Movie Review: Dor

Nagesh Kukunoor does it again - a different story, a simple cast, all beautifully wrapped up and presented to make an indelible impression and a must-watch movie.

The story is about two girls, Meera (Ayesha Takia) and Zeenat (Gul Panaag). Newly married, one from Rajasthan and the other from Kashmir (or was it Himachal/Uttaranchal?). Husbands in the gulf - one dies, the other is accused of his murder. To save her husband from the firing squad, Zeenat must find Meera and get her pardon. Shreyas Talpade as the baharupiya, first steals from Zeenat, then saves her life, then helps her, and ultimately falls in love with her.

The movie is a beautiful portrayal of relationships - Meera and her husband's coy talks, the girls and their in-laws, Shreyas and Zeenat (check the scene in which he professes his love for her, and the hug she gives him the next day), and of course, Meera and Zeenat - their friendship, the acrimony, and the making up.

Shreyas is adorable as the baharupiya, mimicking away to glory, with some very light moments. His best moment is the drunken scene in which he professes his love to Zeenat. Gul is OK, and comes across as a little flat in her dialogue delivery - could add more variety. But Ayesha is a very pleasant and a very big surprise - from the hot-pants look in Tarzaan (remember the movie with the car?) to a no-makeup, Rajasthani bride-turned-widow, her transformation from a shy, happy bride, to a sad, scared widow, to the way she breaks free (her dance to You Are My Soniya, the dance in the desert to kajara Re, the "let go of my hand confrontation with her father-in-law, the confrontation with Zeenat, and the real stunner - the scene in which she asks her grandmom-in-law, "Why do I need to be strong, why do I need to be an angel, why do I need to make decisions about life and death when HE should be taking those decisions, why do I need to be special - why can't I just be a normal girl wanting revenge for my husband's death" - simply awesome. Her simple looks, her dialogue delivery - the sadness in her eyes - maybe it was Kukunoor's magic, but I'd love to think it was the awakening of an actor - way to go, Ayesha!

And yes, don't forget the locales - breathtaking Jodhpur, the Rajasthani desert, and the hills and valleys of the north - just so so beautiful, so unspoilt...

Go watch it, movies like these are made not often!