'A
good
destiny
is
when
two
people
find
each
other
without
even
looking',
this
thought
was
constantly
running
across
my
mind
while
I
was
watching
Zaheer
Iqbal-
Pranutan
Bahl's
Notebook.
Nitin
Kakkar's
latest
directorial
Notebook
talks
about
finding
love
in
the
most
unexpected
places.
An
Indian
adaptation
of
the
Thai
film
'Teacher's
Diary',
Notebook
revolves
around
Kabir
(Zaheer
Iqbal),
an
ex-army
man
who
joins
an
isolated
boat-school
as
a
teacher
in
Kashmir.
There
he
stumbles
upon
a
notebook
which
the
previous
teacher
Firdaus
(Pranutan)
used
to
pen
down
her
emotions.
As
Kabir
begins
reading
the
notebook,
he
finds
himself
slowly
falling
in
love
with
Firdaus
with
her
personal
stories
as
a
balm
to
heal
his
past.
'Woh
bahut
khoobsurat
hai
lekin
maine
usse
kabhi
dekha
hi
nahi...pyaar
ho
gaya
hai
mujhe
usse,
jisse
main
kabhi
mila
hi
nahin.' Will
Kabir
&
Firdaus
ever
meet
in
person?
The
rest
of
the
film
holds
an
answer
to
that.
With
Notebook,
Nitin
Kakkar
brings
us
a
human
story
which
is
sweet,
simple
and
full
of
warmth.
Along
with
Kabir-Firdaus'
love
story,
the
filmmaker
also
weaves
threads
of
other
issues
like
Kashmiri
Pandit
exodus,
extremist
terrorism
and
lack
of
basic
educational
facilities
into
his
narrative.
However,
there
are
punctures
in
Darab
Farooqi,
Payal
Ashar
and
Sharib
Hashmi's
writing
at
places.
Having
said
that
one
must
mention
that
the
climax
does
leave
a
lasting
impression.
Newbies
Zaheer
Iqbal
and
Pranutan
bring
in
a
certain
freshness
to
the
film.
While
they
still
have
a
long
way
to
go,
it's
evident
that
they
have
given
their
cent
per
cent
to
the
roles
in
their
debut
films.
The
kids
bring
in
a
certain
sense
of
innocence
and
cuteness
to
the
plot.
Manoj
Kumar
Khatoi's
camera
work
beautifully
captures
Kashmir
in
a
poetic
manner.
Sachindra
Vats's
editing
could
have
been
a
little
tauter.
Notebook
has
some
pleasant
music
by
Vishal
Mishra.
While
Bhumro
is
a
foot-tapping
number,
Nai
Lagda
and
Laila
is
some
comfort
food
for
the
soul.
If
you
are
a
sucker
for
old-school
romance,
then
Zaheer
Iqbal-Pranutan's
Notebook
is
just
for
you.
I
am
going
with
3
stars.