Lahore (2010)

9 Comments

1. 

   Avinash Patalay from Middle Earth
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   Lets keep the record straight, Lahore is "Joh Jeeta Wohi Sikander" tothe "T". If JJWS dealt with two brothers, so does Lahore. If JJWS hadthe school rivalry as the under-currents, in Lahore we have thepolitical rivalry between India and Pakistan. Call it twist of fate,and the younger brother attempts to redeem himself by taking on theunfinished business. By the way, did I mention "Apne"? Yes because thathad uncanny similar plot too. But the original still remainssacrosanct, a masterpiece from Mansoor Khan (who sadly taken a longsabbatical).

   ☻ Sushant Singh:: As elder brother Dheeru he has put in extra effort tothe character. His chemistry with Shraddha Nigam was just about right.

   ☻ Aanaahad:: Very strong debut. A striking personality. Has what istakes and deliver well. The romance bit with Shraddha Das was notfleshed out convincingly.

   ☻ Mukesh Rishi:: Good choice to play the role of Noor Mohammed who hashis own demons to battle against.

   ☻ Farooq Sheikh:: As usual he is impeccable ensuring you will rememberthe diction of Mr. Rao. Shares a good chemistry with Saurabh Shukla.

   ☻ Nafisa Ali:: Quite adequate.

   The rest of star-cast were OK (Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Jeeva, PramodMoutho, Ashish Vidyarthi & Nirmal Pandey).

   The director balances the sensibilities of both Indian and Pakistanviewers ensuring nobody cries foul. The DOP deserves a special mentionfor the lighting he has used ensuring it get the international feel.The fight sequences are executed quite well. The background absorbs theviewer into the storyline. Every character has depth and the directorhas managed to bring out layers. The ending was quite apt (though Ifeel the apology part should have been edited out – some things arebetter left untold).

   Way to go Mr. Sanjay Puransingh Chauhan!

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2. 

   chopramo from Canada
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   I watched this movie after hearing a lot about all the internationalawards that were bagged by the film-makers. But after watching Lahore,I realize how much potential Indian film makers have and Indian moviesare not all about singing & dancing around trees. About the movie, Iwould say, watch it for story line which stay on track, the brilliantperformance of Aanaahad and Farooq Shaikh, for the brilliantly shotfight sequences (rarely seen in an Indian movie, mostly they are overthe top), good background score and lastly, but not the least, thedirection and editing. Sanjay Chauhan has done an awesome job, themovie does not loose pace, the script is tight and the viewer getsengrossed very easily into the lives of the characters. I felt thestart was a bit confusing (first 5 min) but once the movie unfolds onefinds out what is actually going on. I would recommend this to one andall. If movies like this one keep on being made in India, we canactually hope that we can remove the monopoly of the Yash Raj typedirector/producers from India who think that an Indian viewer has nosense and will watch anything.

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3. 

   Shyam Narayanan TK (TheShyamTK) from India
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   Lahore, the directorial venture by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan isclichéd, highly predictable at times, having lot of flaws, etc etc..But despite of all these shortcomings, it manages to moisten theviewers' eyes towards the ending. 'An eye for an eye makes the wholeworld blind', the quote of Mahatma Gandhi, is well depicted in themovie, and that alone is a reasonable factor to watch the movie.

   Lahore is about two brothers, and two countries, too. The story hasnothing so new, it goes as expected by the viewers, the director hasmanaged to execute it in a not-so boring manner, that he saves it frombeing called as a Documentary.

   The performances are fine, the main protagonist Aanaahad is alook-alike of Randeep Hooda, he does his part well, Sushant Singh wasgood, Farooque Sheikh, Nafisa Ali, Mukesh Rishi, Shraddha Nigam allwere good, and special mention to Shraddha Das, she looked like themock-female roles Shreyas Talpade and Reitesh Deshmukh had played intheir previous films.

   The music by MM Kreem is average, and the cinematography is fine.

   On the whole, Lahore is a good movie with an awesome, fantastic ending.Watch it, you will know!!

