Filmistaan Review

What is it all about?

Cinema Khush Hua.. Maa. !!!! a sarcastic exhibition condemning the India Pakistan partition an absurd decision first time helmer Nitin Kakkar joyfully twines this ode to cinema with a hostage drama that crosses boundaries for a wider audience beyond the usual festival crowd by sticking to the culture of cinema i.e. to entertain and elate with warmth by its terrific sense of humor and cultural similarities.

The Story

First time writer director Nitin Kakkar witty take on the India Pakistan love and hate celebrates Indian cinema and both the countries cultural similarities remarkably making us wonder that it's the writer director's first attempt.

A happy made to entertain with some extra kilos b-town wanna be actor Sunny (Sharib Hashmi) is giving auditions all over but just cannot resist to ape the B-town populars and gets rejected.. facing money crises and being convinced that heartthrobs like Hrithik, Ranbir where the same before shining brightly as superstars, Sunny becomes an assistant director for an American crew shooting a documentary in Rajasthan.

While shooting near the border Sunny gets mistakenly kidnapped along with the shooting equipments by Pakistani terrorist who came to trap the Americans to create international sensation.

Clueless on what to do with this `aam' Hindustani the Pakistani militants hold Sunny captive in one house where they are taking shelter till they find the Americans.

Sunny's filmy `keedas' spread the welcome bacteria of friendship and brother hood with b-town pirated DVD vendor Aftab (Inaamulhaq) as time progresses Sunny's passion for cinema grips the village as we see the Pakistani's similar emotional reactions to Indian cinema's melodramatic situations serving cinema as a path for warmth and acceptance..

Such satire needs a cautious balance of occasional wit blended with an underline social comment coming out without any threat to turn preachy.. this one goes over the top at its will but still remains grounded to the movies subject reality is a job well done..

Nitin Kakar makes the audience travel through this rare and unusual field of cinema by giving the right amount of authenticity and identity to the characters making us laugh and cry with them. Excellent.

What to look out for

Fimistaan is a well realized satire on India Pakistan cross border fire Nitin Kakar doesn,t mock the Pakistani's, brings them on even field by drawing similarities between the culture and passion for cinema.. and in a way also questions the reason of partition when things are so similar thus making `Fimistaan' a remarkably unique effort.

As a writer director Nitin Kakar does a fabulous job the pacing is crisp, filled with hilarious situations like the Salman Khan voice over by Sharib Hashmi for Maine Pyar Kiya or ordering takes and retakes to the militants while directing his own ransom video or the village auditions for a bollywood movie..

Post interval the movie takes a emotional nostalgic dip when the camaraderie between Sunny and Aftab make an attempt to heal the separation wounds of partition with a new hope.. Arijit Datta's music offers rich blend of folk, sufi and western elements giving the movie the required atmosphere..   pic of the lot is the energetic Udaari by Ishq Bector and Swaroop Khan and the soulful Bol by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Arijit Datta. Ranvindar Randhwa's lyrics are meaningful.

Sharib Hashmi lives the role of Sunny and he in one word is terrific. Inaamulhaq as the pirated DVD vendor is excellent. Kumud Mishra as the militant leader is perfect. Gopal Dutta as his assistant does a good job. Other supporting actors make their presence felt.

Technically sound with crisp editing by Sachindra Vats and beautiful capture of the landscapes by Subhransu.

What not

The hope of India Pakistan coming together as one may sound superficial and dreamy for some. Nitin Kakkar opts for an open ending which may be questionable some better option could have being worked out.

Conclusion: Sampling Indian cinema as 'Mahan' `Filimistaan' stands out as a welcome dope of hope to B-town satires its novel, funny, smartly acted comic relief combating cross border grits with its `filmy' wits.. go for it..

Rating ****