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Cast:
Aditi Sharma, Habib Tanvir, Anil Kapoor, |
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Shefali Shah, Anurag Sinha,
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Year:
2008 |
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Music:
Sukhwinder Singh |
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Lyrics:
Ibrahim Ashq |
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Story:
Shiraz Ahmed |
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First Assistant
Director:
Anshuman Jha |
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Banner:
Mukta Arts Entertainment
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Associate
Director:
Shilpi Dasgupta |
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Producer and
Director:
Subhash Ghai |
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Subhash Ghai is back and how!! The once upon a time king of
romance and masala entertainer is back with his most hatke
film after over three-year hiatus post his last flop Kisna.
And while the man has given quite a few hits on his
production front, directorially the last decade has not
really been the best of times for him. Black & White might
not turn out to be the film that brings home cash like some
of his earlier films, but it will surely earn the respect
again that Subhash Ghai once commanded. The reason -
choosing such a subject and treating it with style which is
not something he has done before. |
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First thing, the story is not the most novel of all.
And it's surely a very brave one because of its
sensitive nature. It's about a suicide bomber Numair
Qazi played by debutant Anurag Sinha. Afghan-trained
Numair is in India to strike at the Red Fort on
Independence Day. For him, that's the job that Allah
sent him to earth for. Numair reaches Delhi's Chandni Chowk
- a place famous for its religious
integrity - to prepare for his mission. And that's
where he meets Ranjan Mathur (Anil Kapoor) and his
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wife Roma
(Shefali Shah). The two come in as ideal Indians. Ranjan is
a Hindu and yet an Urdu Professor and his wife Roma fight
for the cause of anyone who suffers regardless the religion.
While Numair
tries playing around the emotions of the family to gain
access to Red Fort, he fails to understand that it's not
just the family but he too who is getting attached. And this
he realises during the final moments of his journey, from
where he may not really return anytime. |
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There might not be anything new in the story keeping
in mind the basic element of mixing patriotism,
nationalism, humanitarian thoughts and showering so
much love on a bad guy that he does a U-turn. But
the fact remains that it's a sensible and touching
story and with the treatment the showman has given,
it surely helps in uplifting the story. |
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emotions are shown developing very subtly. And the love
angle is left open and the director resists from going
around with much of romance.
The film
carries symbolism like the scene when Numair is hitting one
of his colleagues toward the end and the scene looks as if
he is killing himself. The screenplay of the movie makes it
very touching. The problem is that Black & White
rather slow and does not justify to be stretched over two
hours.
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Technically the film is just about ok, with
average cinematographic and editing values.
The background music is, however, very good
and the signature music is almost haunting.
But what makes Black & White special is the
performances. While Anil Kapoor comes up
with one more polished show, Shefali Shah
gets a role which not only does justice to
her age but also gives her something more to
enact than the routine. She along with Aditi
Sharma brings in a bright spark |
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the movie with their colorful character. And Anurag Sinha
surprises everyone with his acting. His portrayal of a
somber and crude terrorist can probably be rated as one of
the best performances by a newcomer in recent times! |
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Overall, Black & White drags a bit here and there,
but it's surely worth a watch and will guarantee a
thought or two on the issue of religious tolerance.
Kudos to Ghai. He has done a good job.
It looks like the showman Subhash Ghai has taught
himself a lesson or two on fresh treatment of
stories in his school Whistling Woods. Incidentally,
Black & White is his first directorial since he
started the film school. |
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