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REFUGEE
So the cat is finally
out of the bag. Refugee releases today all over the world amidst
huge anticipation, curiosity and fanfare.
Every aspect of
the film, including music, cinematography, locales, background score
and the leading pair, has been discussed, debated and rated
threadbare. Except, of course, the storyline of the film.
While Refugee's leading pair, Abhishekh Bachchan and Kareena
Kapoor, were deliberately kept away from limelight to avoid getting
over-exposed, director J P Dutta left no stone unturned for the
film's right publicity and opening. Bachchan senior even requested
director Guddu Dhanoa to postpone the release of his film 'Bichchoo'
by a week to avoid the dent a simultaneous release could make to
Refugee.
Long queues in front of cinema halls showing the
film is a common sight today. Policemen in-charge of security are
not only dealing with a boisterous crowd but also maintaining an
alert on touts black-marketeering tickets.
'Refugee' is,
essentially, a love story set against the backdrop of sarhad, post-
Partition ethos, rules and laws. A poetic rendering of how God just
created humans and love and how mankind erected walls, boundaries,
thus creating blocks, communities and nations, in a baritone
(Abhishekh's?) sets the pace of the film.
The plot thickens
when a nameless refugee (Abhishekh Bachchan) and the beautiful Naaz
(Kareena Kapoor) fall in love and are faced with a set of trials,
tribulations and sometimes cruel opposition in the form of a police
officer (Jackie Shroff) and are on the verge of separating. Their
fault is their trans-border romance.
The song panchchi,
nadiyaan, pawan ke jhoken, koi sarhad na inhey roke�..sarhad
insaanon ke liye hain, socho tumne aur maine kya paaya, insaan hoke
is a true representation of the film, which when translated is
something like 'Borders dividing nations don't confine birds,
rivers, breeze. Borders are meant for mankind. By virtue of being
human beings, that is all we have got'.
One aspect of the
film that springs a surprise is the consummate ease with which the
debutantes Abhishekh and Kareena have performed. It does not look
from anywhere that the two are acting for the first time. Something
which background scorer Aadesh Shrivastav echoes: ''Both Abhishekh
and Kareena ooze confidence and are learners. People are bound to
notice them''.
Though the film at times gets slow, Dutta
tightens his grip by inserting high-velocity drama to maintain pace.
Rann of Kutch is delectable and in the end, Abhishekh Bachchan does
whisk nostalgia. There's something about the boy that strongly
reminds us of Amitabh.
The music is so-so. Anu Malik is
brazen about 'Mere Humsafar', a direct lift from yesteryear's 'yeh
shaam ki tanhaiyaan' sung by Lata. Refugee should be seen for three
reasons. Firstly the canvas, secondly cinematography and thirdly the
star-children leading pair
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