Critics Rating:  2.STARS.

Cast: Vijay Raaz, Manu Rishi, Raj Zutshi, Vishwajeet Pradhan

Producer:  Karan Arora.

Story By: Aseem Arora.

Direction: Vijay Raaz

Genre: Drama

Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes

The year is 1948. The setting is the North West Frontier Province. A violent cross-fire between Pakistani and Indian forces at the border claims the lives of all but two men – a Pakistani soldier and an Indian army cook. The former is under instructions from his captain to retrieve a file of strategic importance from the lone Indian outpost near the border. He is just as determined to get it as his equally resolute counterpart is to keep him at bay.

And within this paragraph alone is encompassed a major part of the film. Sure, there are a few twists in the tale, but all of that would come into the spoiler zone. Much of the drama has to do with the exchanges (verbal or ballistic), which are better suited to a theatre production than a full length feature film (despite its brief running time).

For a lot of film buffs, the general idea may be reminiscent of the Bosnian film No Man’s Land (aka the film Lagaan lost the Oscar to in 2001). Kya Dilli Kya Lahore, however, does away with the complications and keeps the focus on the two desperate men. This leads to not just a situational stalemate for both protagonists but also errs when it comes to pacing.

 

Gulzar’s couplet (the moving ‘Lakeerein Hain Toh Rehne Do’) combined with black and white montages of Nehru’s tryst with destiny speech and the exodus of refugees crossing the border create an effective mood in the beginning. It is evident that the makers had the heart of the film in the right place.

However, the first half confines the characters to their respective locations where they stay unmoved until intermission. Things pick up in the second half, only to have monotony set in again later in the film. At a time of cross-border conflicts and initiatives like ‘Aman ki Asha’, the jaded Indian audience may not have the patience to sit through reminiscences of two men divided by religion, bound by the horrors of Partition.

The dialogue, which should have been the mainstay of the film, is ineffective in making you particularly sympathetic to the plight of the characters. It’s as if the film tries too hard to infuse some emotion over divided landscape. But it would mean too little in a cynical time.

Vijay Raaz clearly has the best-written character in the film. His is a more layered role and easily endearing because of his carefully concealed naivety. Manu Rishi is good too, but pales before Raaz’s intricate portrayal. Vishwajeet Pradhan and Raj Zutshi, as the Diabolus ex Machinas, add to the twists in the plot. However, the latter’s character is not established well, which has you questioning his motives.

Kya Dilli Kya Lahore is suitable fare mostly for film festivals. The makers were clear that the film was not made out of concern for commercial viability. On this front, the minimalist approach should do it some good.

Slow-moving and brooding, this is clearly not your average extravaganza with a saccharine climax. Save for the more patient among the audience, most viewers are likely to rent a DVD of this instead. This was a film that had the potential of being a great one. Unfortunately, it barely scratches the surface of being watchable for many.