'Gadar'
Tech in 'Hero',
and Well-shot
'Phoren' Scenes
'...
he has tried
to establish
that all Pakistanis
are not bad.
This balanced
treatment
of the situation
would definitely
be appreciated
by the common
Pakistani'
-by
NN Sinha
Anil
Sharma proves
once again
that films
made with
mass appeal
can bring
the audience
back to theatre.
It happened
in the case
of 'Gadar'
and the Hero
will most
likely repeat
the magic.
There is Sunny
Deol, once
again leading
the pack of
patriots,
but has two,
instead of
one, girls
to cope with.
During his
mission in
Kashmir to
smash the
terrorist
network, he
gets attracted
to Reshma
alias Rashmi.
Pursuit of
Pak agents
takes him
to Canada,
where he meets
Shyana, daughter
of a Pakistani
who owns an
atomic lab
producing
radio isotopes
for medicinal
use, but has
links with
the ISI.
Arun loses
the first
girl after
engagement
when terrorists
blow up the
army officers'
mess where
the celebrations
are on. It
remains unexplained
how the enemy
could plant
bombs all
over the place
which was
under army
administration.
Since senior
army and intelligence
men were supposedly
present in
the mess at
the time of
the sabotage,
a routine
security check
before the
arrival of
the guests
was a must.
Not showing
this vital
detail was
a serious
lapse on the
director's
part.
Preity is
shown falling
into a river
as the glass-domed
building collapses.
Sunny is unable
to find her;
the stream
takes her
to Pakistan.
An injured
and invalid
Reshma is
picked up
by one Salman,
a youth from
a decent family.
Reshma's lower
limbs are
paralysed
and on medical
advice, Salman
takes her
to Canada
for treatment.
That is also
the destination
spy Arun Khanna
alias Major
Batra is headed
for - a Bollywood
style coincidence.
His ID in
Canada is
Wahid Khan,
an atomic
scientist
from Indonesia.
But the twain
never meet,
though on
several occasions
are shown
crossing within
earshot of
one another.
Sharma
stretches
the suspense
here to the
point of disbelief,
since Wahid
Khan has been
meeting Shyana,
the doctor
who is treating
Reshma. Shyana
knows Salman
too, because
he brought
the patient
to her. Sharma
makes it the
rarest of
rare cases.
It's obviously
a contrived
situation.
Yet he deserves
kudos for
amazingly
well-shot
action sequences
in the Zakaria
Lab and the
villa on hilltop,
which is shown
as the centre
of secret
ISI activities.
Sequences
canned on
location in
Canada and
Switzerland
etc. are breath-taking.
Particularly
the use of
foreign actors
makes the
scenes far
more thrilling.
Sunny
is in his
usual elements,
but thankfully
he keeps better
control over
his voice.
After all,
here he is
not a rustic
truck driver
of Gadar.
But his changing
make-up sets
him apart
from earlier
roles. Preity
does a spell-binding
job of an
intelligence
mole in the
house of the
enemy. She
has executed
all the physically
rough and
tough scenes
quite convincingly.
As a beloved
too, her face
is an ever-changing
screen of
emotions.
With this
film, Preity
Zinta has
matured.
Priyanka Chopra,
who makes
a debut with
this film,
can look forward
to meatier
roles. The
Hero's success
may throw
a few crumbs
of stardom
into her lap.
But she seems
to be ready
to take on
Bollywood;
slow and steady
is always
better.
It's good,
to mention
in passing,
that Anil
Sharma keeps
Pak-baiting
to the minimum.
The characters
confine themselves
to the ISI
and terrorist
leaders. Also
by showing
how a Pakistan
family takes
care of an
unknown Indian
girl (from
Kashmir) and
gets her treated
to restore
her health
whatever the
cost, he has
tried to establish
that all Pakistanis
are not bad.
This balanced
treatment
of the situation
would definitely
be appreciated
by the common
Pakistani
who watches
Indian movies
in his home.
