Before watching this movie I had never been disappointed by a film written/directed by Gulzar. Even in his least good ones, there are some moments that are striking. This movie boasts of a stellar cast- Shabana, Naseer, and Farookh- the three stalwarts of the parallel (semi- commercial) Hindi cinema; and despite that end up as a very less than satisfactory watch.
The story is set in the North-East- which is refreshing- as very few of our movies have had that area as the backdrop. Farookh Sheikh plays a confident and charming young man who doesn't take long to woo a naive and nebulous Shabana. Some usual sequences follow and Shabana realizes that Farookh doesn't really care for her as much as she cares for him. He goes abroad for higher studies. Shabana is married off to an equally confident (but slightly less effervescent) young man- Naseer- who is also a family friend.
What follows is very uninspired- Naseer is a very busy man- and doesn't seem to spend enough time with his wife. Shabana starts drinking regularly to kill time and fill the void in her marriage life. Soon Naseer has to leave town for some official work and Farookh returns.
The story is a typical love triangle narrated from the point of view of the woman. No wonder... for a female director is at the helm of the proceedings. So she makes all points in favor of women empowerment. Her lead character is a liberated lady who doesn't fret about drinking in front of his husband. She even goes to to have an affair. The ending too, can be applauded by feminists (most probably would have)- but is far from practical.
Contrast can be drawn between this movie and one of Shabana Azmi's earliest works Ankur (directed by Shyam Benegal). In some ways this is an urbanized and modern version of that film- though in now ways as appealing and enchanting.
Not worth the time- most disappointing- if you wish to watch the same actors than don't look much beyond Sparsh, Khandar, or Masoom.
