Review: Rajeev Khandelwal’s Aamir

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal

It has no pretty faces, no foreign locations and definitely no sprawling sets. Well, it was after all no Yash Raj movie. It's a movie about this one man Aamir Ali and Mumbai.

Dr Aamir Ali comes back home to Mumbai, India from London. His spirits are dampened when his family fails to turn up to receive him at the airport. Visibly unhappy, Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal) tries to call up home from a nearby PCO. Two men on a bicycle come towards him and they toss him a cellphone. The phone immediately starts ringing…

You will almost think it's a Colin Farrell starrer Phonebooth remake. But it isn't. While Phonebooth was more about this one guy and his circumstances, Aamir is about the city Mumbai and the unwelcome surprises that it can throw up to just about anybody.

The movie starts with a collage of the city. Shot in a refreshing way, the camera gives a new angle to the city of Mumbai.

What's interesting is, though the movie opens with the known stereotype representation of Mumbai, capturing the stately structure of the Victoria Terminus and things like that, the movie itself is not shot anywhere there.

The movie is shot in the narrow lanes and bylanes of Mumbai where some of us have never been and given a chance, will never be in the future either. It brings forth the side of Mumbai which we would rather not know. And we are not talking of the dance bars and red light areas. Those we've seen in many movies – Chandni Bar, Pranali etc etc. This movie takes us to real locations in the heart of Mumbai which stays covered in muck, dirt and lots of crime.

This movie traces the occurrences in the life of Dr Aamir Ali in a single day of his life. We could almost call it a picaresque plot or story except for that it isn't. Though it could have been. Aamir could have been the picaro protagonist who goes along learning things from his surroundings. Probably he did but it was definitely not depicted anywhere in the movie.

Getting back to the story, we see Aamir being controlled by some underworld don and given lectures on his 'qaum'. His family is kidnapped and he is forced to do things against his wish in order to save them.

Definitely that is a done-to-death plot in Indian cinema. Terrorism, communal rivalry and an abducted family or family member is something we have grown up watching. However, in Aamir, this normally stretched plot is not drenched with melodrama. It has none of the high voltage drama and big dialogues and rise-of-the-hero moments that other such movies generally do.

It's clean, crisp and well edited. There is no extra unnecessary emotional luggage in the movie. For one there is no love angle. No romantic or sad songs. The songs mainly act as a background score and help in bringing out the emotions of the protagonist.

Khandelwal is good. He has definitely come a long way since his Sujal days in TV soap Kahiin To Hoha. And he fits the bill perfectly that of a common man. He is not macho. He does not sing and dance. He does not even take down a dozen goons with his bare hands. But you love him. Perhaps because one can easily identify with him. And he does justice to the role with his acting as well. He may not be a star anytime soon, but we think, he might make it to the women's most wanted list soon enough. If he is not there already that is.

If entertainment means enjoyment, this movie is definitely not entertaining. This just brings out another dark aspect of the city of Mumbai and puts it across in a matter of fact way that one can't ignore.

The movie is not depressing, disturbing or devastating. It's just about life in Mumbai told the way it is. And that is what will leave you a little…edgy. You'll probably consider resettling if you're a Mumbaikar, if not, it won't matter.

VERDICT: Watch it if you want to see something different. For people looking for some fun over the weekend, this just won't cut it.

RATING: 3/5

Link:

http://www.buzz18.com/reviews/movies/review-rajeev-khandelwa ls-aamir/61071/1