Sometimes,
big
things
come
in
small
packages.
On
face
value,
Aamir
doesn't
really
look
enticing.
The
director
is
a
first-timer
[Rajkumar
Gupta],
the
protagonist
[Rajeev
Khandelwal]
also
forays
on
the
big
screen
with
this
flick,
the
film
is
set
in
the
dingy
bylanes
of
Mumbai,
so
visually
too,
it's
not
alluring.
But
this
small
film
has
lots
to
offer!
It
would
be
erroneous
to
evaluate
a
film
like
Aamir
from
the
box-office
point
of
view.
If
it
rakes
in
money,
great.
Films
like
Aamir
are
more
for
the
discerning
audience,
for
the
thinking
viewer.
It's
a
film
that
attacks
your
mind,
rather
than
your
heart.
It's
a
film
that
pricks
your
conscience.
Aamir,
the
name,
means
leader,
but
the
protagonist
[Rajeev
Khandelwal]
becomes
a
follower
out
of
fear.
The
moment
Aamir
lands
in
Mumbai,
he's
transported
to
a
world
he
never
knew:
The
dingy
areas
of
Mumbai.
In
its
lanes
and
bylanes,
cheap
restaurants
and
lodges,
amongst
nameless
pimps
and
whores,
run-down
buildings
and
over-crowded
markets,
filth
and
squalor,
Aamir
sees
a
different
world
in
those
few
hours.
Aamir
truly
defies
the
stereotype.
It's
not
a
love
story.
It
has
no
'heroine'.
Nor
does
the
lead
man
break
into
songs.
Also,
it's
not
filmed
at
stunning
locales
of
USA
or
Europe.
On
the
contrary,
the
film
takes
you
to
dingy
locations
which
not
many
of
us
must've
never
ever
witnessed.
Given
the
realistic
theme
of
the
film,
the
debutant
director
has
filmed
it
at
realistic
locations.
One
of
the
prime
reasons
why
Aamir
works,
and
works
big
time,
is
courtesy
Rajkumar
Gupta's
execution
of
the
subject.
The
twists
in
the
tale
don't
take
the
beaten
path
and
Rajkumar's
expertise
shows
while
handling
this
difficult
subject.
The
helplessness
of
the
protagonist
has
been
captured
remarkably
on
celluloid.
Rajkumar
gets
able
support
from
his
cinematographer
[excellent],
editor
[razor
sharp
editing]
and
the
composer
responsible
for
the
background
score
[topnotch].
Rajeev
Khandelwal
is
remarkable
in
the
title
role.
The
film
would've
fallen
flat
had
it
been
entrusted
to
an
inferior
actor,
but
Rajeev
lends
the
right
shades
and
emerges
trumps.
Watch
him
emote
with
his
eyes
in
the
latter
reels
mainly,
and
you
realize
that
he
knows
the
craft
so
well.
An
excellent
debut!
On
the
whole,
Aamir
is
a
remarkable
film.
It
may
not
set
the
box-office
afire,
but
it
succeeds
where
most
films
don't
--
it
hits
where
it
hurts.
The
message
this
film
sets
out
to
convey
comes
loud
and
clear.
Very
strongly
recommended!
Story first published: Thursday, September 4, 2008, 15:22 [IST]