Mausam Review

Starring : Shahid Kapoor, Sonam A Kapoor, Supriya Pathak

Story Screenplay Direction: Pankaj Kapur. Debutant Director Pankaj Kapur has a difficult task on hand. He has to live up to expectations from an audience that expects him to bring to his direction the same quality that he brings to his acting. This is not happening. Not with Mausam. Also the FB generation may not empathise with the crisis that the film poignantly seeks to present. The narration swings from the heart wrenching to the synthetic. This lack of consistency in the screenplay and the lack of will at the editing table (Sreekar Prasad) are its chief undoing. The film has some great moments and reflects the man hitherto reputed for his sensitive portrayals. It is a love story. Away form the rich boy-meet – poor girl tale, or the usual community clash or about even parental opposition – it walks a different (if very very long) path. Aayat (Sonam) comes to Punjab away from the violence of Kashmir to stay with her aunt (Supriya). Cupid strikes instantly but leisure in expression is the undoing. Punjab has never looked more rustic, earthly, vibrant, energised robust and picturesque. Thanks largely to some high energy performance from Harry (Shahid) who is waiting for his call from the Air Force and in the meanwhile bowling maidens over with his charm. Just when Aayat and Harry are to make a formal commitment, the former leaves the village. Seven years later it is a chance encounter, this time in Scotland that the love story reshapes. They quickly catch up with their past and decide to get married. Fate however plays dirty yet again. Destined to part, the twosome goes through pain and parting yet again. The script here ward gets very melodramatic and shockingly succumbs to the temptations of a Bollywood ishtyle cinematic climax. From an old world love story not in juxtaposition but super imposed on the Maggie –Bru – pizza generation, it suddenly goes through a war and communal world . It moves from a poetic pace to a needless rap narration. There lies the problem. It is committed to no specific audience, no defined target. Yet watch the film for some brilliant cinematography from Binod Pradhan. Notice how even clichéd scenes like the train moving towards the bend, leaving the station leave an impression. The film is a fine text of how the cinematographer works in perfect tandem with the intent of the Director. Pankaj Kapur gives us a promising start. Just that. The sensitivity is there to be perceived. Unfortunately there is also a visible compromise with the needs of what is believed to be box office demands. Sonam looks gorgeous (cannot but compare her chiselled features with Waheeda Rehman). The comparison ends there. Hopefully she will learn to perform. The film show cases Shahid Kapoor. For instance there is this scene when he notices Sonam asleep in the train. The camera lingers on his face and what a performance!! The script may be from Papa, the demands too may be from Papa but the response, the delivery is all his and he reiterates that he is talent storehouse. Happily he seems to be growing out of the Shahrukh Khan phase, he gives us a wonderfully restrained and energetic performance. Watch the changing seasons on his young face. The film offers some wonderful moments, but also calls for some endurance. That is what Mausam is about. L.Ravichander

