MUMBAI MERI JAAN

FIGHTING TERRORISM!!!!!!!!!!!

Mumbai Meri Jaan ,is yet another movie of this year, with an anti-terrorism theme, in quick succession after Black and White ,Khuda Ke liye and Amir.

Based on the 2006 Bombay Bomb Blasts, the movie beautifully captures the emotions ,reactions and over-reactions of people affected directly, or indirectly, by the blasts and other such acts of terrorism, including those of the common by-standers and the way people encash even on such tragic activities

Madhavan, has exhibited brilliant acting, playing a middle class working professional, who has refused several offers of going abroad due to his love for India and Mumbai. He escapes the blast in spite of being on the same local train, as he travels in general class of the local train, on that fateful day, unlike his routine of traveling in the first class, daily, the couch that did blow –up. While he escapes the physical injuries, he and his pregnant wife are shattered mentally and develop severe fear psychosis and live in the constant scare of blasts, over cautious and dying every moment, in anticipation of a repeat terrorist attack

Soha Ali Khan, portrays a TV anchor, who has been good at her work and has never hesitated in showering prying queries at victims of tragedies, to make an attractive sensational news. While she is covering the blast story for her channel, she realizes that she has lost her fiancé in the blast and breaks down, and while she almost has a nervous breakdown in her grief, her boss, collogues and the channel she worked for, don't hesitate in using her and her tears to create a story for their news channel on the bomb blast victims showing total disrespect to the feelings of their own team member. Soha has acted the role brilliantly, reminding us of her similar role in Rang De Basanti.

Paresh Rawal, is a retiring Police Inspector, who has realistically showed the complacency and duck-back attitude of the police force to such event, with a sense of helplessness, but ends, with a very strong message, put across lightly during his farewell speech, that its high time we stop the blame game, and counter and counter-counter attacks and to break the chain of violence by doing some thing different and positive with an aim of curbing communal riots. Rawal has once again proved that he is an actor par excellence

Irfan, plays a by-stander, like the common man in R K Laxman's cartoons. A south Indian, in Mumbai, he is humiliated in a Mall, and as revenge, he troubles Mall owners and public, by sending hoax bomb alarms, creating unnecessary panic. Playing the role very realistically, Irfan has succeeded in aptly presenting the lost in a crowd state, of an outsider in Mumbai.

Kay Kay, the computer supplier, who has been rendered almost jobless due to the overcautious attitude of people towards suppliers of locally assembled electronic gadgets, is a hard core skeptic, suspecting every Muslim around him, to be a terrorist ,and is shaken from his communal slumber in the end, when his muslim neighbor, whom he almost branded as the hand behind the blasts, turns out to be a Sai Baba disciple and extends a hand of friendship. Kay Kay has expressed his strong emotions, superbly and naturally, giving another powerful performance after Shaurya

Revolving around these five main characters and the people around them, the story has an enticing pace with simple plot and screenplay but powerful dialogues which reach the heart. The movie has been directed brilliantly; bring out the perils of such terrorism very effectively and effortlessly. Though the movie initially deliberately creates a very uncomfortable anti muslim feeling, it ends at a very welcome note, conveying the message that the battle we are fighting is not hindu-muslim or between any two communities, but between the peace loving common citizen and the fanatics who can go to any extent to terrorize the general population, to keep the battle alive, and the only way to fight terrorism is to break the religious walls dividing our hearts and putting up a combined battle, not against any religion or community but against terrorism

Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow