LACK of LAKSHYA. Review on Lakshya

No, the topic is not related to the manner in which the film was made, it is regarding the way this review was written. Today India desperately needs its sons and daughters to set a vision and march towards the vision with a mission. President Abdul Kalam asks us all to dream and ignite our minds. Our teachers have been saying that from time immemorial, yet for the majority of Indians life is job opening, steady job, promotion retirement and others.

Lakshya is a great portrayal of how the typical Indian in his youth is confused about a career, accidentally gets into a career with military, finally sets his Lakshya (Aim) in life and stirringly achieves the same. Without Lakshya, our life is disjointed. Just to provide you an example of this disjointed affair, I have presented you this review ? a disjointed assortment of points related to the film - as I said ?Lack of Lakshya?

I. Yours truly is not a regular viewer of Hindi Films. Till 2003, I have seen only 15 Hindi movies. 2004 was no different either, as I planned to see only 2 Hindi films ? ?Lakshya? and ?Swades?. Both Farhan Akthar and Ashuthosh Gowritkar simply rocked in 2001 with their story telling abilities. My sense eagerly looked forward for the second venture of these two, and Lakshya came out first. I was present first day first show, and I did not come out disappointed.

II. I was struck by the caption? It took him 21 years and 18,000 ft to discover himself?. After watching the movie, I came out with my caption ?It took Bollywood 52 years and 50 lakh reels to discover itself?. However if you watch the followers of this film like Julie, Murder, Girlfriend etc, it is very clear that Bollywood is once again Paradise Lost.

III. The main aspect of Farhan Akhtar that delighted me in Dil Chatha Hai was the freshness which he brought to the story/characters and the richness he brought into the environment. When I heard that Farhan too decided to camp at Kargil for Lakshya, I was sure that the twin qualities of freshness and richness would be tested. But Farhan came out trumps in Lakshya. The characters of Hrithik, Preity etc were so different and the capital city and the landscape of the Himalayas provided a superb environment. If Farhan was Fresher Farhan in DCH, he is Freshmaker Farhan in Lakshya.

IV. The Choreography by Prabhu Deva was excellent. It is indeed nice to see Prabhu Deva back in some form of cinema. Hrithik is acclaimed as a great dancer, and it is nice to see him interact with a dancer of Prabhu Deva?s caliber. Hrithik always puts his best foot forward for dancing, and with the help of Prabhu Deva they only seem to go farther.The combination is a delight for both the classes and masses, as both critics and simpletons enjoy ?Main Aasa Kyun? and ?Agar Mein Kahoon?

V. Lakshya was indeed rich with rich contributions from all people. The man who stood out individually in all these great performances is Christopher Popp. I have never heard the name before, but I only chanted his name after the film was over. I have never seen such challenging cinematography in my life, especially in the scene where Hrithik & Co climb to a small shelter in the mountain, and when the cinematographer revolves his camera through the whole mountain?My Gosh. That was one great performance

VI. I am appalled to see many people dismiss cinema as an easy job, and call it the house of glamour and money. In sharp contrast, making a cinema is the toughest of the tasks and requires 200 % more dedication and hard work from every Ramesh, Rajesh and Suresh. However that is dependent on the attitude of the film makers to strive for detailing and excellence. Farhan seems to be one of the new generation filmmakers, for whom professionalism is above anything else. He has taken care for detailing the military camps, the hilly terrains, college campus etc. The same applied to the artistes as well, as Hrithik explained how he and his colleagues attended military camps to homework for their character. Good Going Farhan, and Bollywood! Yet, how could Farhan talk about DVDs in 1999?.

VII. And when you take so much care in detailing, you must also take the same care in differentiating from the conventions. Farhan has done that well too, as he has given enough uniqueness into the characters of Hrithik, Preity, Amitaabh and others. The sincerity with which the whole process was executed caps it all. Only a very few people claim it as an overdose of operation vijay.

VIII. The camaraderie between the hero and heroine was one of the pleasing aspects about this movie. The scenes they come together are indeed romantic, yet they don?t get physically involved with each other. This is a clear differentiation between love and lust, and this is a clear description of how young people in urban India get together. It is a welcome relief from the mainstream Bollywood films today where the youth are portrayed to love at first sight, kiss at second, lust at third and so on(Sorry that order is also advancing ? Tumsa Nahin Dekha)

IX. I always believed that directors and music directors should always hunt in pairs. The pairing of Farhan & Shankar,Ehsaan,Loy hunts our hearts out with the music score as well. The BGM is well composed and the songs ?Agar Mein Kahoon? ?Main Aasa Kyun? and the Army Song still stay in your senses. Another good effort from the combo, all the same it would do no good comparing this to DCH

X. One thing I did not like in this film is the casting of Amitaabh in that minor role of a major. It is my personal view that Bollywood should get rid of this habit of casting Amitaabh for ?father figure? roles. In a similar vein, I felt that actors of high potential like Amrish Puri, Om Puri etc were wasted in small roles.

XI. Many people applauded the scene where Sushant Singh shouts to the Pakistani radio ?As of now, I am an Indian?. It is still disheartening that Muslim people are cheered when they identify them as Indians, while Hindus are automatically considered as Indians. India still has a long way to go towards pragmatic secularism.

XII. There goes a popular phrase ?Like Father, Like Son?. Farhan and Javed Akhtar are unlike individually, but combine together in a likeable manner. Javed?s dialogues and lyrics are always in the top class, and seemingly he does nothing special for his son. Nevertheless this special bonding makes the work special. (P.S : My ability to judge the lyrics and dialogues based on my good friend translator)

I would like to conclude by presenting two reviews, first one that I never agree and a the second review which I wholeheartedly agree. The first one is by the all knowing Tarun Adaarsh, who never gets tired of writing reviews without some cerebral application and the second one is from the New York Times.(Join me in Comments)