There has been much talk of this measly-budget UTV nugget as a film that has been inspired by the Filipino film Cavite. The filmmakers denied it, the media claimed it was a rip-off, and the opening disclaimer saying the makers of the original wished this movie their best didn't really change anything.
But here's what you need to notice: Aamir is a far better film than Cavite, any day of the week.
Alphonse Roy's cinematography was one of this year's highlights, and this is an incredibly well shot film that truly manages to bottle the shiny-sweaty essence of Mumbai and pour it all over its frames, as its convincing protagonist Rajeev Khandelwal darts through bylanes and Irani cafes.
First-time director Raj Kumar Gupta does very well in this tale of a common man torn between fundamentalism and family, and as the everyman hero looks frantically around him only to see the whole city yakking away on cellphones so ubiquitous sometimes it seems the network-bars are the only thing keeping Bombay connected, the who's-watching-me paranoia works brilliantly.
Say what you will, this is a breathtaking film made by a first-time crew -- director, music director, cinematographer, leading man -- and the fact that they can do this with hardly any budget breathes new hope into Hindi cinema.
Also Read: Why we should applaud Aamir
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