Mehabooba Review: Puri in ‘War’ with Love Story
QUICK SCAN
Rating: 1.5/5
First Impression: To give more than two hours boredom to audience, Puri Jagannath requires two countries-India and Pakistan, two rebirths, two religions, a cricket match and a love affair without a story
Plus points:
- A few tourist locations in Himachal Pradesh which we regularly view in Travel TV Channels.
- Intent and deep looks (not the feel) of Heroine Neha Shetty both as Pakistani girl and Indian girl (same make-up in two births excepting bindi on her forehead)
.Pitfalls:
- High Predictability: A story, that should have moved around one secret, is set in predictable lines from the beginning to the end.
- Cheap melodrama: Tragic scenes turn out to be laughing stock. If the director watches the movie sitting amid audiences, he finds how they sarcastically shout when the lovers leave from each other.
- Half-baked action: No artist, including, hero’s father (Shiaji Shinde), gets involved in the role. Shinde’s histrionics too appear artificial
- Dialogues: Excepting ‘Zindabad to Abdul Kalam’, not a single dialogue gives an impact.
- Flat love story: Excepting the reversing the birth places and religions, the love track is alike without having emotional travel.
- These are a few among countless pitfalls.
WHO’S WHO
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Movie: Mehbooba Banner: Touring Talkies Cast: Akash Puri, Neha Shetty, Shayaji Shinde, Vishnu Reddy, Murali Sharma Producer: Puri Connects Music: Sandeep Chowta Editor: Junaid Cinematography: Vishnu Sharma Action: Real Satish Written and directed by: Puri Jagannadh Release date: May 11, 2018
Plot: Love in War, Not War in Love
A Soldier (Akash Puri) protects a girl in enemy’s country from his own higher-up from his country’s army. This protective mode continues when she is reborn too. He indulges the border forces of the two countries (India and Pakistan) a war, which looks like street-fight, at the end.
Story: Having No Story is its Story
It’s beyond everybody’s imagination how Puri, who has penned an all time hit like’Pokiri, comes out with flat story line. Hero and Heroine are interchangeably born successively in two countries which are skirted by a border. You can’t see anything beyond, because Puri hasn’t attempted a story beyond this.
Treatment: Lustre-less Remake of ‘Magadheera’
Rajamouli sets a standard in visualising love in two births. The story is gripping. Though the hero, heroine and Villain look alike in two births, their traits vary. Puri almost takes the same line and doesn’t care to add his own flavour.
Screen play: Loosely Knit One
You can predict everything right from the beginning. Romance loses its sheen when it is routinely set in much expected situations.
Hero : Neither Too Good Nor Disappointing.
Puri ventures to keep his son, Akash Puri, as the hero to this haphazardly made movie. Interestingly Akash tries to do the movie to the best of his calibre. In a bid to protect Akash’ true looks, make-up is kept at bay. Good. Vikas too appears in his true looks. But Akash as a soldier requires energy in his looks, Akash disappoints us here. He, however, is reasonably better in fighting scenes than in those of romance.
Others in Cast: New Directors Set in Old Times
Barring the actors who played the roles of heroine’s father and mother and Akash’ boss in Pakistan Army, every actor fails to rise for the occasion. Again it’s the lapse on the part of the director in extracting the best out of them. The one who plays Akash mother’s action and dialogue delivery is highly artificial.
Dialogues: Punches Boomerang
Puri is known for his witty punches. Of course, no humour is found in the movie. In some scenes, the dialogues become counterproductive. When the writer expects sympathy, audience laugh and when he ignites anger, they sit emotionless.
Cinematography: Lens Lacks Vigor
Locations are good but capturing is poor.
Music: Only Sound and No Music
Some Pakistani tunes give a soothing effect once in a while but the music neither triggers nor elevates any emotion.
Bottom line:
If anyone risks witness a boring war and emotionless love, this is the right movie to watch.
