Rahul Dholakia’s ‘Lamhaa’ is an ambitious attempt, trying to bring to fore the multifaceted conundrum that the Kashmir crisis is. For the most part it is quite a realistic depiction of the various issues that plague Kashmir. The film, probably deliberately, is more like a documentary than a cohesive narrative that unfolds to tell a compelling story.
Kashmiriyat, the catalytic role that ISI plays in the valley, the vested interests of the Indian and Pakistani governments in keeping the issue alive, the plight of Kashmiri pandits, the atrocities by the security personnel, the trials suffered by the widows and orphans caught in the midst of all this and foremost, the systematic brainwashing of young and vulnerable minds to join the ‘holy’ Jehad – Dholakia attempts to address all these issues in this film. Given that Kashmir cannot be understood from a limited perspective and any portrayal of this contentious issue needs a holistic approach, Dholakia fails to provide a comprehensive narrative.
It’s a persuasive tale, how the issue of Kashmir has become more of a business proposition and a story of political one-upmanship for those in power. Caught in the crossfire of political rhetoric and unabated militancy are ordinary lives struggling to come out of the shadow of terror. But somewhere it falls short of becoming that one defining film on Kashmir that tells a complete untold story.
The cast doesn’t disappoint with Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu and Anupam Kher delivering their parts with conviction. Kunal Kapoor is decent except his attempted fiery and provocative speeches that fall flat and sound totally unconvincing and filmy. Some characters with their frightening beards seem like lame stereotypes that we could have done without.
The songs are just thrown in without any attempt to weave it into the narrative. The experimentation with the camera movements and editing didn’t quite seem to have the desired effect; in fact, I found it quite disconcerting initially.
To give him his due, it’s a commendable effort but the climax doesn’t quite pay off. Like I said, in his attempt to address varied issues at the same time, the plot doesn’t quite tie in everything with together at the end. I was left wanting for more and looking for some kind of closure while I watched the end credits on screen.
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