2009/11/27
K.N. Vijiyan
KURBAAN (Hindi) directed by Rensil D’Silva. Starring Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Dia Mirza and Rupinder Nagra.| Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in Kurbaan. |
The cinematography (by Hemant Chaturvedi) in this movie is absolutely brilliant. The dialogue, especially in the beginning when Saif is courting Kareena, is also very interesting and captures your attention.
But halfway through the movie we lose interest as it drags on to the crux of the story: what the terrorists are planning.
The movie is way too long — and it’s not the fault of the songs. In fact, the tunes, composed by Salim-Suleiman, complement the story.
Much of the attraction in this movie is the fact that Saif and Kareena are a couple in real life. Their “hot” publicity poster showing a bare-backed Kareena has already angered fundamentalists in India who want her covered up in a sari.
Kareena (unlike Katrina Kaif, who is aiming to be the No. 1 heroine in Bollywood with her recent string of hit films) desperately needs a hit movie after delivering two flops in a row: Kambakkht Ishq and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.
There are plenty of holes in the story, if you look for them. For example, the FBI shouldn’t be having pictures of Saif as a terrorist and Kareena and Vivek should be trying to contact the police immediately about what the terrorists are up to.
The scene where Kareena pulls out a bullet from Saif’s shoulder could also have been more convincing.
Despite all this, the movie manages to break new ground in Bollywood.