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Aamir - Notepad
Aamir
quick review:
There isn't one single department which can claim that it carried Aamir on its shoulders. Each and everything - make-up, set design/locations, background music, lighting, camera work, dialogue, and of course acting work towards creating the build-up and the final impact. And what's more religious fundamentalism is dealt with subtlety - the lost virtue. It has been maintained almost throughout, except for the abruptness of the background music in parts and the portrayal of the antagonist.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal) has returned from UK to India after finishing his education as a Doctor. He is in for the rudest shock of his life the hour he reaches India.
What Worked
- The manner in which Bombay's cityscape is covered. The regular things on a regular morning are shown in such a light manner. Just to show how on such a regular day in the city, Aamir is going to go through the worst day of his life. I liked this especially because I usually find cityscapes boring, especially lengthy coverage.
- The use of handheld camera to portray Aamir's confusion at the airport when he is looking for his family while pushing the trolley.
- Little elements that add to the frustration of Aamir and thus the audience - like him getting into a taxi and then realizing that the driver doesn't know the way to the destination.
- The way it is shown that Aamir feels like everyone is looking at him...really creates a creepy feeling.
- Use of the traffic signal as a timer.
- The dig on media by alluding to the fact that they are so unaware of the reality.
What did not
Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here
- Can eye-bags really develop within the course of a few hours? Aamir who is absolutely fresh a few hours ago, has eye-bags now because of the stress he has endured in that time. Cinematic liberty?
- The use of "Karachi" seems forced into the conversation. The lines using "Karachi" didn’t flow like the lines in the rest of the movie.
- The giggly prostitute was very annoying - maybe that's what she was meant to do.
- Inane dialogues to side characters. E.g. The guy who takes Aamir to the don who gives him the side character says, "bhoola kahaan, raasta to aaj yaad aaya" (I didn't forget, I remembered the way just today) What is it supposed to mean?
Nitty-Gritty
This section lists things that I think are not important to the overall impact of the movie. In most cases, it could be explained away by something like, "we noticed the glitch after the scene was shot and there were schedule/budget issues and thus we could not re-shoot it". I like giving the makers the benefit of doubt, but I am amused nevertheless. Hopefully, they will tickle you too.
- A couple of product placements blended well with the general natural feel of the movie. Otherwise, these are rather irritating and on-the-face.
- The taxi's number was MH 03 6688. Number plates of vehicles in Maharashtra have two letter in between the two digit and the four digit numbers. Where did that disappear?
- A sign reading 'RISARVAD' instead of "Reserved" in a restaurant. Cute but a little overkill, maybe?
- There was this guy in a blue shirt who was talking to a policeman. He was shown passing from right to left twice with a cut of Rajeev Khandelwal talking to the phone booth lady in between. How come twice in such a short time? Looked like some error.
Aamir - Movie Details
- Official Sites: Website
- Producer: UTV Spotboy Motions Pvt Ltd
- Director: Rajkumar Gupta
- Lead Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal
- Supporting Cast: Vasan Bala, Chinkal
- Story: Raj Kumar Gupta
- Screenplay: Raj Kumar Gupta
- Dialogues: Raj Kumar Gupta
- Cinematography: Alphonse Roy
- Editor: Aarti Bajaj
- Background Score: Amit Trivedi
- Action Choreography: Parvez Khan
- Music Director: Amit Trivedi
- Lyrics: Amitabh Varma
- Costume Designer: Shubhra Gupta
- Art Direction: Dipankar Mondal
- Running time: 95 minutes
- Reviewer: meetu
- Categories: Hindi Movies
- Genres: Social, Thriller
Aamir - Trailer
Aamir - All reviews summary
External Reviews
18 reviewers have given Aamir an average rating of 4.4/5.0. 15 yays, 1 nays, 2 so-so. See all external reviews »
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Comments (24)
Review - Aamir...
There isn't one single department which can claim that it carried Aamir on its shoulders. Each and everything - make-up, set design/locations, background music, lighting, camera work, dialogue, and of course acting work towards creating the build-up a...
[...] thinks Aamir is a must watch. The only drawback, if there is one, seems to be the pace, which is a tad slow. So many movies based on religious fundamentalism have come and gone, that you wonder if any stone [...]
Meetu!.. u just gave words to my thoughts... I was simply awestruck with the performance. Superb review.. keep up the good work
Hi mitu,
I guess u already have idea tht, the movie story line has been ripped of from cavite..
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428303/)
UTV bought the rights after the completion of aamir.
I think this kind of praise should be reserved for original movies.
Thank you Subur! Will try my best!!
Hey Mayur! I did read somewhere about Aamir being a copy of Cavite. I haven't seen Cavite, but in general, I think if it is copied well, contextualised to the situation well, lines are written well, it is alright.
Basically, unlike written work, which can just be copied and pasted, making a movie still involves making a lot of decisions in context with your movie. E.g. Whatever might have been copied, you can't take the credit away from Rajeev for his performance or from the way the streets of Bombay were captured.
Also, if I reserved my praise only for original movies, I would be praising very little, wouldn't I? ;)
Cheers!!
Hey Meetu,
The background score was brilliant in the movie; a definite highlight. I felt the movie paced just right tho..
And Iam thanking heavens that they didn't introduce us to his love life while breaking into a song !!
Definitely a very good debut overall..but, to quote one of my friends,"A good movie, but a commercial disaster." :-(
Meetu,
Excellent review for an exceptional movie. But after watching it, I kinda didnt get answer to a question, " Why him of all the people ? The gang was so well knit, so y didnt any of them do it? ". I felt there is no proper explanation to this except for the frequent mention of "comm" in the movie. Dont you think so?
