Mumbai Meri Jaan: Close to Perfection! review

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In a week which saw duds like Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam and Phoonk, Mumbai Meri Jaan comes as a breath of fresh air, writes Pranjal Medhi

One of my worst memories in Mumbai was undoubtedly the serial train blasts in July 11, 2006. Regarded as one of the worst examples of terrorist attacks, these blasts changed the psyche and mindset of the people of Mumbai forever. This film Mumbai Meri Jaan is an attempt to depict the lives of five different souls and how the July 11 blasts affect them. Director Nishikant Kamat has already proved his mettle with Dombivli Fast. Yet again he comes up with a poignant storyline which has a realist touch in its portrayal. And call it a coincidence, his second film also moves around the trains of Mumbai. It's a take on the city, its nerve-wrecking speed and the people and their erratic frame of mind before and after the blasts.

The five main characters are quite convincing in all respects. The young executive in a multinational, Ajay ( R Madhavan ) with the mindset of an environment conservationist, becomes a victim of the blasts. Though physically safe and sound, the blast shakes him apart leaving him with a mental distress and shattered belief system. Once a firm believer in India as a potential power, now he takes a break to rethink about the breaks he got abroad , that he refused earlier.

Madhavan is excellent in portraying the character and one could easily identify with the agony that he goes through. The Hindu fanatic, Suresh ( KK Menon ) loathes the Muslims and considers them all responsible for all the mishaps in and around the world. His suspicion and belief grows stronger and stronger after the blasts to the extent that he starts acting like an investigator to the whole episode.

The soon to be retired police constable, Tukaram Patil ( Paresh Rawal ) has his own set of dilemmas as he tries to educate the newly recruited constable Kadam to the police lifestyle. With a smiling face when he delivers his farewell speech, it hits all of us big time, as it covers from mills to malls, the migration dream turning into nightmare and his submissive or rather helpless years in the police force. His track is the most consistent of all and Paresh Rawals performance excels in the role of the modest retiring cop. Equally worth-mentioning is the superb performance by Vijay Maurya in the role of the rookie cop.

TV reporter Rupali Joshi ( Soha Ali Khan ) goes through a agonizing phase with the blasts. Once a bold reporter who used to cover the mishaps without an emotional quotient, she now gets it back from the same channel where she works, when they run a spicy show on her encounter with the blasts. Soha Ali Khan pours out the emotions in certain scenes, which reminds me of her acting in Rang De Basanti, 2005.

A south Indian coffee vendor (Irrfan Khan) and his encounter with life in Mumbai has its relevant presence. But somehow, it tends to be redundant in a way, where the director shows the modus operandi of hoax calls. But again, he did not forget to elucidate the fact that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The screenplay by Yogesh-Vinayak Joshi-Upendra Sidhaye is close to perfection, barring a few dragging moments. The dialogues are so close to life and the direction is brilliant in all senses. The background music works fine, although the songs do not strike a chord. The cinematography of Sanjay Jadhav keeps the narrative and the realist-perspective alive with its stark natural lighting providing us an authentic feel of the city. Technically the film excels, in almost all aspects.

The director questions the reasons for the mishap, although he does not clearly define the solutions. His interpretation of life in Mumbai before and after the blasts depicts the fact that the director is also a victim of the emotional stress and trauma as all of us. At some point, the film does get preachy, but then one dialogue makes its point, "Duniya Ka Sab se Bada jhooth hai, sab dharm ke log ek saath khushi se reh sakte hain". Although, it seems to be moving on the "socially responsible" tracks of Rang De Basanti, this film has its own set of issues, ideas and considerations. Touching on various aspects like religion, fundamentalism, racism, poverty, hypocrisy, politics and terrorism on the top of it, Mumbai Meri Jaan takes a sarcastic look on the "Great Mumbai Dream".

In a week which saw duds like Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam and Phoonk, the creative Mumbai Meri Jaan comes as a breath of fresh air.

A big round of applause (as we did after the screening) for Nishikant Kamat!
[rating:3.5]