Dor – cut it short Mr Nagesh !!!!
Dor – cut it short Mr Nagesh !!!!
Ok first things first… Everybody is screaming that Dor is a must watch like here. I didnt read the review as I knew I will anyways watch a nagesh kukonoor film. I saw The Warrior(Irfan khan) on my comp and Khosla Ka Ghosla a day before. I thought my time was lucky So I went to the hall with anticipation in my heart.
What happened the next two hours made me want to go puke!!!
You may ask why??? And here is an example.
U heard Aashiq banaya aapney track for the first time…You like himesh’s voice. You think its pretty good and different. The feeling is also there in Aksar – Jhalak dikhlaja …. Slowly slowly u grow bored of it…. Himesh begins to hit u on the head with his nasal outpours. So much that when u hear a Anthony kaun hai(Saawariya), Rocky (Junoon), Phir hera phera (Jhummey raat) etc etc …. u wanna go puke … Right ???? That’s what happened with me in this film.
Here’s the story –
Zeenat(Gul panag) is in himachals with her 1 day old husband Aamir (wo has to go to saudi the very next day for career). Mira (Ayesha Takia) is a Rajasthani wife whose husband – Shankar is also going to saudi for work. The two women spend their lives waiting for their husbands, receiving letters, phone calls etc…. reminiscing. Till one day –
It turns out that Aamir has been booked for murder of shankar (they both were living together in saudi and hence were good roommates cum friends). Rumor is that shankar’s death was an accident, but there is no evidence/witness.
And then Mira starts crying …bangles breaking…. sindoor mitaoing … starts wearing blue burkha/purda (whatever that dress is called … figure it out yourself) as her life is doomed. She does everything except screaming “Nahiiiiin “ (and thank God for that). Meanwhile, Zeenat is told there is only one way to get aamir out from saudi jail, to get mira’s forgiveness letter signature (bewaa sey likha maafinaama) and send it to saudi. So the journey starts for Zeenat to go and look for Mira with Shankar’s photo in hand and few ruppees.
Ever genial Sardarjis, stalking men with the intent of looting izzat-aabru, small town rajasthani restaurants, and a behroopiya (Shryeas Talpade), these are some of what Zeenat goes through in her journey.
She comes across the now girvi Shankar’s haveli and meets the family (minus Mira) which is ruled by the patriarch (Girish kannad). When Zeenat says that she is the wife of the purported murderer ‘Aamir’ she gets spurned away and spat at .. thrown away from the haveli like a ‘bhikharin’.
She meets Mira the next day (in the temple) with the intention of telling her the truth, opening her heart out and getting her signature. But she is so struck by the innocence and child like face of mira that “meri himmat nahi hui tumhey sach bataney ki“ Deja vu ???? Yes sir…. Protaginist not telling the truth – Lage raho Munnabhai, innumerable love stories RHTDM, KKHH, K3G, Kal ho na ho, Jab pyaar kisese hota hai etc etc etc etc etc
So then she decides that she will talk with her, walk with her, play with her, dance with her, and do everything with her in those stolen moments except talk about the real purpose why she is there. Her justification given (to Shreyas) is that I want to be friends with her … (move over RGV, here’s the new Sholay with Basanti and the Thakur’s widowed-Bahu singing -yeh dosti hum nahi todengey).
Honestly, this is where Nagesh lost me as an audience. This is where Auntijy, the social worker, of Naari bachao Aandolan, steps in.
45 mins of screen time it takes for them to develop friendship and for Zeenat to confess the truth. But before she does that, Zeenat hammers your head again and again with corniest possible dialogues like “Zindagi apney liye jiyo” , “Tum wohi karo joh tumhara dil chahe”, “Apney dil sey Imaan ki chalaang lagao “, “kya ek vidhwa aurat apna gum bhulaney key liye naach gaa nahi sakti ???” , “Yeh samaj aurat ko kyun bandhta hai??” , “Hamesha sach bolo” , Wow … is this the mahatma gandhi lage raho influence showing Mr Naagesh ???? The only possible Naari related dialogue left that I could think was “Main tumharey bachchey ki maa banney waali hoon”
Mind you I am not against women’s liberation. I think Astitva was the most amazing film I have seen on that subject. And loud films like Daman, Chingari – I haven’t seen and don’t intend to. The issue here could certainly have been put across subtly. Mr Nagesh, If a widow in her isolation, dances to “You are my sonia” from K3G, reminiscing the same dance she did for her husband, is that women’s liberation????????? It is as stupid as the vande matram song background when Hrithik Roshan goes to London in K3G. Or perhaps even more than when the kid in the same film sings the national anthem at a school function in london !!!!! .
And more importantly, am I the only reviewer who is saying this??????
And please oh please, let’s not even talk about the DDLJ styled ending here. I think all the train, plane, bus airport endings should be banned. Yes they all should be banned (excluding Sadma and DDLJ). I wonder was there a lesbian angle in the film???? It should’ve been there!!!! That might have woken me up!!!!
