Pukar

FEBRUARY 4: Come take a journey into this part of India which, for reasons best known to director Rajkumar Santoshi, stays unnamed throug...

FEBRUARY 4: Come take a journey into this part of India which, for reasons best known to director Rajkumar Santoshi, stays unnamed throughout the film where the Army has managed to nab international mercenary Abrush played splendidly by a menacingly-madeup Danny Denzongpa at the hands of Major Jaidev Anil Kapoor, who is annointed a hero for his huge feat. On his return home since the victory, Jaidev falls hopelessly in love with a beauty queen Pooja Malappa Namrata Shirodkar, daughter of a retired army officer.

Before it is too late, Jaidev must foil Abrush8217;s plan to blow up the town hall. Of course, in true filmi style, and not without the help of Anjali, he saves the day in style, disarming a bunch of bombs mere seconds before they8217;re about to go off.

Despite credible performances from most of the supporting cast including those by Anjaan Srivastava, Rohini Hattangadi as Pooja8217;s ambitious mum, Om Puri and Sivaji Satam as Jaidev8217;s seniors there8217;s still a feeling of uneasiness at the end. Perhaps in an attempt to stay politically correct, Santoshi refrains from naming Abrush8217;s mulk, which has planted such bad apples in India, although it8217;s clearly evident in which direction the fingers are pointed.

As always, A R Rahman8217;s soundtrack comprises a handful of hummable tunes. The film8217;s camerawork by three cinematographers: Ashok Mehta, Baba Azmi, Santosh Sivan is easily one of its most impressive elements, as are Pukar8216;s action scenes.

Sadly, though, some portions in the film seem dated, obviously canned earlier on during the film8217;s extensive shoot. The climax, incidentally, seems remarkably similar to that of 1942: A Love Story. Of the lead characters, Namrata Shirodkar is pleasant in her part, while it is not Madhuri Dixit8217;s best role. Yet she has given it her all, especially jazzing it up for the foot-tapping Que Sara Sara number with Prabhudeva. Anil Kapoor is in great form, delivering the goods super-successfully. Definitely his most meaty part since Virasat, he does justice by giving just the right amount of sensitivity to the role of a no-nonsense para-commander.

Purely because it8217;s a good-looking film made on a huge scale, Pukar is a movie that you might not want to miss.

8212; RAJEEV MASAND