Genre: Drama
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Banner: UTV Motion Pictures
Music Director: Sameer Phaterpekar
Lyricist: Yogesh Joshi
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon, Irfaan Khan, R. Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Vijay Maurya
Release Date: 22nd August 2008
Whether you are one of the Mumbaikars, who witnessed the tragic bombings of 11th July 2006, or not 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is a film that would surely make you cry. The best part of the movie is that it does not dwell on the concept of terrorism per se, rather it stresses on the aftermath of the tragedy. It tells you how the bomb blasts changed the life of people, those who became its victims, those who lost their loved ones as well as those who thanked God that they were not on any of the trains.
Nishikant Kamat is to be praised at the efforts he put in for making a movie that forces you to sit back and think. The execution of the script is so compelling that you feel as if you are a part of all the drama. Though the film is set against the backdrop of Mumbai blasts, it soon diversifies into five different stories, of different people, to whom you can easily relate. While there are bit flaws here and there, you hardly seem to notice them. The performance of actors is such that you cannot help, but feel emotional.
Talking about actors, Paresh Rawal definitely takes the cake. His scenes, especially the ones including Vijay Maurya, are extremely touching. The latter one also gives a superb performance. Then, we have Irrfan Khan, who is at his very best in 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'. Soha Ali Khan, as the reporter who witnesses the tragedy, has evolved more with time and definitely deserves applause. Last, but not the least, is R. Madhavan, who at time, doesn't even need to say a word, yet conveys so much. All in all, 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is an excellent film that will appreciated by all the mature audience!
Mumbai Meri Jaan Pre-release Review
Terrorism and bomb blasts have become the way of life in India. There has hardly been a year in which not even a single city of our country was not subjected to the torture of innocent lives being claimed by blasts. One such explosion shook the ‘City of Dreams’ on 11th July 2006. It was a black Tuesday, on which a series of bomb blasts ripped apart the local train service, known as Mumbai’s lifeline. Dedicated to that very day is an upcoming film ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’, directed by Nishikant Kamat.
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, the movie will be released under the banner of ‘UTV Motion Pictures’. Sameer Phaterpekar has provided music for the film, while Yogesh Joshi is its lyricist. The star cast of ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ boasts of established names like Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon, Irfaan Khan, R. Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan and Vijay Maurya. It is scheduled to hit the theaters on 22nd August 2008. ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ tries to bring forth the shadow cast by the shocking incident on the lives of Mumbaiites.
Nikhil Agarwal (R. Madhavan) is sensible individual who works at an international software firm. Being a responsible citizen, he believes in making efforts to save the environment. This is the reason why he prefers to travel in the First Class compartment of the local train, rather than taking his own car to the office. On the day of the blasts, he boards the train at his usual time - 6:00 pm, hoping to reach his place after one hour. The same train, though a different compartment (second class), is also boarded by Suresh (Kaykay Menon).
Suresh is a Hindu fanatic who is coming back home after going through an unpleasant experience with a money lender. He catches the train at 6:10 pm. In some other part of Mumbai is Constable Tukaram Patil (Paresh Rawal), a hard working cop who has never fired a single round in his career. A humorous guy, he is about to get retired in a week. He is roaming around with his partner Sunil Kadam (Vijay Maurya) on a patrol. Kadam has just joined the police department and feels his role to be too insignificant.
Then, we have Thomas (Irrfan), a roadside coffee vendor. He is often seen roaming on the streets of Mumbai at night, riding atop his bicycle. He is leading a happy life, earning hardly $30 every week. The only thing that hurts him is the bourgeois attitude of the city. Last, but not the least, is Rupali Joshi (Soha Ali Khan). She is a reporter working for one of the leading news channels in Mumbai, who believes in freedom of expression. The blasts of 11th July rip through the first class compartment of several Mumbai locals.
‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ tries to bring forth what impact these blasts have on the life of these six individuals, who serve as representatives of the ‘common man’ of Mumbai. Neither does the movie try to showcase the incident as a political issue, nor does it comment on it as an academic debate on terrorism. Rather, it explores how a common man is affected by the blasts and what tragedy does he go through. It is a film about ordinary people striving to get back to normalcy, after going through a turbulent and catastrophic phase.
