Freedom
is a major driving force behind Mahesh Bhatt's cinema. Like it or
not, Mahesh's tortured vision colours and complements every frame
that his protégées from Anurag Basu to Mohit Suri have created.
In this hauntingly delineated portrait of a woman's right to self-fulfilment,
Mohit Suri steps forward with a tale that tilts its hat to the very
best of world cinema.
European in feel, Indian in texture and supremely secular in its
view of love, loyalty and other passionate eruptions, "Awarapan" is
one of those tightly-wound thriller-dramas where the outflow of
emotions is so controlled that you forget the implausibility of the
plot.
Emraan Hashmi gets one more author-backed chance to prove his worth.
He does a commendable job of creating a young emotional gypsy whose
loyalty to his employee (Ashutosh Rana, fiercely clenched in his
evilness) is challenged by his conscience. Every member of the vast
cast is in character.
Between the two leading ladies who form a before-and-after axis in
the taut plot, Shreya Saran's freshness and expressiveness are
infectious. Mrinalini Sharma could've done better if she wasn't
dressed wrongly for the part of a brutal man's mistress.
The scenes between Hashmi and his master's mistress will remind you
of Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in "Koyla" and also Abhishek
Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor in "Refugee".
Hashmi's character and the narration are driven by demons that do
not render themselves into any comfortable configuration. Two vital
sequences, one where he desperately tries to dig his beloved out of
her grave and another when the lacerated hero confronts the villain
at the end with tears quietly streaming down his face, showcase
Emraan's coming-of-rage proclivities.
"Awarapan" could have been a messy combo of melodrama and mayhem.
There are a lot of both in the narrative but the film succeeds in
going beyond the routine romantic rituals associated with films
about forbidden love.
The locales lend a mesmerising rocky ruggedness to the raga of
tormented emotions. The volatile music score (by Pritam Chakbraborty)
and the skilful interweaving of deftly cut scenes, which lend
lucidity to the script, make the film a cut-above-the-notch viewing.
I've always thought of Emraan Hashmi as an actor who conceals more
than he reveals on screen. There is an inherent pain in his
personality that this film taps better than anything he has done
earlier. This film marks the emergence of a major talent.
Director Mohit Suri harnesses the concealed side of Emran Hashmi's
personality with an all-encompassing view into hearts that have
known no home.
Freedom could be a song or it could be a poem. In "Awarapan" it's a
thought that gets smothered in a stifled scream.
Suri has specialised in manifesting the fears and anxieties of
tortured souls in flight. After trying it out with lukewarm success
in "Kalyug" and "Woh Lamhe", he gets it right this time.
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Freedom
is a major driving force behind Mahesh Bhatt's cinema. Like it or
not, Mahesh's tortured vision colours and complements every frame
that his protégées from Anurag Basu to Mohit Suri have created.