Lamhaa - The review

Rahul Dholakia's debut film, Parzania was straight from the heart. It was soulful, raw, moving and hard-hitting. Naturally, expectations were high from Lamhaa which disappoints.

Sanjay Dutt plays Vikram aka Gul Jehangir, a spy who has to unravel details about a terrorist mission in Kashmir. Anupam Kher is a religious and political leader. Activist Aziza, played by Bipasha Basu, is his prodigy. Aatif Hussain, played by Kunal Kapoor, is his estranged prodigy who aspires to become a political leader and lead Kashmir to freedom. Every character in the movie is fighting for freedom.

The intent of the film, which is to show the suffering of the Kashmiris at the hands of politicians, governments, terrorists, businessmen, and religious leaders is noble. The problem is that the director is torn between depicting the truth and making the film appeal cinematically. There are too many parallel and half-baked tracks that rob the movie of its soul. It would have worked better with fewer tracks or as a documentary. The movie jumps from one character and scene to another so it seems disconnected. Though you are being bombarded with scenes, the story does not move forward. You have to pay attention because there is a lot happening simultaneously. We already know that when a state is in turmoil, the leaders are to blame and everyone in power is hand-in-glove to keep it that way. Some of us know that children are randomly picked up in Kashmir and other Islamic countries and brain-washed and trained by terrorist groups. This is what the movie is trying to expose. The movie may shock people who are unaware of all this but it fails to move you.

There are two important scenes that lack urgency and intrigue. There is a bomb blast scene and it is obvious to the viewer who the culprit is. But the characters in the movie spend the length of the film figuring that out. The climax of the film is meant to be disturbing but it does not evoke that emotion. The build-up is riddled with cliches and silly scenes, such as phones being unavailable and characters talking calmly. Where is the excitement and suspense? Thereafter, loose ends are tied off conveniently and we are informed of the fate of the characters in the end titles. Real problems are not solved that way.

It would be a good idea to watch the film with a Kashmiri. The movie depicts the worst case scenario and captures the fear, angst, and anger of the people. You wonder if the situation is really that bad when you know people who travel to Kashmir regularly and have family residing there. A Kashmiri pandit at the screening told me that the violence was exaggerated.

On the technical front, it is impossible to make Kashmir look bad even though the camerawork is shaky. The production design is authentically Kashmiri and beautiful. The music is soulful but the background score is jarring. You wonder why the movie is called 'Lamhaa' as 'Jihaad', 'Kashmir' or 'Azaadi' would be more suitable titles. There is a write-up about the history of Kashmir at the beginning. A voice-over would have been more dramatic. The dialogues are protocative in a tacky manner. Here are some: Kashmir is the most dangerous place on Earth, Sanjay tells Bipasha she is as beautiful as the valley, etc. They do not make an impact. The love story is half-baked and forced.

On the acting front, Bipasha manages to look like a Muslim, not a Kashmiri. She is in full make-up and looks lovely. She excels in bringing her fiery and determined character to life and it's is her best performance to date. Kunal Kapoor fails miserably at acting and dialogue delivery so it helps that he looks good. His speeches are like poetry recitation and very laboured. Sanjay Dutt's entry with his trademark swagger is very filmy but it fails to charm you. He gets his swagger back later on. There is nothing exceptional about his
performance. He was way better in Mission Kashmir. Anupam Kher is perfectly cast as the Haji and he is restrained. Businessman Yashpal Sharma is slimy and wicked. Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajesh Khera and Murli Sharma are wasted.

Kashmir has been in the news lately so the release comes at apt time. The only reason to watch Lamhaa is if you are unaware of the problems in Kashmir and want to get an idea about it. Of course, the stunning locales are a reason too but you can watch other movies for that as they are not exploited here. You don't mind dying in heaven on Earth. There is a line in the movie about Kashmir being a company that everyone wants to make a profit from. Aren't the makers doing the same, banking on shock value? What a pity!

Janhvi Patel/Hill Road Media