For those few who have cared to follow the release of Shaurya, the end credits roll with ‘101’ definitions of Courage. One is missing. Courage is also being original. Shaurya is ‘inspired’ by Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men (based on AB Sorkin’s play of the same name). Shaurya is the story of Siddhant (Rahul Bose), a cocky lawyer in the army (Tom Cruise in the original) who is searching for meaning and adventure in life. He is waiting for something that would challenge his spirit. This he finds in defending a soldier Javed Khan (Deepak Dobriyal) who is accused of killing a senior army officer. Khan stands all alone, with nobody to support him and refuses to speak in his own defense.
Shaurya’s director, Samar Khan has tried to contextualize his inspiration by putting an Indian issue at the heart of the story. But what can be more unoriginal than playing the same old Hindu-Muslim communal card? Javed Khan says that he is paying the price for being a Muslim. Siddhant (Bose) scoffs at him for playing the victim and trying to be a martyr. Although there is truth here and it would have worked to the film’s credit had it been presented the Muslim issue with clarity and honesty. But the film cows down under easy options. So it is not one community dominating another but just one man, Brigadier Pratap (Kay Kay Menon) dictating not only the entire army operations in the area but also the lives of people who happen to enter his self-declared jurisdiction. Blaming him comes easy because he talks like a madman and the officer (shot by Khan) who follows his orders is shown to be a beast. Since the entire blame of false encounters in Kashmir can be pinned down on one man, Brigadier Pratap, the solution is clear. Lock him up. If only the problem was this simple and the solution this easy! Playing safe is not original.
Rahul Bose is one of the finest actors in Bollywood today. In Shaurya he is so coolly balanced that he makes even the over-dramatic scenes bearable. Javed Jaffery plays a regular (non-comic) guy well and should try more of these. Minissha Lamba is a hairs breadth away from over-acting and Amrita Rao just about manages. Kay Kay Menon tries hard but standing up to the cold and menacing fanaticism of Col. Nathan Jessep of the original (Jack Nicholson) would always be a tall order. Deepak Dobriyal as Javed Khan is not extra ordinary (one thinks of Omkaara) but does his job.
There is not much place for songs in the film but a couple of then have been jammed in anyway. Cinematographer Carlos Catalan does what he is asked without adding much of his own. The dialogues deserve a mention; there is an attempt to be natural and witty. On details, I was left wondering can civilians and journalists be present during a court martial? They are. And, can the army let go of a soldier who has killed his senior officer. He is.
Shaurya’s director, Samar Khan has tried to contextualize his inspiration by putting an Indian issue at the heart of the story. But what can be more unoriginal than playing the same old Hindu-Muslim communal card? Javed Khan says that he is paying the price for being a Muslim. Siddhant (Bose) scoffs at him for playing the victim and trying to be a martyr. Although there is truth here and it would have worked to the film’s credit had it been presented the Muslim issue with clarity and honesty. But the film cows down under easy options. So it is not one community dominating another but just one man, Brigadier Pratap (Kay Kay Menon) dictating not only the entire army operations in the area but also the lives of people who happen to enter his self-declared jurisdiction. Blaming him comes easy because he talks like a madman and the officer (shot by Khan) who follows his orders is shown to be a beast. Since the entire blame of false encounters in Kashmir can be pinned down on one man, Brigadier Pratap, the solution is clear. Lock him up. If only the problem was this simple and the solution this easy! Playing safe is not original.
Rahul Bose is one of the finest actors in Bollywood today. In Shaurya he is so coolly balanced that he makes even the over-dramatic scenes bearable. Javed Jaffery plays a regular (non-comic) guy well and should try more of these. Minissha Lamba is a hairs breadth away from over-acting and Amrita Rao just about manages. Kay Kay Menon tries hard but standing up to the cold and menacing fanaticism of Col. Nathan Jessep of the original (Jack Nicholson) would always be a tall order. Deepak Dobriyal as Javed Khan is not extra ordinary (one thinks of Omkaara) but does his job.
There is not much place for songs in the film but a couple of then have been jammed in anyway. Cinematographer Carlos Catalan does what he is asked without adding much of his own. The dialogues deserve a mention; there is an attempt to be natural and witty. On details, I was left wondering can civilians and journalists be present during a court martial? They are. And, can the army let go of a soldier who has killed his senior officer. He is.
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