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Starring:
Anil Kapoor, Anurag Sinha, Shefali Chhaya, Akash
Khurana, Aditi Sharma, Habib Tanvir
Director: Subhash Ghai
The master director Subhash Ghai is back not with a
bang, but with a convincing restraint. Pleasingly, even
the leading actors, Anil Kapoor and newcomer Anurag
Sinha have portrayed splendid restraint all thru the
film. The newcome is given a few lines, while he emotes
thru his facial expressions and dramatically intense
eyes. Anurag Sinha is a fidayeen suicide bomber sent
from Afghanistan to India, whose motive is to make the
Indian Independence Day celebrations more explosive. He
lands up at Delhi's Chandni Chowk, where we have a broad
communal-harmony.
Playing the Gujarat riot card, Numair Qazi gains the
sympathy of Professor Mathur and he slowly manages to
inch his way into the latter's heart. It takes him
longer to win the heart of the Professor's wife, Roma
Mathur (Shefali Shah), but he manages that as well. The
professor and his wife are an important part in Numair's
mission to blast the Red Fort, as they are the only
one's who can help him gain entry into its high-security
premises on Independence Day. Numair almost succeeds in
his mission as he finds himself within minutes of
blowing up the Red Fort. This Urdu professor in Delhi's
Zakir Hussian College, unknowingly gets embroiled in a
suicide bomber's (Anurag Sinha), plans to blow up the
Red Fort on Independance Day.
Black & White tries to peep into the psyche of a human
bomb, a fanatic who has a change of heart gradually. The
transformation of a heartless, cold-blooded slaughterer
to someone whose inner voice tells him to revolt against
his 'masters'. This transformation is well depicted in
this movie.
Subhash Ghai,
who is otherwise connected with musicals or colourful
extravaganzas, deserves much appreciation for picking a
subject like this attempted towards tackling to the main
theme of the movie - global terrorism.
CAST
Prof. Rajan Mathur - Anil Kapoor
Numair Qazi - Anurag Sinha
Roma Mathur - Shefali Chhaya
Minister - Akash Khurana
Shagufta - Aditi Sharma
Quazi Saab - Habib Tanvir
CREDITS
Banner - Mukta Arts Entertainment
Produced by - Raju Farooqui, Mukta Ghai, Subhash Ghai,
Rahul Puri
Directed by - Subhash Ghai
Original Music - Sukhwinder Singh
Cinematography - Somak Mukherjee
Screenplay - Sachin Bhowmick, Subhash Ghai, Akash
Khurana
Dialogues - Subhash Ghai
Music Director - Sukhwinder Singh
Lyrics - Ibrahim Ashq
Editor - Amitabh Shukla
Assistant Editor - Kunal Moitra
Art Director - Leela Chanda
Audiography - Rakesh Ranjan
Playback Singers - Udit Narayan, Jagjit Singh,
Sukhwinder Singh, Sadhana Sargam, Shreya Ghosal, Hans
Raj Hans
Publicity Designer - Rahul Nanda, Himanshu Nanda
Associate Director - Shilpi Dasgupta
First Assistant Director - Anshuman Jha
Music Company - T-Series
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The story is based on a plot
by terrorists to blow up the Red Fort in Delhi. The young
Afghan bomber (Anurag Sinha) is assumes the identity of
Numair Qazi who is now deceased young Muslim by that name,
a young man who lost both parents during the Gujarat
riots. He convincingly enters the house of an ageing poet
Gaffar bhai (Habib Tanvir), by posing as his grandson. He
ultimately finds refuge in the home of the courteous
senior citizen and respected poet Gaffar bhai, who is very
popular in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi. Rajan Mathur
(Anil Kapoor) an Urdu professor is another well-liked
resident in the locality where this Qazi has found
shelter.
The debutant Anurag Sinha fits in his character very well.
His serious, calm look is very intimidating though
charming. One of his best performances, Anil Kapoor as
Professor Mathur, is impressive in this restrained
character. Anil Kapoor reiterates his dedication towards
Subhash Ghai right from the times of Ram Lakhan, then in
Taal and now in this off-beat flick where he's got grey
sideburns and glasses and he performs with equal
distinction and vigour. Shefali Shah needs no further
praises, the one who needs is the character of an old poet
who is both charming and inspiring played by Habib Tanvir.
Milind Gunaji is fine here.
The films
positive aspect is its above the class cinematography and
the haunting screenplay - very good. Excellent scenes and
sequences in here, especially the scene where Shefali dies
and Anil Kapoor overacts and not to forget the one where
Anil Kapoor alongside a tiny girl, panicked crowds,
terrorism hanging in the air, and the girl's stuffed toy,
which involuntarily brings panic thru the viewers spine.
A film recommended only for those serious movie buffs,
though this film could've done with a shorter length and a
tighter screenplay.
-
Aniz Filmvala
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