The moffusil towns of UP and Bihar---ashdoc's favourite haunt cinematically....physically i would think twice before going there , given the law and order situation in those parts . But that is the heart of India , and the heart of India is where ashdoc's heart lies....cinematically , of course...
So in Arrah ( or is it only Ara ) in Bihar sings a beautiful damsel called Anarkali ( played by Swara Bhaskar ) . And she also dances and sways and entices the crowd with her lascivious movements....for she is nothing but a dancing girl....
But naturally , she has truckloads of admirers who are ready to sigh on her every move . And they are ready to applaud and whistle on the words of her songs . But the harsh reality is that as a dancing girl who gyrates sexily in front of crowds , she is considered as public commodity .
And so the inevitable happens---in front of just such a crowd , a powerful politician ( played by Sanjay Mishra ) misbehaves with her and molests her under the influence of liquor . But Anarkali is not one to take things lying down and she slaps him and walks off the stage .
But the politician is too powerful to let this insult be forgotten , and he has the local police under his command . He begins to hound Anarkali so much that she is forced to leave Bihar and flee to Delhi .
The movie was engaging enough till this point , but at Delhi it begins to drag....Bihar has way of making things interesting in the movies like no other place....
And maybe the director sensed this too , for he has Anarkali deciding to go back to her hometown and face the politician and face her destiny....
The movie rests fair and square on Swara Bhaskar's performance , and she does deliver with aplomb . Her acting is perfect as a feisty dancing girl who wants to maintain her dignity ; watch her pout in moments of happiness , and explode in moments of anger....and anger and situations for expressing it are forever round the corner . Only while on the run and in Delhi do her high spirits sag , and then the film sags too---she is the adrenaline of the film . Wearing backless blouses and arching to show her cleavage , she does look inviting....
Pankaj Tripathi is now a staple in movies showcasing UP Bihar ; he plays Anarkali's sidekick and does a decent job as always . Ishtiyak Khan plays a Bihari person who helps her in Delhi and acts fairly too . The witty poems that are recited in the movie are funny to hear .
But music is not fantastic , or maybe I am not used to the bhojpuri flavour of it that is sung in the movie . Photography and colours are okay , but the ending was not as dramatic as wanted by me . The critics will applaud Swara's acting , but as a commercial film the movie is not great . I came out with an okayish impression .
Verdict---one time watch .
Two and a half stars out of five .
So in Arrah ( or is it only Ara ) in Bihar sings a beautiful damsel called Anarkali ( played by Swara Bhaskar ) . And she also dances and sways and entices the crowd with her lascivious movements....for she is nothing but a dancing girl....
But naturally , she has truckloads of admirers who are ready to sigh on her every move . And they are ready to applaud and whistle on the words of her songs . But the harsh reality is that as a dancing girl who gyrates sexily in front of crowds , she is considered as public commodity .
And so the inevitable happens---in front of just such a crowd , a powerful politician ( played by Sanjay Mishra ) misbehaves with her and molests her under the influence of liquor . But Anarkali is not one to take things lying down and she slaps him and walks off the stage .
But the politician is too powerful to let this insult be forgotten , and he has the local police under his command . He begins to hound Anarkali so much that she is forced to leave Bihar and flee to Delhi .
The movie was engaging enough till this point , but at Delhi it begins to drag....Bihar has way of making things interesting in the movies like no other place....
And maybe the director sensed this too , for he has Anarkali deciding to go back to her hometown and face the politician and face her destiny....
The movie rests fair and square on Swara Bhaskar's performance , and she does deliver with aplomb . Her acting is perfect as a feisty dancing girl who wants to maintain her dignity ; watch her pout in moments of happiness , and explode in moments of anger....and anger and situations for expressing it are forever round the corner . Only while on the run and in Delhi do her high spirits sag , and then the film sags too---she is the adrenaline of the film . Wearing backless blouses and arching to show her cleavage , she does look inviting....
Pankaj Tripathi is now a staple in movies showcasing UP Bihar ; he plays Anarkali's sidekick and does a decent job as always . Ishtiyak Khan plays a Bihari person who helps her in Delhi and acts fairly too . The witty poems that are recited in the movie are funny to hear .
But music is not fantastic , or maybe I am not used to the bhojpuri flavour of it that is sung in the movie . Photography and colours are okay , but the ending was not as dramatic as wanted by me . The critics will applaud Swara's acting , but as a commercial film the movie is not great . I came out with an okayish impression .
Verdict---one time watch .
Two and a half stars out of five .