You step inside the hall not knowing what to expect from Black & White. The film comes from a man who had once told great stories (Kalicharan, Karz, Karma) to an entire generation with a larger-than-life flourish. And then when everyone moved on, he kept trying to recreate the yaadein in the name of showmanship.Subhash
Ghai obviously wasn?t done. With an international film school, a huge production unit and the respect of the industry, he could have kicked back and relaxed. But three years after the debacle named Kisna, under the banner of his Mukta Arts?s low-budget experimental brand Mukta Searchlight, and with very low-key promotion for support, Ghai returns with Black & White.It?s not a reincarnation story, not a revenge saga, not even an over-the-top musical. Tackling a topic which has such a strong benchmark in Santosh Sivan?s Terrorist, Ghai does what he used to do best ? tell a story honestly. Parents killed just after his birth, Numer Qazi (debutant Anurag) ? brought up with dangerous misconceptions about his own faith ? wants to blow up the Red Fort on August 15. To make his stay in Delhi trouble-free in the days leading up to the attack, the Afghan befriends a much-respected Urdu professor Rajen Mathur (Anil Kapoor) and his fiesty wife Roma (Shefali Shah). Thus begins the The Devil?s Own-inspired Black & White countdown to Independence Day.If Terrorist was about Malli?s physical and emotional preparation as a suicide bomber, Ghai chooses to place a stone-cold relentless jehadi among a set of Indians with highly secular values. He was sent to send the world a terror tremor but instead he receives a new message. In Sivan?s film, you knew how it would all end. Here you cannot be so sure.Even Ghai?s treatment is refreshing. It?s not just about handheld cameras, high-contrast black-and-white images and saturated frames, it?s about creating a claustrophobic atmosphere in a very familiar terrain. Yes, there are loose scenes here and there, but they are worth overlooking for the sake of the bigger picture.Ghai has seldom faltered with his casting and in Black & White he gets it spot on. Rookie Anurag Sinha makes a striking debut as the new face of terror. He has great screen presence and a chilling stare, breathing fire into the traumatised Numer.You can?t applaud Anil Kapoor enough. The man can jump around shouting ?be positive? in inane comedies but is still always on call for a solid performance. Watch how he comforts his young daughter in the scene in which Roma dies. Shefali creates great chemistry with Anil and makes the most of some intelligently-written husband-wife banter. But the standout performance of Black & White comes from theatre veteran Habib Tanvir, as Urdu poet Gaffar bhai.If the cinematography (Somak Mukherjee) is top-notch, Ghai hasn?t yet lost his ear for music. With Sukhvinder Singh, he churns out a couple of terrific tracks in Jogi aaya and Main chala.Black & White is worth a try. Don?t worry, there are no close-ups of cola bottles and Ghai doesn?t make that redundant appearance. This one?s clearly more truly felt. Black & White is no Schindler?s List but it?s an effort in the right direction, coming at the right time. Subhash Ghai can now wander into Whistling Woods with his head held high. Welcome back, Sir.
March 9, 2008
