Hi -profile Candy-floss entertainers are fast divulging their brawny aspects by converging from 'goody-goody' family dramas to 'political comment' based path-breaking cinema. Earlier this year, it was Yash Raj's NEW YORK and now it's Karan Johar's KURBAAN (meaning 'sacrifice'), an offering that reveals the aftermath of global Islamic terrorism on West with writer cum debutante director Rensil D'Silva making hitherto efforts in giving it realistic shades and dimensions. As predictable from its theme, there is intense Sufism involved with tracks that should be preferably theme tracks rather than melodies. Like all K Jo's big successes, concept has been give prime significance and so there is flair of Prasoon Joshi's razor sharp edged writings with Salim-Sulaiman promising mystical Sufi melodic works in its audio packaging. After the musical success of 'yuppie' friendly WAKE UP SID, this album sounds like 'serious business' for producers with music carrying baggage of intensity and compassion embroiled in the works of Sufism. Can Karan Johar's flawless spate of musical success be carrying forward with KURBAAN? After KAAL, will this be another Salim-Sulaiman's blistering commercial success for the coveted banner? Let's find out its intricacies by plugging on 'play' button to its very first soundtrack 'Shukran Allah'…
Sonu Nigam is finally back!!! After couple of non-happening tracks, the singing sensation Sonu Nigam makes a swashbuckling comeback in 'Shukran Allah', rhythm-divine Sufi track with mystical magic woven in the mesmerizing instruments, echoing chorals with soul-enchanting romantic wordings to support. Salim-Sulaiman's dexterity brings out ensemble of musicians in the supple whirlwinds of sounds, rhythms that concocts metaphorically with Sufi chants of 'Shukran Allah wallah Alham dulillah…' (Offering thanks to God Almighty) echoed aptly with delightful set of voices. This soulful endeavor has intrinsic A.R Rahman's Sufi outlook and redefines the mellifluous spell of Sufism with brilliance that sparkles off with Sonu Nigam's pristine vocals, subtle feminine splurge of Shreya Ghoshal's demure and exhilarating back-up of Salim Merchant's resonant rendition. Prasoon Joshi's poetic finesse ('Nazron se nazrein mili to, Jannat si mehki Fizayein, Lab ne jo lab chu liya to, Aasmaan se barsi Duyaien…) explores the myriad shades of love and sacrifice unveiled with gratitude to Great 'Allah', exuding poetic semblance of being in love with divinity. The musical duo pours Persian and Arabic elements of Sufism with fine control of electronic sounds and rhythms to usher modernity in it. 'Shukran Allah' stands out as one of the finest in Sufi genre and also benchmarks the brilliance of Sonu Nigam with a promise of hitting charts in a big way. This clearly shows the aesthetical affluence of Karan Johar as knowledgeable connoisseur in picking up this number as signature track for this volatile love story and deserves applause for it. Soul-Enchanting!!!
After intense Sufism, the mood loosens to thriving pop-beat disco-qawalli type of music with divinity being the prime focus in situational sounding track 'Dua'. It triggers off with racy rhythmical patterns, similar to 'Dil Se' (DIL SE) and later gets into frivolous moods of party-freaking numbers like 'Nasaa Nassa' and 'Tauba Tauba' (KAAL -2005). This time Salim-Sulaiman's composition is again inspired from Rahman's style of music but the feel is moreover upbeat and urbane. Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher are the two lead vocalists in loud tonal mode in this disco-thumped 'qawalli'. Marianne D' Cruz sensuous back-up chorals give it trendy ambience of happening of West but the arrangements are too routine in its electronically synthesized maneuvers.
Salim Merchant makes notable embark of his intense and appealing vocals with intrinsically Sufism getting into sentimental tones in worth-hearing 'Ali Maula'. Beautifully written and pristinely composed, this Sufi divine track had traditionalistic flair of devout rendering his offering to God with likable chorals and customary instrumentals, giving it thriving narrative flows. This one has situational melodic number with quality substance of Sufi music and remarkable Salim's voice in varying tones. Prasoon Joshi's aptly penned number is likely to be a big catalyzing factor as a background score and will be the choice for quality listeners.
