Thikana

When you notice a film involving names like Smita Patil, Rohini Hattangadi, Anil Kapoor, Amrita Singh and Mahesh Bhatt, you know you must see the film. And the actors don't disappoint, they are very good. But the film as a film is very difficult to understand. Mahesh Bhatt's direction is good, but the film suffers from poor cinematography and a very complicated and incoherent script. The film has some nice songs, and the acting is good. Anil Kapoor was very decent, though he sometimes tends to overact. The always-to-be-remembered Smita Patil, was marvelous as always. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have been less than g-r-e-a-t. Sadly enough, the film got released post her tragic death. Rohini is, again, as always - superb. Such a fantastic and natural actress. She portrays the sharp, peppered, witty and suffering mother very well. Amrita Singh supports well. Like most of Mahesh Bhatt's 1980s films, Thikana is realistic, quite urban and somewhat dark, but it does not work as much as his other films of the decade. Maybe it's a film that should be watched twice in order to be understood. But I just found myself surprisingly unimpressed at the end of the show.