Mausam is like film couture

Film: Mausam; Rating: * * * * (4 stars)
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Supriya Pathak
Director: Pankaj Kapur

Must say two years of Shahid Kapur's dedication shone well in his father Pankaj Kapur's film Mausam. Capturing the essence of a small town boy's dream to fly, this movie kickstarts its look from a village in Punjab. Shahid Kapur aka Harinder Singh, lovingly called Harry's the joyful, active boy who's waiting for his sarkari joining letter from the Indian Air Force. And in those days of fun and waiting, he falls in love with Aayat (Sonam Kapoor), a Kashmiri Muslim, who takes shelter at her aunt's (Supriya Pathak) place in Punjab. Harry starts to send subtle love signals to Aayat, so she would accept his love.

TWIST: Sonam has to leave town in a rush and then one after the other Ayodhya-Babri masjid demolition issue comes up. Just then Harry receives a call from IAF and goes for his training. Seven years hence, he accidentally meets Sonam at Scotland, whilst he was attending an IAF exchange programme. Sonam's family had to migrate there because Muslims back in India were facing much heat. As love blossoms, the duo decide on tying the knot. But on the proposal day, Kargil war is declared and Harry rushes to war, without having any time to inform Sonam and her family.

FATE: Calls go unanswered and chitthis go unread. The love birds fail to contact each other but love keeps them afloat. Shahid looks absolutely dashing as an IAF office and the combat scene mid-air was shot truly close to real life. A crash landing leaves him injured, paralysing his left arm. Lovers remain torn apart, with no communication reaching them but hope keeps them alive.

GUJARAT MEIN MILAN: At the Gujarat riots, Sonam's house is torched by miscreants. And incidentally, Shahid's attending a wedding in the same area that night. Dramatic milan, he saves her when she's stranded and the two meet as if they never parted.

Girl with the blue scarf says: Cinematography is great. While the film could've been edited to 30 minutes lesser than its original span, the screenplay is intriguing. Pankaj Kapur has painstakingly captured the romance of not just the lovebirds but also the ambiance of Punjab, Scotland and IAF training grounds.
Now, who can resist the temptation of loving a soldier, who's ready to face the first bullet for his countrymen. I, too, fell for that. You, too, will.