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Lakshya
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'Lakshya'

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

In the crop of young directors, Farhaan Akhtar is one who has the skill to infuse realistic elements into a film without compromising on the entertainment value. His first film Dil Chahta Hai introduced him as an effective storyteller and his Lakshya consolidates his position as a crafted filmmaker.

In Farhaan’s own words, Lakshya is not about Kargil war. But it is a movie about a wayward young man finding direction and sense of purpose to his life. The movie’s story deals with the 'maturing' of a confused son of an affluent businessman into a man with clear aim in life.

Life

for Karan Shergill [Hrithik Roshan] is nothing more than drifting in the wind. An easygoing guy with a non-serious attitude towards everything, Karan has no decisive aim in his life. Even his stern father (Boman Irani) does not expect much from him.

Karan and Romi Dutta (Preity Zinta) have been buddies since childhood. Now they very much look forward to be life companions. But Karan has yet to become self-dependent and choose a direction to his life.

Without much pre-thought Karan joins the armed forces and goes for strict physical and mental training at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. But the grueling training sessions at the academy make him rethink his decision. He flees and returns home where he is scolded both by his father and beloved Romi. Differences in the opinion separate Karan and Romi.

After much contemplation and introspection Karan decides to go back to the academy. But he is a different man going this time. This time he is determined to become the best soldier.

Time passes. Karan graduates from the academy and in the meantime Romi becomes a television journalist. When the two meet after years of gap, the shadow of war is looming on the borders of the country. And Karan, a key officer now, has only one aim clearly set before him – to fight for his country.

Unlike other war movies of Bollywood, Farhaan Akhtar has made Lakshya quite intelligently. In the first half of the movie he has focused on the angst of a young man, his directionless life, his gradual maturing, his grilling training at the Academy and his metamorphoses into a soldier. And in the second half the story moves into the battlefield, into the bunkers and shows the realities of war, the loss of lives and the triumph of the human spirit.

From start to the end Lakshya is evenly strewn with gripping sequences. Hrithik’s training at the academy in the first half keeps viewers glued to the screen. There is no doubt that many young viewers will easily relate to the indecisiveness of his character in this half. In the second half, the tempo builds up slowly and reaches a crescendo just before the climax when Hrithik and his company of soldiers climb a steep cliff to shock the intruders from the enemy territory.

Performances by both Hrithik and Preity are simply outstanding. The conviction with which Hrithik brings about the transformation of confused youngster into a responsible and mature man in his character is praiseworthy.

Amitabh Bachchan looks a bit oddly cast in role of a field commander on the battlefront. But his Maharashtraian accent will certainly charm many viewers.

The dialogues in the movie are impactful without being over-dramatic. Writer Javed Akhtar, Farhaan’s father, deserves full credit for a gripping and believable story. On the other hand, music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is reminiscent of many famous tunes from the west. The trio composers are certainly not original in their compositions.

In a nutshell, Lakshya has all the ingredients of a likeable movie. It is technically sound, visually striking and is based on a story, which is very much rooted in the reality.

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