Mehbooba Movie Review: This One Comes Straight from the Heart

Afzal Khan's magnum opus, Mehbooba comes as a relief for those who hanker after the cinema of yore. Call it old-fashioned if you will, but there is a certain charm to the film, which may have a little to do with mostalgia but it also brings alive an era of lavish opulent sets, high drama, and melody. It that charm which is bound to entice the audience. This was the brand of cinema that was seen so often in the films of Nineties when the multiplex kind of films had yet to catch on. Mehbooba is good, old world Hindi cinema, which still rings true today.

There is no taking awy from the fact that the film has a certain dated look, a surefire give away is the presence of Manisha Koirala, who was the reigning queen at a point of time. But besides the look of the actors, there is nothing else that one can hold against the film. One can feel the love and the money that hs been spent on the film, the lavish sets and the scenic locations abroad. In that sense, it reminds one of the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and the lavish scle on which he made his films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. This is the kind of film which should do really well with the traditional goers of Hindi cinema as found in the UP-Bihar belt, the traditonal stronghold of Hindi cinemas. In recent times, this region has been quite ignored by filmmakers, thus leading to rise of the Bhoijpuri film industry.

The film's story is about Shravan (Sanjay Dutt), a rich playboy in New York, who believes that every girl is his for the asking. He believs that he is irresistible to women because of his charm and his money. That is until he comes across Varsha. (Manisha Koirala). She refuses to be floored by him and does the unthinkable, when she refuses his advances. Having never been thwarted before, the rejection is something that Shravan is unwilling to stomach. He does appear to be penitent and apologises to Varsha for his boorish behaviour. Lust seems to have changed for love when he asks for her hand in marriage. Varsha is reluctant initially but is finally won over when her father persuades her that Shravan is definitely a changed man and that he genuinely loves her. They get engaged, make love and then comes the shocker. Shravan reveals that everything was a sham. He just wanted to sleep with and hence pretended to be in love and proposed marriage. Varsha's life is shattered. To add to the shock of Shravan's behaviour comes the death of her father. The film now moves to pictureque Budapest. That is where Varsha goes to start her life afresh as Payal. Karan (Ajay Devgan), who is Shravan's brother, meets her and falls in love with her. He now plans to marry Payal, opening the film up for all kinds of possibilties.

What really works for the film is the direction by Afzal Khan and Manisha's acting. Despite having a melodramatic story, it is the gripping manner in which Khan manages to build up the story that is commendable. His handling of the confrontation scenes between his protagonists and the climax is truly commendable. The film's story has been written by Rumi Jaffery, who is now all set to make his debut as director with God Tussi Great Ho, this time produced by Afzal Khan. Despite the film's story being slightly cliched, the film still manages to grip you, and the credit for that should go to the director, who seems to have made this film with his heart.

Of the performances, one can safely say that this is Manisha Koirala's film. How one wished that it had come before as it would have done wonders for her career. Since the film was made when the actress was ta her peak, she looks lovely and gives a wonderful performance as Varsha. The film more or less centres around her and she does full justice to it. Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan match up and put in commendable performances as well.

The film's music is its other asset. It is opulent, and lavish like the film itself. Ismail Darbar fully understood the demands of the film and its mood and his music which complements the feel of the film. This is music which has recall value. Best of all, the songs have been picturised really well.

With someone like Ashok Mehta behind the camera, there is not much that can go wrong. The cinematography is excellent. The lavish sets have been constructed by the peerless Nitin Desai. The result is, like we said before, a film which comes straight from the heart. The production values are excellent, the look is gorgeous, the music melodious, and the acting commendable. A little more attention to the dialogues would have worked wonders. But all in all, the film has lots going for it, if one can overlook the slightly dated feeling.