'Ali Maula (remix)' is big surprise but sounds like promotional feature flashy number that has all strong inputs of 'club-remix' soundtrack in it. This author backed number gets feisty dosage of DJ spins and scratches to lure pop-listeners and is likely to be creating 'word-of-mouth' for the flick in promos and discos.
In one scene, where Saif and his fundamentalist pal are going off to dispose a dead body, they are trapped in a routine road check. Bullets are exchanged and there is a chase. It is hard to digest the fact that these cops in the US would not have called for a back up. They all get killed and Saif escapes with a bullet wound. He gets it treated at home and a few minutes later, he is in the shower. The wound is still fresh.
There are a few more loose ends but the biggest joke is the character (a television journalist) played by Vivek Oberoi. An aircraft carrying a delegation of US officials along with hordes of journalists has been blown up mid air. He loses his girlfriend Dia Mirza in that blast. In his office, he hears Avantika's frantic message asking Dia not to board the flight as there is a bomb on board and her husband too is involved. Armed with the most vital clue, Vivek decides to investigate the bombing himself! He joins their network to learn more and no one misses him at his work place. All he had to do was give the FBI a tip-off after learning of their activities in the first two meetings, if not at the first instance. I mean, c'mon, this here is a big bombing, and you are sitting on the most telling lead!
Nothing adds up but for the hyped romance between Saif and Kareena. Both are in terrific form
KURBAAN is NEW YORK. But with a different set of actors. KURBAAN is also SHOOT ON SIGHT, again with different actors. The plot remains the same, the twists and turns fails to surprise you and the end is inevitable. However, here, the love story has been hyped, thanks to Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor having an off-screen romance as well. But the intensity and the love undercurrents between Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, and the romance between Kaif and John Abraham that was visible in NEW YORK is missing in KURBAAN.
Technically the movie is sound; acting wise, everyone chips in with a fine performance. The look, feel and action sequences are top class, but then you are not seeing anything new that has not been shown in the recent past. The above-mentioned films are just the recent references.
Ehsaan (Saif Ali Khan) falls in love with Avantika (Kareena Kapoor). Both teach in the same college in New Delhi. Avantika is back from the US, as she had to tend to her ailing father. Six month later, she gets a call from her University to come back. Ehsaan says he does not mind sacrificing his career to join her. He is traditional he says, not selfish. So off they go to the US and manage to find a home in an Indian neighbourhood. She also manages to find him a job in her college. Their neighbours befriend the new couple and that's when things spiral out of control.
There are many loose ends. The US knows Ehsaan as Khalid the dreaded terrorist. They have his photograph. When he comes back to the US with Avantika as Ehsaan, he has just trimmed his beard to a French cut. He still looks the same, yet they cannot detect him entering Kennedy Airport!
In one scene, where Saif and his fundamentalist pal are going off to dispose a dead body, they are trapped in a routine road check. Bullets are exchanged and there is a chase. It is hard to digest the fact that these cops in the US would not have called for a back up. They all get killed and Saif escapes with a bullet wound. He gets it treated at home and a few minutes later, he is in the shower. The wound is still fresh.
There are a few more loose ends but the biggest joke is the character (a television journalist) played by Vivek Oberoi. An aircraft carrying a delegation of US officials along with hordes of journalists has been blown up mid air. He loses his girlfriend Dia Mirza in that blast. In his office, he hears Avantika's frantic message asking Dia not to board the flight as there is a bomb on board and her husband too is involved. Armed with the most vital clue, Vivek decides to investigate the bombing himself! He joins their network to learn more and no one misses him at his work place. All he had to do was give the FBI a tip-off after learning of their activities in the first two meetings, if not at the first instance. I mean, c'mon, this here is a big bombing, and you are sitting on the most telling lead!
Nothing adds up but for the hyped romance between Saif and Kareena. Both are in terrific form.