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4. 

   amit_mnnit from India
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   I watched this movie today and definitely came back with a stirredheart. Well, before I get carried away let me share the USPs of thismovie:

   [1.] commendable performances by all the actors although there was nobig star cast

   [2.] slick kick boxing stunt scenes, very clean and sophisticated

   However, this movie had its own share of flaws:

   [1.] The movie failed to show the closeness of the relationship betweenthe brothers in the first half which was pivotal to the plot. Instead,the lead actor seemed more close to his sister-in-law than to hisbrother.

   [2.] In the second half there should have been some sequence showingthe kick-boxing training given to Aanaahad since he was basically acricket player trying to fill in his brother's shoes

   [3.] The ending of the movie was a bit too melodramatic. I think itcould have been more practical.

   Overall, it was a good movie that keeps you gripped all the waythrough.

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5. 

   Pratik Mohapatra from India
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   'LAHORE' is one of the good Indian sports movie defying boundaries ihave ever seen. This movie has something right about it despite apredictable plot , really made my day , the director has done atremendous job.

   The Actors have done quite a job too which complemented the film.

   And it's also a WARNER BROS. film , so these guys know where to put inthe money

   though i feel sorry that these sort of movies …drop dead before cuminto our theaters

   and Please do not compare this movie to the Hollywood's best becausethis film has a different touch and situation to it.

   SO GUYS PLEASE DO WATCH IT !!

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6. 

   awesomelissome from India
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   Lahore is the movie which promises you a lot with its heart in rightplace but at times it's so plain and dumb that is hard to digest.Storyis nothing really new to offer except the theme this time being Kickboxing sport. About the characters; Aanaahad is a let down, his dialogdelivery is poor and face expression are hardly convincing apart fromfew scenes.Sushant Singh gives a decent performance as there was notvery much scope for him to show this true potential.Nafisa Ali utteringabout a couple of dialogs of doting caring typical Indian mother couldnot have any value to movie.Mukhesh Rishi again does good as a bad guybut his character look way too idiot as if the word logic and organbrain is missing for him.Shraddha's face is so much under the layers ofmakeup that you wish some should remind her that use of face wash doesnot hurt anybody.Farooq Shaikh is the who steals the show with hishyderabadi style accent.His Pakistani counterpart SabyasachiChakraborty is awesome and convinces you to hate him like anything.Over all a decent one time but could have been better if editing havebeen more crispier and story told in a much better manner.

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7. 

   bobbysing from India
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   The well designed poster of the movie giving the feel of a westernflick, did attract many eye balls at the theaters before its release.And the numerous Awards mentioned on them in bold, were also able tocreate a certain level of curiosity for the project. But somehow thevisual promos aired on the Television channels were not matching withall those good things being said and written about the movie. So, I hadmy own doubts before watching "Lahore" which more or less provedexactly the same as I had thought.

   Based on a sports subject, talking specifically about Kick Boxing andpartly about Cricket, the movie revolves around the story of two realbrothers trying to make a name in these two sports individually. But"Lahore" doesn't start like a masterpiece as projected. Right from thebeginning it looks like just another average product with OKperformances and a seen before storyline. The reason being, it caneasily be called an extended version of the Deol family's "Apne", wherealso the younger brother comes in to take the revenge for the defeat ofhis big bro in the ring. The only novelty added to it by the writers isthe Indo-Pak peace mission angle handled in a very intelligent mannertowards the end.

   In fact till the movie reaches its climax, you keep wondering why itwas showered all that appreciation in the festival circuit when it hasnothing in content as per those standards. May be all the Jury memberswere not aware of any other movie on the same subject called "Apne".Amazingly, I also couldn't find anyone else pointing towards thesimilarity between these two movies in the print. Anyhow, the tablesget turned towards the end, when the movie delivers a brilliantly andsincerely directed climax sequence which successfully manages to winover the viewer, leaving him in tears.

