Did you say Nuu Yok?
Well yes, New York it is.
Despite a lot of negative feedback and bad word-of-mouth publicity, I went to see NY. What the heck! TOI has given 4 stars to the movie, I should at least watch it. If nothing else, then for the sake of John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. C'mon now, wh
at if they can't act. They're at least good to look at... paisa wasool :-)
My only other option was Kambakkht Ishq, and I was dead against it. Who would want to spend money to watch a middle-aged actor trying hard at comedy and an actress who seems so full of herself that she thinks she is obliging us by appearing in front of the camera?
It turned out that I should exercise my own discretion before I decide against a movie. NY isn't that bad after all. True, the plot is clear and simple. And if you are expecting a lot of masala and entertainment, NY isn't your movie. It has its 'moments', yet the progression is slow. There is not much unexpected that happens in the storyline, and the scripting could have been better. You can guess what is going to happen next, all with the Muslims in the US being persecuted & detained, post 9/11. Maybe the director did not want to risk rubbing the too-sensitive subject in, and he has managed to handle it in a balanced way.
As far as the characters go, Neil's (Omar) is the only one whose mind you can understand well, and empathize with. The rest aren't sketched out too well, including Maya (Katrina ) and Sameer (John), around whom the action revolves. Sameer, who is arrogant and an attention-seeker during his college days, is detained by the FBI post 9/11 and tortured for nearly 9 months. The detention shatters his self respect. But the contrast is not so clear, the focus being mostly on Omar during the first half of the movie. John tries his best to depict the change, and manages to some extent, but director Kabir Khan falters here. The transformation of a college hero into a terrorist should be justified. Not only by the story saying so, but by characterization.
The movie picks up well, manages to sustain interest as it opens, and ends on a dramatic note. There is a love triangle thrown in, and the director does well not to end the movie with the girl being left
with the other guy... Neil is good in the movie, John does well too and Katrina in the role of a videsi Indian fits well, being herself :-)
And yes, our own Irrfan Khan as an FBI officer is a delight to watch on screen. Someone who knows how to time his actions and dialogues... neat.
Catch it once....
Despite a lot of negative feedback and bad word-of-mouth publicity, I went to see NY. What the heck! TOI has given 4 stars to the movie, I should at least watch it. If nothing else, then for the sake of John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. C'mon now, wh
at if they can't act. They're at least good to look at... paisa wasool :-)My only other option was Kambakkht Ishq, and I was dead against it. Who would want to spend money to watch a middle-aged actor trying hard at comedy and an actress who seems so full of herself that she thinks she is obliging us by appearing in front of the camera?
It turned out that I should exercise my own discretion before I decide against a movie. NY isn't that bad after all. True, the plot is clear and simple. And if you are expecting a lot of masala and entertainment, NY isn't your movie. It has its 'moments', yet the progression is slow. There is not much unexpected that happens in the storyline, and the scripting could have been better. You can guess what is going to happen next, all with the Muslims in the US being persecuted & detained, post 9/11. Maybe the director did not want to risk rubbing the too-sensitive subject in, and he has managed to handle it in a balanced way.
As far as the characters go, Neil's (Omar) is the only one whose mind you can understand well, and empathize with. The rest aren't sketched out too well, including Maya (Katrina ) and Sameer (John), around whom the action revolves. Sameer, who is arrogant and an attention-seeker during his college days, is detained by the FBI post 9/11 and tortured for nearly 9 months. The detention shatters his self respect. But the contrast is not so clear, the focus being mostly on Omar during the first half of the movie. John tries his best to depict the change, and manages to some extent, but director Kabir Khan falters here. The transformation of a college hero into a terrorist should be justified. Not only by the story saying so, but by characterization.
The movie picks up well, manages to sustain interest as it opens, and ends on a dramatic note. There is a love triangle thrown in, and the director does well not to end the movie with the girl being left
with the other guy... Neil is good in the movie, John does well too and Katrina in the role of a videsi Indian fits well, being herself :-)And yes, our own Irrfan Khan as an FBI officer is a delight to watch on screen. Someone who knows how to time his actions and dialogues... neat.
Catch it once....
Labels: movie, movie review, movies, New York, New York review
posted by Priyanka | 12:26 PM
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1 comments
