Airlift: The Great Escape

Movie Review

People in India have a perception that NRIs have great lifestyles, and enjoy all comforts, without having to do much effort to earn them. However, this isn’t exactly true. Two aspects that matter a lot are the political scenario in the nation one resides in, and their individual position & out-reach. Emergency situations like wars, terrorist attacks, or financial slow down may tend to affect the non-natives more significantly than the locals. The early 90s saw a similar state of affairs, in the form of the infamous Gulf War, where Iraq invaded Kuwait. Raja Krishna Menon’s ‘Airlift’ is about one of the largest ‘Indian’ rescue operations during the crisis.

The story begins with Ranjit Katyal, (Akshay Kumar) a businessman of Indian origin, who is settled in Kuwait with his family. He is well connected with ‘key influencers’ at right places, which helps run his business successfully. All is well until one fateful day Iraq declares war on Kuwait, and things begin to turn haywire for Ranjit & family. Whilst sorting out things for himself, he realises that there are 170,000 Kuwait based fellow-Indians facing the similar situation. Will Ranjit be able to bail out the entire Indian community from the trouble, or he shall be forced to pick & choose people from the lot? His pursuit to fulfill this objective is what the film is all about.

Airlift is a no-nonsense film, right from the word go. All political explanations run parallel to the narrative, without wasting much time, which makes the story, an engaging & gripping tale. The characters are well etched, shown to have multiple shades viz. compassionate, yet selfish at times and hopeful but cynical as well.  The best part of the film is ‘patriotism being handled with utmost subtlety’. Rather, the theme places humanity over patriotism at times. Also, there is no ‘super-hero’ or ‘larger than life’ character here.

Director Raja Krishna Menon handles the subject intelligently & with maturity. Editor, Hemanti Sarkar helps him balance the narrative well.

Despite having no punch dialogues, or over-the-top slogans, the film still conveys its message with conviction.

Having said that, like earlier films based on real life incidents even Airlift does not follow history of events verbatim. However, it successfully highlights people’s struggle when they are torn between their ‘Janma-Bhoomi’ & ‘Karma-Bhoomi’. One need not look too much for an authenticity check, when the intent is positive. Menon, Suresh Nair, Rahul Nangia and Ritesh Shah have done a great job, indeed.  Cinematography by Priya Seth is first-rate. Music by Arijit Singh, Ankit Tiwari, Amaal Mallik is good.

Talking about the performances, Akshay Kumar is outstanding. Though, he plays the protagonist with a mission, he restrains himself, and does justice to the character. Nimrat Kaur who plays his wife, emotes well and provides adequate support. Prakash Belawadi is just brilliant. Every appearance of his on screen induces laughter.

Inaam-ul-Haq impresses in a brief role. All other actors Ninad Kamat, Kumud Mishra, Kaizaad Kotwal, Purab Kohli play their parts well. Veteran TV actors Arun Bali, Surendra Pal and Avtar Gill make their presence felt.

Overall, Airlift is an inspiring & entertaining fare. It highlights a recent, yet forgotten milestone, which deserves to be learnt from.

In today’s world, where people are technology-dependent & hardly have real-time conversations, it reinforces the message of effective, impactful communication, & standing up for each other, esp. while sailing in the same boat.

Rating: ****

Natasamrat : When Life ‘Plays’ its Part

Image Courtesy : marathicineyug.com

Movie Review

Cinema & theatre are two different media of entertainment. While the latter usually has a niche audience (hardcore ‘art-house’ lovers), the former caters to both masses and classes. However, the distinct identities of both platforms have always inspired writers / directors to adapt stories from each other. Nonetheless, if the original story is a classic, it does take lot of courage & conviction to transform it into the other form, without disturbing the essence and hurting the viewers.

Natasamrat, Asa Nat Hone Nahi by Mahesh Manjrekar is the screen adaptation of noted Marathi playwright, Kusumagraj’s iconic play of the same title. The expectations behind the film were already rocket high, with renowned actors Nana Patekar and Vikram Gokhale being a part of the principal cast.

The story begins with Ganpatrao Ramchandra Belwalkar (played by Nana Patekar), a veteran ‘theatre’ actor of yesteryears, now living in anonymity. He dwells among strangers, who have the highest regard & respect for him because of his helping nature & compassion. He converses in riddles, which takes people by surprise.

What circumstances lead a stalwart like Ganpatrao to settle down in obscurity?  Was it by choice or force? Or is it just another example of riches to rags story?  What about his blood relatives? The answers to all these questions crop up one by one as the plot unfolds.

The narrative is pretty simple & straight forward, focusing mainly on the characters & their perspectives. It effectively brings out the different shades in human beings. The most challenging part would have been to re-write the screenplay by   ‘un-dramatizing’ the non- key portions suited to cine-goers. Director Mahesh Manjrekar & Abhijeet Deshpande succeed in implementing the same.

The introduction of fresh elements & newer characters to the original tale proves to be a revelation. It adds tremendous value to the story, and strengthens the flow of the sequences. The appropriate & balanced use of satire / sarcasm for both comic relief & pathos is indeed one of the special features.

Dialogues by Kiran Yadnyopavit, Abhijeet Deshpande are the soul of the film. Excerpts from William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Julius Caesar have been translated & aptly incorporated in the narrative.

The overall treatment is quite unique and well executed but slightly theatrical in approach, especially in terms of the pace, and use of non-colloquial monologues. Certain sections of people may find it a bit heavy to digest.

Cinematography by Ajith. V. Reddy is excellent. The backdrop of late 80s showcasing traditional architecture & vintage cars is nostalgic.  Editing by Paresh Manjrekar is up to the mark.

Music by Ajith Parab is soulful and stirring. All the songs are integral parts of the narrative.

Nana Patekar does what he is ‘best’ known for – “Carrying the entire film on his shoulders’’. The legendary actor known to get into the skin of his character, yet playing it in his own style, once again proves his mettle as the master of his craft!  Your heart reaches out to him as he makes you laugh, cry, think, at the drop of a hat. The climax is just phenomenal & deserves a standing ovation. In short, Nana does complete justice in reprising Dr. Shreeram Lagoo’s (another veteran) role from the play.

 

Medha Manjrekar as Kaveri (Ganpatrao’s wife) is excellent. Her rock-solid support to Nana as his better half on-screen is perfect.

Vikram Gokhale as Ramya, Ganpatrao’s aide & closest friend comes up with another stupendous performance. The scenes where both of them appear together are perfect examples of sheer CINEMATIC BRILLIANCE. For instance – a portion where they enact a scene from the Mahabharata gives you goose-bumps.

All other actors’ viz. Savita Malpekar, Sunil Barve, Neha Pendse, Mrunmayee Deshpande, Ajit Parab, provide adequate support. Nilesh Diwekar and Jayant Wadkar do well in cameos.

To summarize, the film highlights how priorities change with time, and the importance of taking charge, before life slips away like a handful of sand!

Overall, Natasamrat is an outstanding film, with intense performances, to be watched with family & loved ones.  It’s a cinematic delight for hardcore art-house lovers!

Rating : ***1/2