SIKANDAR
With the shades of familiar Iranian cinematic terrain, the movie packs an interestingly plucky yet vulnerable punch.
by Vishal Verma

A Big pictures Presentation & Release of a Sudhir Mishra & Big pictures production

Producer : Sudhir Mishra
Writer - Director : Piyush Jha
Genre : Thriller
Target Audience : General

Starring
Parzun Dastur...... Sikandar
Ayesha Kapur...... Nasreen
Sanjay Suri...... Mukhtaar Mattoo
R Madhavan...... Lt. Colonel Rajesh P. Rao
Arunoday Singh...... Zahgeer Quadir

 

Technical Analysis

Not at all ashamed of revisiting the familiar Iranian cinematic terrain with considerable charm, Indian heart & an innocent cry from the valley, Sudhir Mishra’s fourth innings as a producer (Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow, Rahul, Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin) needs special grace from the ruler of the paradise to end his quest for a box office success.

Sudhir in his fourth venture as a producer allows Piyush Jha (King Of Bolllywood, Chalo America) to plug the adolescent of a 15 something Kashmiri boy to voice the issue of terrorism. As Hollywood can,t forget 2nd world war & Hitler, Bollywood also remembers partition & Kashmir from time to time. The helmer Piyush follows his own pen & interestingly tell us how tiny incidents become a big deal to small fry.

Though ostensibly not religious, the simple, touching tale about a simple football loving boy whose encounter with a gun grabs audiences as the protagonist as the protagonist gains respect & attention from his bully classmates. The element of once a paradise on earth been reduced to a land of fear where innocent has lost its coy however appears to be forced. This could have been a big Indian film of the year in terms of festival attention and art house sales but the baffling characterization of Sanjay Suri as politician & Mahadevan as army officer become a question mark to the audience which struggles to find out what they want.

Whether the idea was to tell us the pathos of the valley through the adolescent eye of a child or was it a way to tell us the plight of the people of Kashmir or was it a plain suspense thriller with a political backdrop?, unfortunately nothing comes clear in the end. Anyways, ‘Sikander’ still remains a fine effort, where Parzun Dastur as Sikandar & the bundle of talent from ‘Black’ Ayesha Kapur as Nasreen, together create a winningly serious-minded characters. Sanjay & Mahadevan contribute by their deft support. Arunoday Singh as Zahgeer Quadir is very impressive.

Production values are A plus, swift editing by Dev Jadhav contributes to the film's parable feeling. In addition, Piyush & his cameraman Somak Mukherjee manage to bring out a sacred quality in the adoring beauty of the valley and put it in relation to the characters & good dialogues. Location use and tight editing stand out in a solid tech package that helps the movie score 3 out of 5.

One for the pious thought of dealing with the topical subject through the eyes of an adolescent.

One for the setting, technicalities, location.

One for the performance.

The movie loses on writing where it doesn,t care to fill the loopholes & fails to convincingly tell the audience what exactly the politician, army, locals, militants, clergy, think of the present situation in the valley & what they want.

    
The Story

Sikandar Raza (Parzun Dastur) is a 14 year old schoolboy in Kashmir. Ever since his parents were killed by militants 10 years back, he has lived with his aunt and uncle, in a small town in Kashmir. All Sikandar's desires revolve around the happiness of his foster parents, and getting the ball into the goal on the football field.

One day, on his way home from a school football match, Sikandar finds a gun lying on the path.

Despite admonishments by his newly made school friend, the 14 year old Nasreen (Ayesha Kapur) Sikandar picks up the gun, and thus begins a journey into the darker side of his nature.

The quiet yet strong Nasreen becomes Sikandar's conscience keeper. She tries to dissuade him from giving in to the lure of the gun.

However, all is not what it seems. Sikandar gets embroiled further and further in situations beyond his control, and people get killed.

At first it seems that the happenings occurring alongside Sikandar's predicament are not connected. But, as layer upon layer unravels, it becomes clear that Sikandar is the innocent victim in a game being played out between the militants, the army, the peace bartering politicians and the religious heads of the little Kashmiri town. The pieces of the puzzle come together at the very end, leading to a shocking revelation.

Promotion
Promotions have been fair & routine in outdoor/ indoor/ press etc. anyways there always a room for innovations.

Business Analysis

This issue based film told by the eyes of a child needs mature audience.
Lack of popular appeal, face & curiosity in this topical issue will result in fewer legs to the theatres. Anyways, low cost & topical theme can be played for a festive openings & art house screenings. Recovery of Big pictures very much depends on its home video & satellite sales.

Other Credits
Cinematography: Somak Mukherjee. Editor: Dev Jadhav. Sound: Subhash Sahu.
Cassettes and CD's on Big Music. Singers: Shankar Mahadevan. Anousha Mani. Mohit Chauhan. Mehrajuddin. Hrishikesh Kamerkar. Yash Narvekar. Shilpa Rao. Hamsika Iyer. K K. Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi, Neelesh Misra & Kumaar. Music Director: Loy Mendonca, Ehsaan Noorani & Shankar Mahadevan. Justin, Uday & Sandesh Shandilya. Media Promotions: Rahi Communications. Reviewed at Fun Republic Preview Theatre, Mumbai, August 20, 2009.

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