Sehar

Article Updated 31 July, 2005 12:01:55 AM IST

Sehar

'Sehar' is a true story so obviously it has limited audience. Even then, of the serious moviegoers, how many of them do you really think want to witness a story that they have seen in innumerable films in the recent past, unfolding on screen? Agreed showing reality on screen is a huge effort and deserves appreciation, but guys don't forget that at the end of the day we are largely catering to the masses. Too much of high flown stuff can misfire. And how many of us are really aware of the real life incident that rocked U.P.? It's not like one is watching a film on the notorious Veerapan!

'Sehar' is so close to reality, that the Officers of STF that have been instrumental in the rescue of the Mumbai Stock Broker's son, have been very closely involved in this movie by providing the key inputs for it. The film brings out the issues that eclipse the cultural heritage of Lucknow and was actually shot for 62 days in Lucknow to bring in the real essence of the place. But this will surely go against it, especially as far as Mumbai and the other metro cities are concerned.

Now for the story. 'Sehar' describes the journey of a newly-appointed 31-year-old S.S.P. of Lucknow, Ajay Kumar (Arshad Warsi), who is instrumental in bringing together a group of committed police officers under the support of the Special Task Force. The Force with a single agenda, succeeds in challenging the might of organized crime in Uttar Pradesh. And in the process, what unfolds is the ever-changing dynamics of Uttar Pradesh's siyaasat: Railway contracts, ISI involvement, politician-mafia-police-builder nexus, rigid red-tapeism and criminalization of University students.

Didn't we tell you that all this is nothing new to Bollywood. Every average Hindi filmgoer has seen this on screen before. To cut a long story short, 'Sehar' is a cop film set in Lucknow. So in more ways than one, it is old wine repackaged and sold (at least a desperate bid to) in a new bottle! Sounds clichéd like the film?

To give the director his due, the story and basic plot of the film is good, but somehow it has ended up becoming a boring film. Definitely not worth the price of your ticket! The narrative adds to the drudgery. The violence is sure to get on your nerves. The romantic track (the only song in the film) looks forced. But the climax in a moving train (shot over 8 days in a special train provided by the Indian Railway) is superb and one of the high points of the film.

Now for the performances. Arshad Warsi is great in a comic role (actually only in 'Munnabhai MBBS' and 'Hulchul') but to make a film with him as the main protagonist is a little risky. Not that he lacks intensity as an actor but somehow his newfound fans don't want to accept him in a serious role.

Mahima Chaudhary (Anamika Kant, a lecturer in the University) provides the glamour. It's like she has rightly said, 'I am the rainbow in the film!'. Pankaj Kapoor (Bhole Shankar Tiwari, a Reader in the University specialized in IT) is superb, and Sushant Singh (Gajraj Singh, the Mafia Don) is good, as usual. What else do you expect from these talented actors? Cinematography by K.Krishna, a protégé of Santosh Sivan, is good. The background score is okay. It doesn't look like there is any hope for the film, but hey, you can be your own critic, so watch the film and let us know what you think.

**1/2 (TWO AND A HALF STARS)
*poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent

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