!!! Major Spoilers in this comment !!!
Lol Sudhir, about the love song. Or if the movie didnt end the way it did.
The thing is, I don't think makers of such movies are actually looking at a major commercial success, they just want to make their kind of cinema and appreciate the appreciation their movies get. Of course, if they commercial success then, nothing like it! But what i am saying is they are prepared for the blow.
Thanks Vimal. Oh, I didn't look at the movie from "why him?" point of view. I took that as a given, an assumption. I think my brain worked backwards after the movie was over. As in, we read/hear in the news that there was a bomb blast and it was done using a suicide bomber. What could be the possible story of such a bomber? And here is one possibility.
!!! Spoiler Warning !!! Spoilers in this post !!!
hey,
while i admit the movie is a refreshing change from what we have been treated (mistreated!!)in most cases to, the movie really has too many flaws to be gushed about. While the basic premise is intreresting enough, thats al it is. BASIC!!It doesnt go further than that. The twist with the briefcase was juvenile coz had they told him in the beginning itself to leave it in the bus, he would have(the change in plans alerts him to the possibilities) and the fundamentalists would have gotten away. Also, the morality or the "kaum" bit really felt like an after thought as if the mysterious caller only said those dialogues to fill in silences or lulls on conversation.Thirdly, why ask him to keep goin round and round over the city wen the 1st conversation could have resulted in pretty much the same intended result as the final one?
dont get me wrong, the movies nice no doubd without absolutely brilliant cinematography by alphose roy and innovative backgroung score but by no way is it a gr8 piece of cinema. Its a sincere effort and a good debut for the director.
!!! Spoiler Warning !!! Spoilers in this post !!!
Anupam, the movie would be a 10 minutes long if it went the way you are suggesting :)
Jokes apart, I don't think he would have kept the briefcase anyway. Ultimately, did he do what he was asked to do when he came to know their intentions?
I agree, the "kaum" bit was a little inane.
I am assuming he was made to go round and round the city for him to see the conditions that people from his "kaum" stay in.
'Maybe' a SPOILER ahead!
I agree that the villain was a bit overboard with the dialogs but i loved the part where he is holding the baby and talking with Aamir on phone.
And I did wonder how the hero needed his meds only once while running behind the taxi and beating the goons.
But i loved the movie.. a little PhoneBooth touch might be but was worth the time and money spent :)
!!! Mild spoiler ahead !!!
Yeah Sudeep, I thought it had glimpses from Phone Booth too, but I dismissed it because I thought the feel must be because of the constant use of phone.
About the medication, maybe his asthama isn't acute.
my take on this movie.
http://viralshah.blogspot.com/2008/06/aamir-review-leading-by-example.html
!!Spoiler Warning !!
An absolutely amazing movie, and a very fitting review. Congrats Meetu. I landed here through your Twitter account.
The movie is an absolute watch. I recommend this, urgently to everyone. Urgent, 'coz if you miss this one, God knows how soon will you be fortunate enough to watch another decent Hindi flick.
And now, to answer a few queries (Just my 2 cents). The whole idea of using Aamir for the mission was to make him realize the seriousness of the situation. Possibly, they wanted him to execute something like this in the U.K. But Aamir returned to India, adding to the frustration of the "kaum". They looked at Aamir as someone who fled U.K., when they were expecting him to fight. They wanted to teach him a lesson, and hence used him for the mission. And yes, making him run around in the city was to make him realize the situation of their people.
All in all, very good cinema.
Meetu, I liek dthe way you have structured tour website. "Reviews", "Each To His Own", "Just A Thought" - all very useful series.
Didn't go through the rest of the website, but would love to see a Box-Office status feature included as well. Something that I found at www.boxofficeindia.com.
Keep writing. Keep Rocking.
Thanks, Ankit! I think this will be the last week Aamir will have more than a couple of shows. :( All high profile movies coming up this week and next.
Budget and Revenue was one of the first fields I had entered in my database. But, I don't put in numbers there because I don't know of an authentic source. Also, it will have to be updated regularly until, DVD and TV rights are sold. And that information is not really easy to get.
Thanks, once again!
I am amused with the comment the "Kaum" repeating part was lame - because issues like that these are primarily roused to create rifts. In the year 2008, its as real as the people around you.
@Anupam - the idea of making him roam around was to break his spirit. You can't accept compliance in the initial few minutes. What he did in the end was against their expectations - he acted like AAMIR - the leader and did something for (his) people (his not restricted by religion at all). That was the beauty of the movie.
Though I am dissapointed to find out that its a copy. A good one nevertheless.
The movie is brilliant.Rajiv did a phenomenal job. The story is exceptional and the sceeenplay was really exciting. Cinematography is top notch. Just go for the movie.
The twist with the briefcase was juvenile coz had they told him in the beginning itself to leave it in the bus, he would have(the change in plans alerts him to the possibilities) and the fundamentalists would have gotten away. Also, the morality or the “kaum” bit really felt like an after thought as if the mysterious caller only said those dialogues to fill in silences or lulls on conversation.
Its an awesome movie a must watch, I really love the scenes
____________
Mobile Spy Software
Still haven't seen this but what raving review
Very interesting movie i like it very much.
I liked the movie. I saw this movie by chance but i found this interesting. Story was very good. The best part in this movies was, it has no too much songs.
Really liked this movie, had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.
I really wonder what this movie got out of box offices. That probably tell the directors to make such serious movies or not.
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