and its impact on the world. With no intention of disclosing the story, I just want to convey the message that the whole 2 hours 15 min product revolves around a memory chip, which eventually turns out to be almost nothing. I bet you can never find anything like script in the whole film. Looks like Jami was not sure, how to move the step further. A couple of scenes were aala, just because of Shaan. Obviously, he has always been successful in showing his screen presence. Shamoon and Amina Sheikh were wasted big times. Ayub Khosa has been brilliant in his role. Very authentic. And that’s it.

It’s a mixture of multiple languages, English, Persian and Urdu. There is no story to tell and Jami is obviously not Imtiaz Ali, who can convert simple small stories in an amazingly different cinematic experience. Well you cannot make movies only by depicting bird’s eye view and stylish angled shots. Almost all the chase and action sequences are pathetically shot. You can easily track some real blunders in the screen play. Cinematography and DOP was also not up to the mark. Some scenes were so dark (and dark for the sake of nothing) that it was almost impossible to know, who is there on the screen.

On the whole, Jami has not at all been successful in presenting something worth watching. Simple advice, If you ever want to make a movie, make sure that you at least have some script to go with. Sympathies to those, who have wasted their hard earned money for this operation.