The well designed poster of the movie giving the feel of a western flick, did attract many eye balls at the theaters before its release. And the numerous Awards mentioned on them in bold, were also able to create a certain level of curiosity for the project. But somehow the visual promos aired on the Television channels were not matching with all those good things being said and written about the movie. So, I had my own doubts before watching “Lahore” which more or less proved exactly the same as I had thought.
Based on a sports subject, talking specifically about Kick Boxing and partly about Cricket, the movie revolves around the story of two real brothers trying to make a name in these two sports individually. But “Lahore” doesn’t start like a masterpiece as projected. Right from the beginning it looks like just another average product with ok performances and a seen before storyline. The reason being, it can easily be called an extended version of the Deol family’s “Apne”, where also the younger brother comes in to take the revenge for the defeat of his big bro in the ring. The only novelty added to it by the writers is the Indo-Pak peace mission angle handled in a very intelligent manner towards the end.
In fact till the movie reaches its climax, you keep wondering why it was showered all that appreciation in the festival circuit when it has nothing in content as per those standards. May be all the Jury members were not aware of any other movie on the same subject called “Apne”. Amazingly, I also couldn’t find anyone else pointing towards the similarity between these two movies in the print. Anyhow, the tables get turned towards the end, when the movie delivers a brilliantly and sincerely directed climax sequence which successfully manages to win over the viewer, leaving him in tears.
And after you have seen the concluding moments of “Lahore”, you get to understand why it was able to win hearts of all those Jury members in the festivals. The final sequence of the movie, very effectively gives out the message of peace to both India & Pakistan which should surely receive equal admiration from the two neighbors. The debutant director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan makes a sort of comeback in the end and hits a sixer. But if only he could create the same kind of impact throughout the movie, the results would have been far better.
In short, “Lahore” is only watchable for its superb climax and is not able to impress with its overall content. There are many flaws in its screenplay and direction which restricts itself to move over an above average product. For instance, it’s not that easy for a player to shift to an altogether different game and that also on a National level representing the country. Also Kick Boxing is not such a famous game in India and Pakistan that people will find easy to relate to. Another fact which came to my mind while watching “Lahore” was that why Cricket looks like such a dumb game on the screen, whereas in real life it’s so thrilling and compelling? Why, no director has been able to bring the same magic of the game on the screen as it is on the actual field? Till date, the only movie which came close to the spirit of Cricket was “Lagaan” but that too dealt in a pre independence era of the game.
There is another debut in “Lahore” of Aanahaad, who gives his best in the fight scenes but is just ok in the rest. Sushant Singh, Shraddha Nigam and the girl playing the Pak lady, act impressively. Mukesh Rishi looks tough and gives the right killing looks. Kelly Dorji, Saurabh Shukla and K. Jeeva play it low, but Nirmal Pandey, Nafiza Ali and Ashish Vidyarthi have nothing much to do. The most shining star of the movie is Farukh Sheikh who is simply superb as the National Coach fighting for his rights and students with the minister.
The major asset of “Lahore” remains its Kick Boxing sequences canned skillfully by the cinematographer Neelab Kaul. Music by M. M . Kreem is not having any gem as always expected from the maestro, but the background music is effective. In all, if you love watching sports movies, then “Lahore” will satisfy you partially. I really wish the whole movie was as good as its climax. Still, the director, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan clearly gives us the glimpses of a great director in the making. Proving his fine vision of the medium, choice of subject and look of the project, he is sure going to be a huge asset in the hands of a big corporate house.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
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