By K. N. Gupta
Critic's I-view
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But this spy thriller is made of a figment of someone's lackluster imagination!
A DELIGHT FOR DELHIITES
By K. N. Gupta
Critic's I-view
Phaans: Ek Jasoos Ki Kahani' is the third low budget Bollywood film releasing Friday February 5, 2010. The movie has a good cast in veteran stars like Vidya Sinha and Raza Murad in supporting roles but lead roles feature newcomers Kanan Malhotra and Shiva Munjal. The major plus points of the movie is the patriotic story woven around Pakistan and India and it's shot in Delhi not Mumbai! Well, the folks in northern India might relate better with a few portions of the post-partition saga. In fact, Delhi's famous and bustling Azad Market is filmed to depict the famous city of Lahore, and the banks of Yamuna River are made to portray the internationally known Indo-Pak Wagah border. We'll have to wait and see who and how many outside of a theater in Delhi watch the movie.
The movie's story follows the Pokharan nuclear test in India in 1998 that soured relations between India and Pakistan and Pakistan plans an attack on India. Pakistan chooses not to embroil in a direct war against India's military and nuclear might but resorts to the old tactic of a proxy war. The movie draws much from the news we read and see these days as the plot has Pakistan hiring, training and arming militants. Indian officials collect intelligence from Pakistan and plan to counter it by using a businessman, Jawahar, who left Pakistan to come to settle in Delhi with his father. Jawahar has roots in Pakistan ad his contacts were still alive, including some influential people there.
The story tells of using his services during the 1965 war with Pakistan. Fate has Jawahar's son, Jatin, serving in Indian Army but being declared traitor by the BSF in 1978 that led to the kid committing suicide. The harsh circumstance delivers a blow to the family with Jatin's wife losing her voice forever. Jawahar ran around to prove his son was a patriot but wasn't believed. As a secret agent, Jawahar cannot disclose the truth. A pity! Jawahar is thrown out of a job and is forced to leave his Dilli (Old Delhi) for Tagore Gardens in west Delhi. Secret agent Jawahar now lives only for his granddaughter Sameera. A patriot, Jawahar, is not deterred to serve his country again in 1998. But, he puts a condition that his son will be cleared of the black spot. Jawahar is quite old and the plot now turns to granddaughter Sameera being made the secret agent. Here begins the action-drama as Sameera goes to Pakistan to get those important documents that hold the information about militants and their plans to enter India!
In analysis, there are faults and flaws in the story. One, and foremost, it's too good to be true. What's most strikingly deceptive about the plot is a deeply distraught father and a debilitated mother agreeing to send their only young child as a secret agent to an enemy country like Pakistan. Even a fictional masala would pass but the movie lacks on the action front. Top it off with a portrayal of romance between Sameera with a Pakistani Minister's son just doesn't cut ice. Another improbability is the depiction that a secret agent with the kind of background Sameera has in the movie is shown either romancing or working in kitchen whilst downloading confidential files with the help of her Indian boyfriend who somehow reaches Pakistan by bribing the authorities.
In sum, we sympathize with Avinash Chitransh who in his directorial debut landed this assignment and the newcomers in the lead roles. Vidya Sinha, the popular actress of the 1970s who was last seen more than a half decade ago, makes a comeback. Veteran actor Raza Murad performs excellently despite the newcomers. Hero Karan Malhotra shows confidence and the heroine Shiva Munjal fares well. Shiva is moving up after doing a number of commercials and a few South Indian films. Dilip and Sameer Sen's music is nice.
By K. N. Gupta
Critic's I-view
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