Earth 8212; Powerhouse performances

Deepa Mehta's 1947-Earth, based on the book Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa, is set in Lahore at the time of Partition, a poignant story o...

Deepa Mehta8217;s 1947-Earth, based on the book Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa, is set in Lahore at the time of Partition, a poignant story of a few simple people whose lives contort beyond recognition while history is being made.

Shanti Nandita Das, is a domestic in the house of a Parsee couple, and also doubles up as the nanny of their little daughter, Lenny Maia Sethna through whose eyes the film is narrated. The ice-candy man Aamir Khan, the masseau Rahul Khanna and Shanti form the film8217;s love triangle, but when the largest civilian displacement in human history begins to take place, life inevitably becomes much more complex. Caught in the midst of the chaos, Shanti and the masseau decide to escape to India and get married, but get inextricably entwined in the turbulence which consumes the lives, hopes and dreams of a million Indians.

This period film sensitively depicts the mindset of the people of the time 8211; issues like child marriage and the segregation of a feudal society, colour vast parts of the film8217;s canvas. Music by A R Rehman is fresh and evocative.

The actors deliver impressive performances. Rahul Khanna and Maia Sethna surpass expectations and are competent. Aamir Khan, as usual, gets under the skin of the character, effortlessly metamorphosing into a larger-than-life, convincing ice-candy man. Nandita Das is phenomenal, and brings Shanti to life. As for the many people of this generation who think of Partition simply as a line drawn on a map, 1947 Earth will familiarise them with the horror of an event which claimed more lives than the Nazi Holocaust.

Showing at New Empire 8212; Sonaal Chaand

Hello Brother, a GS Entertainment offering, is yet another Hollywood rehash. This time Heart Condition is tossed about to make an indigestible salad where the local bhai Hero Salman Khan is bumped off instead of the cop in the original film. Add to this Inspector Vishal Arbaaz Khan who wants to corner Hero but becomes instead the only person who can hear/feel the dead bhai8217;s aatma.

The secret love of Hero8217;s life is Rani Rani Mukherjee the basti belle and Vishal8217;s body controlled by the stirrings of Hero8217;s heart is drawn to her and body and spirit fall in love. The result is mayhem. Salman Khan is essentially playing himself. The impression you get is that he8217;s gotten out of bed, is unaware of the camera and is being filmed on a routine day. Rani Mukherjee8230; well the less said the better. The rest of the film is dotted with impossible characters ranging from bad to worse.

The police commissioner of Mumbai suffers from an acute flatulent disorder and much of the juvenile humour of the film hinges on this. Hatela Johnny Lever is a gundaa turned havaldar, and the most absurd character, besides Hero. Most of the music sounds like a terrible version of something you8217;ve heard before.

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The story line8230;what story line?8230;is so disjointed that if you blink you might just lose the thread of events. All in all it8217;s a Hollywood remake Bollywood ishtyle masala film. Arbaaz8217;s funny persona is a futile attempt to express his versatility. The three Khan brothers have have a lot to learn if this is their idea of a laugh riot.

Showing at Minerva, Satyam.

8212;Aarti Sharma