A
film
like
Mehbooba
makes
you
nostalgic.
It
takes
you
back
to
the
cinema
of
1990s,
when
an
altogether
new
breed
of
film-makers
took
over
Bollywood.
Multiple
heroes,
lavish
sets,
scenic
locations...
money
was
being
pumped
in
from
all
corners
in
Hindi
movies.
Mehbooba
comes
across
as
an
offshoot
of
films
made
in
that
phase.
It
bears
an
uncanny
resemblance
to
Saajan[two
brothers
in
love
with
the
same
woman],
Hum
Dil
De
Chuke
Sanam
[locales
of
Budapest
+
Ismail
Darbar
+
execution
of
songs],
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Kaun
[a
big
hasta-khelta
parivaar,
with
mama-mami,
sisters,
domestic
helps
et
al...
hero
atop
a
chandelier,
a
la
'Didi
Tera
Dewar
Deewana'].
Come
to
think
of
it,
there
could
be
so
many
more
inspirations...
That
Mehbooba
wears
a
dated
look
can
be
gauged
by
the
outfits
and
hairstyles.
Also,
the
presence
of
Manisha
Koirala
gives
away
[she
reigned
supreme
then].
Having
said
that,
let's
also
add
that
Mehbooba
isn't
a
'bad'
film.
It's
dated,
yes,
but
it
has
the
old
world
charm
that
still
works
in
the
hinterland,
in
the
mofussil
areas,
the
Hindi
belt.
The
tuneful
songs
coupled
with
the
lavish
execution,
the
atypical
Hindi
film
situations
[well
presented],
the
presence
of
formidable
stars
like
Sanju
and
Ajay...
Mehbooba
is
definitely
not
for
the
multiplex
or
yuppie
crowd.
It's
for
those
who
still
want
their
dose
of
5
emotional
scenes,
4
comic
scenes,
6
songs,
a
good
dose
of
glamour
and
an
item
song,
all
packaged
in
those
2.30
hours.
Shravan
[Sanjay
Dutt],
a
casanova,
loves
being
in
the
company
of
beautiful
and
desirable
women.
His
charm
and
money
gets
him
any
beauty
he
desires
till
he
meets
Varsha
[Manisha
Koirala].
Varsha
is
the
first
girl
in
Shravan's
life
who
says
'no'
to
his
advances.
Shravan
is
not
the
type
who
would
take
no
for
an
answer.
Yet,
he
realizes
his
mistake
and
apologizes
to
Varsha.
To
make
amends,
he
asks
for
Varsha's
hand
in
marriage.
Varsha's
father
convinces
her
that
he
is
a
changed
man
now
and
genuinely
loves
her.
After
much
deliberation,
Varsha
agrees
and
they
get
engaged.
Soon,
their
romantic
sojourn
ends
in
lovemaking.
Varsha's
dream
comes
to
a
shocking
end
when
Shravan
tells
her
that
his
love
for
her
was
just
a
drama
so
he
could
sleep
with
her.
Heart
broken
and
shattered,
Varsha
feels
shattered,
her
father
dies
of
heart
failure.
She
leaves
New
York
and
starts
life
afresh
in
Budapest.
Much
later,
Shravan's
younger
brother
Karan
[Ajay
Devgan]
decides
to
get
married.
The
girl
is
Payal,
who,
in
actuality,
is
Varsha.
Is
this
a
plan
by
Varsha
to
teach
Shravan
a
lesson?
What
happens
when
Karan
gets
to
know
what
transpired
between
Varsha
and
Shravan?
The
story
[Rumi
Jaffery]
of
Mehbooba
is
as
old
as
the
hills.
Actually,
you
don't
need
to
read
the
synopsis
in
the
booklet
to
know
what
the
storyline
is.
10
minutes
into
the
film
and
you
know
what's
in
store
next.
But
what
saves
the
film
from
sinking
is
Afzal
Khan's
handling
of
the
scenes
and
the
lavish
making.
A
few
moments
are
truly
well
handled.
Take,
for
instance,
the
two
confrontations
between
Sanju
and
Manisha
in
the
first
hour
as
also
the
hair-raising
climax.
But
what
dilutes
the
impact
is
its
length.
With
a
running
time
of
close
to
3
hours,
you
actually
want
to
scream,
"Ab
bas
bhi
karo
yaar!"
Ismail
Darbar's
music
is
a
major
asset.
Although
the
songs
have
a
Hum
Dil
De
Chuke
Sanam
hangover,
they
still
linger
in
your
memory.
Ashok
Mehta's
cinematography
is
top
notch.
That
the
veteran
is
a
master
in
his
field
is
re-affirmed
yet
again.
Dialogues
[Javed
Siddiqui]
relies
on
cliched
lines.
Sets
[Nitin
Chandrakant
Desai]
are
truly
lavish.
Both
Sanju
and
Ajay
have
visited
similar
roles
in
the
past
and
hence,
it
doesn't
take
much
effort
to
get
these
roles
right.
But
Manisha
Koirala,
what
can
you
say?
So
beautiful,
so
regal,
so
talented...
where
did
it
all
disappear?
Kader
Khan's
role
is
also
an
extension
of
what
he
has
portrayed
in
film
after
film.
On
the
whole,
Mehbooba
comes
too
late
in
the
day.
Had
it
released
in
the
1990s,
well,
it
might've
been
a
huge
grosser.
But
there's
still
hope!
A
film
like
Mehbooba
works
well,
even
today,
in
the
hinterland,
the
Hindi
belt,
the
interiors
and
that's
where
it
might
find
its
audience.