Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Monikangana Dutta
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
A new trend has set in Bollywood. The producers as well as the directors have begun show their lead characters suffering from rare diseases, presumably to create awareness among the audience that these diseases don't bar a person from living a normal life. Aamir Khan in 'Ghazani' and 'Taare Zameen Par', Amitabh Bachchan in 'Black' and 'Paa', Shah Rukh Khan in 'My Name is Khan' are few worthy of mentioning.
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been wrongly criticized for plagiarizing the movie or for producing a remake of a foreign movie In fact, Bhansali deserves an applaud both for providing the right content as well as the just spirit to his venture though it has been evident in all of his works. Even if some movies are believed to have inspired him, his touch is felt in each and every scene. That's why it's perhaps his best film so far.
The movie's story touches one's heart. Ethan Mascarenhas played by Hrithik Roshan, though a perfect magician suffers serious injuries and turns a paraplegic when one of his magical trick goes terribly wrong. Yet, he doesn't lose heart and becomes a radio jockey at an FM Station called Radio Zindagi. He makes his audience laugh and enjoy. No body could imagine that the radio jockey has been confined to wheel chair for the last 14 years. The same way Sofia played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan acts as an unimaginable nurse who not only cares but falls in a kind of silent love for her patient.
While Ethan decides to end life and pleads for mercy killing through his friend-lawyer Devyani played by Shernaz Patel and supported by his mother Isabel played by Nafisa Ali, Sofia feels the shock of her life. She wonders if she hasn't taken enough care for her beloved patient Hrithik. Luckily for her, Ethan's physician Suhel Seth in the character of Dr Naik withdraws the euthanasia petition. Meanwhile Ethan agrees to teach magic to Omar played by Aditya Roy. This makes everyone heave a sigh of relief. Thus, we find a natural flow in the story though otherwise a complicated one. Bhavani Iyer and Bhansali provide adequate support to the plot with their screenplay.
We salute Bhansali and his cinematographer Sudeep K Chatterjee for capturing the beautiful locations of Goa and doing full justice to the scenes sequences enacted by Bollywood's two top actors - Hrithik and Ash. Bhansali also provides an equally fantastic music to the movie's songs like "Tera Zikr Hai Ya Itra Hai" and "Sau Gram Zindagi' besides the title track, of course. Hence, 'Guzaarish' places Bhansali in the category of most accomplished directors of Bollywood. Bhansali proves his credential as a debut music director too.
As far as performance is concerned, who could do justice than Hrithik and Aish to the roles assigned to them? Besides, Bhansali is known for utilizing his actors to their best. Wonder if this onscreen pair wouldn't make the producers and the directors make a beeline at their doors for their future ventures. Among other actors, Aditya Roy Kapur as Omar (magic learner) , Shernaz Patel as Devyani (lawyer-friend) and Suhel Seth as hero's physician and Nafisa Ali as Hrithik's mother play their roles too well.
