There seems no stopping Hrithik Roshan. With only two releases so far the star kid has achieved unprecedented success and his third film is a no let down either.
In every film the brawny lad has dared to be different. In Mission Kashmir he dons up as a Kashmiri Muslim who takes up arms to avenge his parents' killer. Both Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff pack in powerful performances and the dimpled damsel Preity plays the demure TV journalist. Music by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy has the folksy feel to it and has already made waves at the music charts.
Who could have been a better man than Vinod Chopra (a Kashmiri himself) to bring to fore the burning subject of insurgency and bloodshed in the Valley that was once a paradise on earth?
"The film", says Vidhu, " is a labor of love, a response to the agony of Kashmir, a call for sanity and peace and an offering to the spirit of Kashmiriyat"
In the strife-torn valley of Kashmir lives the family of a policeman, Inayat Khan (Sanjay Dutt), his wife Neelima (Sonali Kulkarni) and their adopted son Altaaf (Hrithik Roshan), an orphan whose parents were murdered by a masked killer. One day Altaaf discovers that the man behind the mask was none other but his abba Inayat Khan.
On the spur of the moment of this discovery a warrior is born. Swearing vengeance on his parent's killer Altaaf wears the same mask and disappears in the dead of the night.
Years roll by and Altaaf is hardened by the scourge of harsh realities in the Valley. Enters the famed and ruthless guerilla fighter Hilal Kohistani (Jackie Shroff) who leads a band of renegades on a special mission codenamed 'Mission Kashmir' which, if successful, will change the face of Kashmir forever, be that be attained at the cost of million lives. To be able to accomplish his mission Kohistani needs a fearless fighter with unparalleled valor and unerring skill on the battleground. He finds his man in Altaaf.
Meanwhile Altaaf meets his childhood friend Sufi ( Preity Zinta) who now works as a TV reporter. Captivated by her beauty Altaaf surrenders to her affection and compassion. Soon loves sprouts between them.
But still lingering in Altaaf's heart is the vengeance for the killer of his parents. As the D Day for 'Mission Kashmir' draws closer Altaaf engages in a deadly duel with Inayat Khan. The outcome of this duel will not only determine the success or failure of Kohistani's mission but also have bearing on the fate of Kashmir.
Although fictitious, the film is a bold and almost true account of the ground realities in the insurgency torn valley. Penned jointly by Vinod Chopra, Vikram Chandra (the US- based novelist and scriptwriter), Suketu Mehta and Abhijit Joshi Mission Kashmir weaves together in a colorful tapestry the themes of war, love, friendship and violence. In its tone, it is neither pro-Indian nor pro-Pakistani, its pro-Kashmiri.
The film described by Vinod Chopra as his 'most challenging and difficult film to date' culminated as a result of unflagging determination of the star cast and the entire unit. While a considerable part of the film was shot in the actual locations in the thick of the action in Srinagar, for some special sequences award-winning art director Nitin Desai literally transformed Mumbai's Film City into Kashmir's Dal Lake.
Hrithik once again cuts a splendid performance as a youngster sucked in the vortex of terrorism. He is portrayed as anti-government in the early part of the film-- a bold role to play for even a seasoned actor, leave alone a budding superstar. Preity Zinta is no longer a bubbly chatterbox. With the characteristic ease of a veteran she plays the demure TV reporter. While Jackie again cuts a dash for himself in an award deserving performance, Sanjay Dutt too has essayed his role of a cop with aplomb.
Vinod Chopra's films have always been different, away from the regular masala kitsch Bollywood churns out every Friday. Beneath all the drama that goes on in the movie there lurks the aspiration to get across to people the message of what actually people of Kashmir are going through.
Movie Review : Seeks the paradise being lost (8/10) There seems no stopping Hrithik Roshan. With only two releases so far the star kid has achieved unprecedented success and his thir...
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