   And after you have seen the concluding moments of "Lahore", you get tounderstand why it was able to win hearts of all those Jury members inthe festivals. The final sequence of the movie, very effectively givesout the message of peace to both India & Pakistan which should surelyreceive equal admiration from the two neighbors. The debutant directorSanjay Puran Singh Chauhan makes a sort of comeback in the end and hitsa sixer. But if only he could create the same kind of impact throughoutthe movie, the results would have been far better.

   In short, "Lahore" is only watchable for its superb climax and is notable to impress with its overall content. There are many flaws in itsscreenplay and direction which restricts itself to move over an aboveaverage product. For instance, it's not that easy for a player to shiftto an altogether different game and that also on a National levelrepresenting the country. Also Kick Boxing is not such a famous game inIndia and Pakistan that people will find easy to relate to. Anotherfact which came to my mind while watching "Lahore" was that why Cricketlooks like such a dumb game on the screen, whereas in real life it's sothrilling and compelling? Why, no director has been able to bring thesame magic of the game on the screen as it is on the actual field? Tilldate, the only movie which came close to the spirit of Cricket was"Lagaan" but that too dealt in a pre independence era of the game.

   There is another debut in "Lahore" of Aanahaad, who gives his best inthe fight scenes but is just OK in the rest. Sushant Singh, ShraddhaNigam and the girl playing the Pak lady, act impressively. Mukesh Rishilooks tough and gives the right killing looks. Kelly Dorji, SaurabhShukla and K. Jeeva play it low, but Nirmal Pandey, Nafiza Ali andAshish Vidyarthi have nothing much to do. The most shining star of themovie is Farukh Sheikh who is simply superb as the National Coachfighting for his rights and students with the minister.

   The major asset of "Lahore" remains its Kick Boxing sequences cannedskillfully by the cinematographer Neelab Kaul. Music by M. M . Kreem isnot having any gem as always expected from the maestro, but thebackground music is effective. In all, if you love watching sportsmovies, then "Lahore" will satisfy you partially. I really wish thewhole movie was as good as its climax. Still, the director, SanjayPuran Singh Chauhan clearly gives us the glimpses of a great directorin the making. Proving his fine vision of the medium, choice of subjectand look of the project, he is sure going to be a huge asset in thehands of a big corporate house.

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8. 

   Bhanu
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   For those of you who really liked this movie, please go and watch theAmerican movie "Best of the Best" made in 1989. Yes, this movie is yetanother copy from bollywood. What really surprises me is that being acopy of an American film, how can this movie win any award and yetbeing internationally acclaimed??? This movie doesn't reach up to theoriginal version, Best of the Best. The fight scenes are really notimpressive at all. If you see the original movie, you'll be wellentertained with great fight sequences and really see the fightersfighting without using any special effects (cables).

   Mukesh Rishi looks too old for his character in this movie. Aanahad hasgood physics and probably a professional kick-boxer in real life too,but as far as acting is concerned, well……

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9. 

   namsu22 from United States
   30 Mar 2012, 12:55 am

   I too like many who watched this movie, read the "internationallyacclaimed reviews", but I was disappointed not only by the clichéunoriginal plot (which copies itself from movies such as Best of theBest, KickBoxer, and ever fight movie from the 80s) but alsodisappointed with the propaganda in the movie.

   India and Pakistan have the largest militarized border in the world,fought three wars, and have one of the world's most intenserivalries…I know. But I also know that everywhere in the worldOUTSIDE of the South Asian continent Indians and Pakistanis are aboveall friends. We share a common heritage, culture, and language thattranscends the pride we hold. This movie was touted as a fair movie and"tolerant" but it is far from it. Its only accomplishment is to furtherdeepen the rift through inaccurate and racist portrayals. Shame on themovie makers. As for the movies content the fight scenes were far frommediocre, the actors do NOT look like kickboxers, and the plot was verypredictable. Being Pakistani I caught myself feeling anger andresentment towards my Indian brothers, and I know had an Indian personwatched this they would feel the same towards a Pakistani. Why? AsGhandi (may he rest in peace) said

   "We must become the change we want to see."

   Mahatma Gandhi quote

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