Review: KJo and Saifeena strike gold with ‘Kurbaan’

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: A gripping tale of two lovers torn between love and the call of duty, ‘Kurbaan’ is a hard hitting and an intense film that leaves you with an after thought. A movie based on the backdrop of Muslim identity amidst global terrorism, ‘Kurbaan’ is a not your typical Bollywood flick! A Karan Johar production directed by Rensil D’Silva, ‘Kurbaan’ is fresh breather from the stable of Dharma Productions, someone known to have a liking for family dramas or romantic flicks rather than movies made on contemporary issues such as terrorism. With ‘Kurbaan’, Karan Johar strikes a jackpot as the movie offers a nice blend of Bollywood commercial cinema along with unconventional themes that makes it a class act. A movie woven around terrorism, ‘Kurbaan’ is in no way akin to ‘Fanaa’ or ‘New York’ as it does not glorify terrorism nor paints it in a sugary coated frame. The characters of its lead protagonists – Saif, Kareena, Vivek Oberoi are etched to perfection and are realistic to the boot. ‘Kurbaan’ revolves around two professors – Ehsan Khan (Saif Ali Khan) and Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) who meet at a university and move to USA post their marriage. However, with the couple relocated in US, the mist of distrust engulfs their love story as Avantika realizes something fishy about her spouse. With a loving wife confused over her husband’s acts, herein comes a journo Riyaaz (Vivek Oberoi) who helps a distressed Avantika to seek the truth and reveal her husband’s true intentions – Muslim fundamentalism. ‘Kurbaan’ is a fast paced movie that hardly slackens in terms of narration. The movie comes with its break-through moments – the love-betrayal intrigue between Saif and Kareena and their much publicised aesthetically shot love making scene, Vivek Oberoi’s daredevil journalist act, and Kirron Kher and Om Puri who simply leave speechless with their class act. With a play time of two hours forty minutes, ‘Kurbaan’ boasts of a taut script with superb direction by Rensil D’Silva. The movie does not take undue cinematic liberties; yet, the movie has a bite that often leaves you gasping, especially when Saif reveals his true identity. A perplexed Kareena reminds you of Karisma from ‘Fiza’ and Saif is simply superb when it comes to portray a character with shades of grey. However, Vivek Oberoi is the surprise package of the film as he delivers a convincing performance after a long hiatus. Salim-Suleiman`s soulful music adds depth to the movie and makes it all the more broody. With Hollywood style cinematography, ‘Kurbaan’ is a poignant gripping thriller. Ratings: Four cheers for this one!