In the picturesque backdrop of
Shimla and Jagatpur in its geographic vicinity Kabir Khan takes to the Indo
China war of 1962. Unlike the espionage drama and the motional tale, he told
earlier with style and success he falters with this outing. Blunders, to be
more accurate. The film maker goes wrong on multiple facets. There is no
attempt to the war factor to the story. Historically far behind and politically
skewed this generation does not emotionally connect with the war. Further the
political fervour that one kicks up with the other warring neighbour on the Western
front is conspicuously missing, the soldiers on both sides of the frontier are
reduced to caricatures on faceless robots. There is not enough on the patriotic
front (not that it should chest thumping) much less on the personal front that
justifies the relationship between the protagonist and the child for who he
takes up cudgels with the rest.
We have Lakshman (Salman) and Bharat (Sohail) aspiring to respond to the
recruitment call from the local Army Officer (Yashpal Sharma) Lakshman is
rejected as is Narayan (Mohd Zeeshan). Lakshman from childhood is seen as a
tube light. However, the compare fails, for while he is slow on the start he is
not bright thereafter. The poor manner in which the character is etched is a
strained attempt to show the protagonist as a child man who has the heart of
gold but not familiar with the ways of the world. He ends up looking an idiot
who is just wandering in the hills with good intent and nothing more.
He has a chanced encounter with a little lad in the neighbourhood who
ethnically is from the far east and thus assumed to be Chinese. The little lad
Guo (Malin) and his mother Liling (Zhu Zhu) live in isolation. The entire
population of the area do not accept them in the main stream even as there is
constant news trickling in of the Chinese invasion and the death toll of Indian
soldiers.
There is the local Gandhian Banne Chacha (Om Puri) preaching Gandhian ideals
and the only taker is obviously the Child man. He has copious notes which he
tries to translate into action and implement them on the little boy and his
Mom. He earns the ridicule of the locals. Like the erring Raju Guide who is
accepted for his miracle of getting rains in the RK Narayan world, Bharat
becomes a hero in the eyes of the locals. Even as he is protecting the Chinese
origin mother and son, he comes to know that his brother at the frontier has
been taken as POW. Does the brother return, do the twosome get accepted into
the mainstream of Indian life? Does war leave a permanent impression or does
human values get the better of the polity is what the film deals with.
Both Kabir Khan and Salman who, thanks to their earlier outings together raise
our expectations, fail to deliver. Kabir fails to appeal to the emotions like
he did with Bhajarangi nor does he execute the plot with the finesse he
commanded in Ek Tha Tiger. This narration is very very bland and lacking in
conviction or punch. Salman is tedious and the biggest draw back. He fails to
translate that child Man challenge, which is so central to the plot. Just
imagine a film where Sohail is the best actor!! Something tells me Om Puri saw
the rushes of this film, at least his role!!
This is not a tube light. More appropriate would be Fused bulb.
L. Ravichander.