During
the
showcasing
of
Lamhaa
at
the
recently
held
I.I.F.A.
in
Sri
Lanka,
I
was
compelled
to
ask
director
Rahul
Dholakia
about
the
catch
line
of
the
film:
'The
untold
story
of
Kashmir'.
Obviously,
I
was
curious.
What
was
Dholakia
going
to
narrate
that
we,
the
viewers,
hadn't
witnessed
in
films
earlier
or
read
in
newspapers
or
watched
on
news
channels?
Dholakia
gave
a
convincing
response,
justifying
the
catch
line,
but
obviously
not
revealing
much
about
the
film.
As
Lamhaa
unfolds,
you
realize
that
Dholakia
may've
borrowed
a
few
incidents
from
life,
but
as
it
moves
forward,
it
comes
across
as
a
typical
Bollywood
enterprise
that
harps
on
being
real,
but
ends
up
being
a
masala
film
that
we
have
witnessed
over
and
over
again.
The
catch
line,
in
my
individualistic
opinion,
is
quite
misleading.
Dholakia
seems
to
have
researched
extensively
on
the
issue
and
Lamhaa
does
boast
of
some
razor-sharp
moments,
but
the
viewer
is
keen
to
have
an
insider's
viewpoint
on
Kashmir,
something
that
we
haven't
read/seen
(on
news
channels/films)
earlier,
which
Lamhaa
just
doesn't
provide.
Just
one
word
for
this
film:
Disappointing!
The
Military
Intelligence
gets
a
whiff
of
a
plot
that
is
likely
to
disrupt
and
possibly
paralyze
Kashmir.
Vikram
(Sanjay
Dutt)
is
sent
to
investigate
this
highly
confidential
mission
and
he
assumes
the
identity
of
Gul
Jehangir.
The
same
day
that
he
lands
in
the
valley,
Haji
(Anupam
Kher),
a
top
separatist
leader,
survives
a
blast.
Is
there
a
connection
between
the
blast
and
the
operation?
To
solve
this
conundrum,
Vikram
teams
up
with
Aziza
(Bipasha
Basu),
Haji's
young,
aggressive
and
outspoken
protege.
The
intensity
of
their
beliefs
and
their
will
to
survive
against
all
odds
creates
a
special
bond
between
them.
They
embark
together
on
a
journey
to
uncover
the
truth.
First
things
first!
Lamhaa
has
been
filmed
in
Kashmir
and
you're
awe-struck
by
its
beauty,
with
DoP
James
Fowlds
doing
a
splendid
job
in
capturing
the
scenic
locales
on
celluloid.
The
constant
shaking
of
the
camera
also
gives
a
real
feel.
Unfortunately,
Lamhaa,
though
controversial
in
nature,
merely
touches
the
tip
of
the
issue,
instead
of
going
all-out
and
narrating
a
story
that
offers
reasons
and
perhaps,
a
solution
to
the
crisis.
The
problem
clearly
lies
in
its
scripting,
the
written
material
(screenplay:
Raghav
Dhar,
Rahul
Dholakia).
Like
I
pointed
out
earlier,
Dholakia
should've
stuck
to
realism,
instead
of
trying
to
strike
a
balance
between
realism
and
make-believe.
The
viewer
is
told
at
the
very
outset,
and
also
at
regular
intervals,
that
'something
big
(read
destructive)
is
going
to
occur'.
But
the
entire
conspiracy
comes
across
as
too
trivial
during
the
final
moments
of
the
film
and
therefore,
the
impact
is
missing.
Honestly,
Lamhaa
comes
across
as
a
disjointed
effort,
in
terms
of
writing.
It's
more
of
a
collage
of
several
isolated
incidents,
which
explains
why
the
screenplay
lacks
the
power
to
keep
you
engaged.
Sure,
a
few
sequences
are
attention
grabbing,
but
showing
the
heroic
side
of
Sanjay
Dutt
(rescuing
Bipasha
all
the
while
-
from
the
cops,
from
Rajesh
Khera's
henchmen,
from
a
lecherous
Yashpal
Sharma)
appears
very
filmy.
Even
the
finale
-
Sanju
busting
the
conspiracy
-
comes
across
as
child's
play.
One
expects
a
lot
from
Dholakia,
but
he
lets
you
down
completely
in
Lamhaa.
The
politicians
wanting
a
bigger
piece
of
pie
or
children
getting
trained
for
jehad
or
their
bodies
being
stuffed
with
bombs
is
not
an
eye-opener
anymore.
What
one
is
keen
to
know
is
the
mindset
of
Kashmiris,
which,
frankly,
this
film
doesn't
really
project.
In
the
end,
if
you
recall
the
visuals,
not
the
content,
it
means
something
is
seriously
wrong
with
the
film
and
Lamhaa,
sadly,
is
right
intentions
gone
wrong.
Even
the
dialogue
(Sai
Kabir,
Ashwath
Bhatt),
like
the
screenplay
writing,
tries
to
strike
a
balance
between
real
and
filmy.
Mithoon's
music
is
easy
on
the
ears,
but
acts
as
a
speed
breaker
in
the
narrative.
Sanjay
Dutt
tries
hard
to
look
the
character,
but
I
just
couldn't
connect
with
it.
The
rugged
look,
the
sunglasses
and
the
trendy
attire
made
me
feel
that
Sanju
had
strolled
into
the
sets
from
an
ad
film
shoot.
Bipasha,
again,
doesn't
look
her
part,
although
I
must
add
that
she
has
put
in
a
lot
of
effort
to
stay
true
to
her
character.
The
sequence
when
she's
attacked
by
the
women
workers
of
Anupam
Kher's
political
party
is
simply
brilliant.
Kunal
Kapoor
is
royally
sidelined
in
the
first
hour,
but
has
a
few
interesting
scenes
in
the
second
half.
His
speech
in
the
finale
is
flat
and
devoid
of
the
required
emotions.
Anupam
Kher
is
the
lone
actor
who
actually
looks
the
character
he
has
been
assigned
to
portray.
Mahesh
Manjrekar
is
wasted.
Ditto
for
Yashpal
Sharma.
Vipin
Sharma
is
effective.
Jyoti
Dogra
stands
out.
Murli
Sharma
is
perfect.
Shernaz
Patel
is
decent.
Rajesh
Khera,
Yuri
Suri,
Vishwajeet
Pradhan,
Asif
Basra,
Denzil
Smith
and
Ehsaan
Khan
are
okay
in
their
respective
parts.
On
the
whole,
Lamhaa
just
doesn't
work.
Director:
Rahul
Dholakia
Cast:
Sanjay
Dutt,
Bipasha
Basu,
Kunal
Kapoor,
Shernaz
Patel,
Aman
Verma,
Yashpal
Sharma,
Vishwajeet
Pradhan