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 Subhash Ghai is a cinematic persona that will perplex even the sharpest of minds. His degradation from the elite to the ordinary and from the showman to a layman is one to arouse frustration and disappointment. His string of failures as a director [YAADEIN and KISNA] topple almost as quickly as his previous successes had flourished [KHALNAYAK, PARDES, TAAL]. But if a moment of reckoning was to be sought, then that moment is 2008. Ghai is back with a vengeance with BLACK & WHITE and what promises to be his most lavish production to date, YUVRAAJ.
But Black & White is anything but lavish. It's a film that is everything Subhash Ghai has proven himself not to be. And so the enigma that is Ghai is temporarily relit with B&W. This film deals with a topical subject that has had its fair share of glory atop the silver screen. It simply caresses the never-ending trudge against terrorism and the blurred vision that separates these so-called Islamic extremists from the rest of the world. Numair (Anurag Sinha) is a suicide bomber who is sent on a mission to blow himself up in a large gathering at Red Fort on August 15. When he arrives in Chandi Chowk, fifteen days prior, he deceivingly introduces himself as an orphaned victim who lost his parents in the Gujurat Riots. With a seemingly heroic act to save their son, he soon wins over the hearts of Professor Rajan Mathur (Anil Kapoor) and outgoing wife Roma (Shefali Shah). After staying with Professor Mathur, Roma, and their child, Numair struggles with the validity and strength of honor in his principles. The film deals with this proclaimed terrorist's views and his struggles to cope with what's right and what's wrong.
A lot of responsibility has been placed upon the shoulders of writers Sachin Bhowmik, Akash Khurana, and Ghai himself. A film that deals with a character's mental development (especially one that is as fragile as this) requires a sturdy hand in conveying each and every step in their thought-process. The trio of writers do injustice to the script. We are hardly ever given a glimpse into the extremely complex mind of Numair, until the climactic moments. Heavy clichés are used to show Numair's shift towards realization, including the scene where he is offered some sweets by a stranger and when the mute child plays 'Saara Jahan Se Achcha, Hindustan Hamara' on the piano. The love sequence between Numair and 'the girl next door' is extremely unnecessary and over the top. It only adds to the incredibility of the script and the story as a whole. The screenplay does however have a small handful of strengths. Ghai is able to put his best foot forward (as a writer and a director) in the overtly emotional sequences, including Roma's outburst towards the angry mob, Professor Mathur's emotional breakdown with his child, and Numair's confrontation with the terrorist leader. Although these sequences do pack a strong punch, they are incapable of saving the 2+ hour script from crumbling beneath its own weight.
Anil Kapoor is smooth and at ease as the professor of Urdu Literature. He seemed comfortable with the script, which does not demand much from him until the latter portions. Debutant Anurag Sinha over-plays his character. It's evident that he plays the character with the intent of being dark and mysterious. However, one must still breathe life into the role and give it a personality - this is where Anurag falls short. His monotonous dialogue delivery seems forced and inert. We, the audience, are left with no feeling towards the character of Numair - which is a huge strike for the script. Supporting cast, led by Shefali Shah is great. Subhash Ghai inches ever closer to digging himself an early grave with BLACK & WHITE. The film is just that, colorless and very two dimensional. I guess Ghai will be putting all his money on his next big effort - YUVRAAJ. Lots of luck, he'll need it!
Aakash Gandhi is Managing Editor and Senior Writer for Planetbollywood.com. He also freelances for the Asian Variety Show at avstv.com.
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Apart from being a proclaimed showman, Ghai has been regarded as an ace storyteller. We all know that the first step in creating a successful film is to have an intriguing story. Varun Vardhan's story falls way short in its weak attempt to bring new light to a topic which has been played to death. Take 2007's DHOKA for example - an exceptional film that deals with this very issue, but was handled quite brilliantly in its attempt to enlighten, rather than dictate right and wrong.
Technically, the film is sound - as all Ghai films are. Camerawork by Somak Mukherjee is smooth and crisp. Editing by Amiabh Shukla requires quite a bit more assistance, as the film appears sluggish towards the centre of the film, and racy towards the end. Ranjit Barot, who is usually very dependable, fails to provide the film with a valid aural voice. Such a "passionate" film requires heavy compliments of background score to augment the written dialogues, yet we are left thirsting for impact. Sukhwinder Singh's soundtrack is extremely mundane and ordinary. 'Jogi Aaya' and 'Peer Manava' is the only pair that stands a chance. In terms of integration, the music serves as an intrusion more than anything else.