Critics praise debut directorial venture.
By Tathagata Mitra
BANGALORE: Bollywood actor Vijay Raaz has taken many critics by surprise with his first directorial venture, ‘Kya Dilli Kya Lahore’, which has got rave reviews.
Raaz has earned his reputation by acting in various Bollywood movies like Monsoon Wedding, Delhi-6 and Delhi Belly.
‘Kya Dilli Kya Lahore’, a film based on the post-Independence tensions between India and Pakistan released on May 2. Since then it has garnered a great reputation among the critics and the niche movie goers.
The film stars Vijay Raaz himself along with actors Manu Rishi, Raj Zutshi and Vishwajeet Pradhan. Raaz plays Rehmat Ali, a Pakistani soldier of Indian origin. Rishi plays Samarth Pratap Shastri, an Indian soldier of Pakistani origin. Raaz’s character crosses over to the Indian side, to steal a file about a tunnel being built from Red Fort (Delhi) to Lahore. To avoid danger, he runs into Rishi’s character and amidst the gunfire from the two countries, the two develop a bond of human connection.
IMDB ratings put ‘Kya Dilli Kya Lahore’ at a staggering 9.2 as other critics also praise Raaz’s unique sense of storytelling. The Hindustan Times writes, “Kya Dilli Kya Lahore may be a slow film but its climax will certainly touch you. Its poetic optimism will stay with you for long.”
The Indian Express has compared the film to the Bosnian Oscar winner ‘No Man’s Land’ which beat Lagaan in 2001 to get the Academy Award for Best Foreign film.
‘Kya Dilli Kya Lahore’s’ portrayal of the futility of war and the tragic waste of human life have been praised by many critics, as it has been for Gulzar’s lyrics.
Gulzar has been known for his works around the partition about which he has written a lot. He particularly praised the film for the participation of the young people in its making.
“I was surprised to know that many youngsters have been associated with the film and yet they have brought the essence of the whole film so well,” he has told the media.
Producer Karan Arora expressed that he is not worried about the commercial viability of the film and called it a “simple film” rather than a “Bollywood extravaganza.”