‘Mirzya’ movie review: Look forward to stunning visuals and soul-stirring music

Directed By: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Produced By: Rohit Khattar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, PS Bharathi, Rajiv Tandon
Cast: Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3/5

You know what’s beautiful about love stories? They only change times, not the essence. That probably is the reason, why in our own moments of fondness, pang, love, grief, we keep going back to legendary love sagas like Laila-Majnu, Heer-Ranjha, Mirzya-Sahiban. They’re just like life; they don’t end happy always, but they end fulfilled. No wonder Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Mirzya’ was one of the most touted releases of this year. Are we content after watching it? Yes and no.

‘Mirzya’ draws a parallel line between two love stories; Mirzya-Sahiban and Adil-Suchitra. Suchitra (Saiyami Kher) is the only daughter of a rich and influential policeman of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Adil’s (Harshvardhan Kapoor) father is a servant to the family. The unspoken love that flowed beneath the unconditional love between the two children comes to an abrupt end as fate plays cruel and Adil commits a murder. The next time they meet, Suchi is taken by another man, and Adil is an absconder who works for him. As the story unfolds, we see how the history is repeating itself. Another legendary, unfruitful love story smiles at us.

You must be murmuring, there’s nothing different. Well, there actually isn’t. There is tragedy, there is pain, there is heartbreak, there is sacrifice and there is love in many colours. But the beauty is in how Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra treats the otherwise ordinary plots. The beauty is when emotions come alive with stunning visuals, mind-blowng music of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The rhythm of fusion-folk movements brings life into moments. Pawel Dyllus does magic with the cinematography.  You do expect Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to throw his master touch in small detailing, right?  He ain’t going to disappoint you.

One extraordinary aspect of ‘Mirzya’ is the entire Mirzya-Sahiban story runs without a single word. There is only music, stirring songs, wars full of heroism. But it tells the story better than words ever would.

The film will treat you with some magnificent visuals and songs. For those who grew up watching Daler Mehndi and wondered why he disappeared from Bollywood completely, the wait was worth. Mehndi has not only lent his voice to songs but has also composed a series of short songs on Mirzya’s character. Only, the VFX could be way better.

Coming to the glicthes. Debutant Harshvardhan Kapoor is good. He, however, could be better. Although, he deserves a loud applause for all the hardwork he did. From horse-riding on sand to arrowing, the man learnt it all. His silent acts are going to impress you better than his usual throws. Saiyami Kher sounds rather stiff. Can’t call it a powerful debut for her. The jump between past and present seems faster than required. Throughout the first half, songs pop up too frequently, not giving us space to absorb what we are watching. Most crucially, it is somehow not a complete expression of the emotional journey you expect to witness. It is a bit too subtle.

However, ‘Mirzya’ still remains better than a run-of-the-mill love story which usually lacks finest depiction of emotions. It doesn’t turn out to be as powerful as we thought it would be, but it still is worth a watch.

If you share a liking for films with intense emotions, go give it a watch!

Because all that is truth, isn’t happy always…

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