Starring : Shahid Kapoor, Sonam A Kapoor, Supriya Pathak

Story Screenplay Direction: Pankaj Kapur. Debutant Director Pankaj Kapur has a difficult task on hand. He has to live up to expectations from an audience that expects him to bring to his direction the same quality that he brings to his acting. This is not happening. Not with Mausam. Also the FB generation may not empathise with the crisis that the film poignantly seeks to present. The narration swings from the heart wrenching to the synthetic. This lack of consistency in the screenplay and the lack of will at the editing table (Sreekar Prasad) are its chief undoing. The film has some great moments and reflects the man hitherto reputed for his sensitive portrayals. It is a love story. Away form the rich boy-meet – poor girl tale, or the usual community clash or about even parental opposition – it walks a different (if very very long) path. Aayat (Sonam) comes to Punjab away from the violence of Kashmir to stay with her aunt (Supriya). Cupid strikes instantly but leisure in expression is the undoing. Punjab has never looked more rustic, earthly, vibrant, energised robust and picturesque. Thanks largely to some high energy performance from Harry (Shahid) who is waiting for his call from the Air Force and in the meanwhile bowling maidens over with his charm. Just when Aayat and Harry are to make a formal commitment, the former leaves the village. Seven years later it is a chance encounter, this time in Scotland that the love story reshapes. They quickly catch up with their past and decide to get married. Fate however plays dirty yet again. Destined to part, the twosome goes through pain and parting yet again. The script here ward gets very melodramatic and shockingly succumbs to the temptations of a Bollywood ishtyle cinematic climax. From an old world love story not in juxtaposition but super imposed on the Maggie –Bru – pizza generation, it suddenly goes through a war and communal world . It moves from a poetic pace to a needless rap narration. There lies the problem. It is committed to no specific audience, no defined target. Yet watch the film for some brilliant cinematography from Binod Pradhan. Notice how even clichéd scenes like the train moving towards the bend, leaving the station leave an impression. The film is a fine text of how the cinematographer works in perfect tandem with the intent of the Director. Pankaj Kapur gives us a promising start. Just that. The sensitivity is there to be perceived. Unfortunately there is also a visible compromise with the needs of what is believed to be box office demands. Sonam looks gorgeous (cannot but compare her chiselled features with Waheeda Rehman). The comparison ends there. Hopefully she will learn to perform. The film show cases Shahid Kapoor. For instance there is this scene when he notices Sonam asleep in the train. The camera lingers on his face and what a performance!! The script may be from Papa, the demands too may be from Papa but the response, the delivery is all his and he reiterates that he is talent storehouse. Happily he seems to be growing out of the Shahrukh Khan phase, he gives us a wonderfully restrained and energetic performance. Watch the changing seasons on his young face. The film offers some wonderful moments, but also calls for some endurance. That is what Mausam is about. L.Ravichander

Starring : Shahid Kapoor, Sonam A Kapoor, Supriya Pathak

Story Screenplay Direction: Pankaj Kapur. Debutant Director Pankaj Kapur has a difficult task on hand. He has to live up to expectations from an audience that expects him to bring to his direction the same quality that he brings to his acting. This is not happening. Not with Mausam. Also the FB generation may not empathise with the crisis that the film poignantly seeks to present. The narration swings from the heart wrenching to the synthetic. This lack of consistency in the screenplay and the lack of will at the editing table (Sreekar Prasad) are its chief undoing. The film has some great moments and reflects the man hitherto reputed for his sensitive portrayals. It is a love story. Away form the rich boy-meet – poor girl tale, or the usual community clash or about even parental opposition – it walks a different (if very very long) path. Aayat (Sonam) comes to Punjab away from the violence of Kashmir to stay with her aunt (Supriya). Cupid strikes instantly but leisure in expression is the undoing. Punjab has never looked more rustic, earthly, vibrant, energised robust and picturesque. Thanks largely to some high energy performance from Harry (Shahid) who is waiting for his call from the Air Force and in the meanwhile bowling maidens over with his charm. Just when Aayat and Harry are to make a formal commitment, the former leaves the village. Seven years later it is a chance encounter, this time in Scotland that the love story reshapes. They quickly catch up with their past and decide to get married. Fate however plays dirty yet again. Destined to part, the twosome goes through pain and parting yet again. The script here ward gets very melodramatic and shockingly succumbs to the temptations of a Bollywood ishtyle cinematic climax. From an old world love story not in juxtaposition but super imposed on the Maggie –Bru – pizza generation, it suddenly goes through a war and communal world . It moves from a poetic pace to a needless rap narration. There lies the problem. It is committed to no specific audience, no defined target. Yet watch the film for some brilliant cinematography from Binod Pradhan. Notice how even clichéd scenes like the train moving towards the bend, leaving the station leave an impression. The film is a fine text of how the cinematographer works in perfect tandem with the intent of the Director. Pankaj Kapur gives us a promising start. Just that. The sensitivity is there to be perceived. Unfortunately there is also a visible compromise with the needs of what is believed to be box office demands. Sonam looks gorgeous (cannot but compare her chiselled features with Waheeda Rehman). The comparison ends there. Hopefully she will learn to perform. The film show cases Shahid Kapoor. For instance there is this scene when he notices Sonam asleep in the train. The camera lingers on his face and what a performance!! The script may be from Papa, the demands too may be from Papa but the response, the delivery is all his and he reiterates that he is talent storehouse. Happily he seems to be growing out of the Shahrukh Khan phase, he gives us a wonderfully restrained and energetic performance. Watch the changing seasons on his young face. The film offers some wonderful moments, but also calls for some endurance. That is what Mausam is about. L.Ravichander