I hate films which have this ‘wannabe something’ look about them but are something else/ or perhaps films that try too hard to be too extra sensitive. Eg: My brother nikhil (every one was like- nikhil is gay, still I love him. He is an aids patient, but see the sensitivity of the situation, still i love him).
Performances, Shreyas is pretty good as the comic behroopiya. Ayesha takia tries her best and looks comfortable in the role but at times she looks as innocent as a new born baby. And yes she walks through 90% of the film wearing that silly blue dress. Girish kannad looks strictly ok. And what the hell is Vishal (who had played Shahid kapoor sidekick in Ishq Vishq) is doing in the film????
Gul panag looks good and expressive….and I’m sorry I couldn’t help but notice that she has a brilliant figure (I’m being extra careful when I worded this). It’s funny when the dialogues are not good and the screenplay dies after a point, your mind wanders to things only a sexually frustrated chap would think of, or perhaps your most basic instincts.
Nagesh sahib, you should’ve cut the Dor and kept it short and brief!!! Dead slow screenplay, social message hammered down your throat, leading women fully clothed all the time (not that it is needed in films … but whatever), a 2 line sentence being stretched to a 45 minute ordeal, and the corniest of dialogues you an ever imagine….. make this film a nightmare. More so because this is directed by Nagesh kukonoor, all of whose films I have loved and enjoyed whole heartedly.
D. Watch it only if you are a social worker, or if your spouse is one.
P.S – there are rumors that the film is a straight lift of a malyalam film “Perumazhakkalam”. Myself to Naagesh – Et tu Brutus ?????
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LOL! you sure make it sound like totally avoidable!!
Pity that, as the promos seemed pretty promising and seemed like it would be an interesting film…
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@ Chandni
yeah avoidable is the word.
Promos look good since they are on a picturesque rajasthan and a beautiful Himachal.
All that glitters is not gold (Lajja, Dor, Daman, Chingari)
And all that is gold need not glitter (films like Astitva, Matrubhoomi)
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So, is this the worst movie made by Nagesh or can we still hold on to Hyderabad Blues 2?
On a serious note, even i am getting vexed with the Women’s liberation issue. Have see many ENOUGH!!!! On trying real hard can i find 2-3 movies out of countless made on Women’s liberation that were passable.
Good review Karthik. Thanks for all the caution but, i still will watch it, as a pucca Nagesh fan.lol
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“I think all the train, plane, bus airport endings should be banned.” =))
That is really funny. I’m surprised you hate it so much. Both the Media and blogger world have been going gaga over Dor! Infact Khalid Mohammed at DNA India calls it a “miniature masterpiece” – but then – quite honestly, quite a few of his labelled “masterpieces” in the last 30 years of reading his reviews had turned out to be a bore.
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the train ending is supposed to mock ddlj.get his joke???
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@ Sumeet – Go on …. But don’t say I didn’t warn you !!! \:d/
Havent seen HB2 so can’t comment.
@Oz We will perenially IGNORE what khalid mohammed says. Since he’s inflicted so much pain on us by making Fiza and Silsilay.
The thing is, just because it has been made by someone who has a name, every where in the MSM, there’ve been going gaga over the film. It’s almost as if these guys had decided that the film was to be given a 4 star rating !!!
@Swati – Thanks. I think everyone wld’ve got the joke !!! :-)
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I am sorry…u totally didnt get the film….yes to a simple woman in rajasthan being able to sing and dance to a song cud be liberation!
I think it was a beautiful film, great editing!
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whatever u say sm007 …
So is Mumbai se aaya mera dost … a simple village waking upto electricity/television …
It might be liberation for them … but pls gimme a break !!!!
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mind u im not against against the idea of the films …. just against the stupid execution of it … in both the cases …
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you have a right your own opinion…. i think the film is rather well dealt with…
the time when mira becomes a widow is treated in quite a subtle manner….
the blue dress is required… it wouldnt have really helped th story to have mira in a rina dhaka collection…
infact as you rightly say the social message is drillled down your throat… well i guess tht was the point…
and the treatment of the comic relief ,…shreyas is quite well done…
i am not overtly impressed by the movie as by individual performances… but its quite well done…cheers!
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I beg to differ. The subtle individual performances, screenplay and story were all good compared to the usual duds the Indian movie industry has been throwing out in recent years. All the “problem scenes” by the reviewer (on breaking hand jewellery, the widow dancing to a song, etc.) held a certain fascination to me (I am a British gent). I have seen train station scenes in some Indian movies but this one was handled differently.
Cheers!
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this is not the best from NK, but its definitely worth watching … do not give wrong reviews and make people avoid a good movie … this was nt a realistic cop movie …its a fantasy movie …and you should surely expect scenes to be more dramatical and filmy …. i guess you are the only one who found the dialogues corny …. bad review dude
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watever u say silvojax … u might have liked the film…
The fact is .. the film didnt work for me.. and i have pointed out all thats bad in the review
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review fully up-to-the-mark. This is not what one expects from a NK film. NK tried to copy a powerful story (Malayalam film “pezhumazhakalam”)and trashed it. I would recommend one and all to see the original version. NK could have made a usual bollywood naach-gana, nautanki film rather than trash a powerful story like this.
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