<i>Sun Zarra</i>

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM
Monday, February 27, 2006

Even though a big segment of Bollywood has started thinking out of the box and venturing into lanes that were considered unrealistic till sometime ago, another faction continues to have faith in the tried and tested formula.

Sun Zarra relies heavily on the formula that worked so well in the 1970s and 1980s. But times have changed. Experiment is in, clichÉ-ridden stuff is out. When the reels of Sun Zarra unfold, you can actually do a lot of guesswork and believe it or not, your speculation would be on target most of the times.

Stories such as the one depicted in Sun Zarra were popular at a point of time, but in this era of multiplexes, when the thought process of a moviegoer has undergone a drastic change, the concept looks passÉ and old-fashioned.

Besides, the narrative could've been short and sweet, not stretched as is the case here. Also, since the film revolves around two aspiring singers, the music should've been a highpoint. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

Sun Zarra tells the story of Rohit [Samir Aftab], who aspires to be a singer. To realize his dreams, he comes to Mumbai, where he meets Bihari Babu Gauri Shankar [Mithun Chakraborty]. Gauri Shankar and his Punjabi wife [Renuka Shahane Vij] give him shelter and help him realize his dreams.

Trisha [Anjana Sukhani], the girl next door, happens to hear Rohit singing. She falls in love with his voice but doesn't know who the singer is. She enquires from her friends, but everyone is clueless. Whenever Trisha personally comes across Rohit, she finds him up to some prank or mischief. This puts her off completely and she starts disliking him. But Rohit is in love with Trisha already.

Things take a turn when Trisha turns blind due to an accident. Rohit feels responsible for it and decides to undo the harm. Rohit not only helps Trisha find a home after her landlord [Arjun] acts smart, but also takes her for an audition. The music composer [Dilip Sen] selects her thankfully.

Meanwhile, the doctors inform Rohit that Trisha can regain her eyesight. To raise money for Trisha's operation, Rohit decides to sell one of his kidneys. Trisha's operation is successful, she can see the world now. But when Rohit is about to return, he is falsely implicated as a terrorist. By now Trisha is a big star, while Rohit, who returns after a one-year sentence, is keen to clear the misunderstandings.

Sun Zarra can be best described as an ordinary plot backed by run of the mill execution. There's not much meat in the enterprise, primarily because there's no novelty in the script whatsoever. A few moments are decent, but they aren't enough to camouflage the mediocrity.

Also, the film could've done with a concise length. The end seems to have been stretched unnecessarily. The comedy track [of Samir Aftab's friends] looks completely forced. Besides, the film could've done without a couple of songs as well.

Rohit Krishnakant Nayyar's direction is okay, but the choice of the subject is what takes the graph of the film down. Music [Sandesh Shandilya] is pleasing, but since the film revolves around singers, it ought to be the best part of the enterprise. Yet, 'Unse Nazrein Mili Aur Mili Bhi Nahin' [at the wedding] and the title track stand out. Cinematography is passable.

Samir Aftab is likeable and acts effortlessly. A fine actor, the only thing he ought to take care is his styling. Why does he wear a tanned look at times? Anjana Sukhani is a complete natural. She also pitches in a commendable performance. Mithun Chakraborty is functional.

Kishori Shahane Vij is just right. Arjun is okay. The actors playing Samir Aftab's friends lack energy. A number of music composers make an appearance in the film: Shravan, Ismail Darbar, Dilip Sen, Sandesh Shandilya and Ali-Ghani.

On the whole, Sun Zarra is too ordinary a fare to leave a mark.

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