Verdict :
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi
Genre : Historical Adventure-Romance
Duration : 2h 30 Min
Director : Ashutosh Gowariker
It is no mean feat to make a movie set 4000 years ago. Ashutosh Gowarikar’s epic drama about a love story between Sarman and Chaani should be given full credit for making a sincere attempt. One can see a lot of hard work that’s gone into the research and the mounting of a film on such a grand scale. But then, intention is never enough. The film falters as it unfortunately goes tight-fisted on visual effects, making some parts look tacky and questionable.
The stunning Sarman’s (Hrithik Roshan) valour is established in the first scene itself when he slays a killer crocodile more easily than one would kill a pesky cockroach in the kitchen. Sarman helps his kaka (Nitish Bharadwaj) in farming but aspires to visit Mohenjodaro some day. It is in the bustling market place of his dream land, that he spots Chaani (Pooja Hegde) and promptly falls in love with her. Chaani, who is the local priest’s daughter, is already been booked for marriage by the headman Maham (Kabir Bedi) for his beefy son Moonja (Arunoday Singh). Maham and Moonja are of course the villains of the piece.
Once Sarman reaches Mohenjo Daro, he jumps right into the eye of the whirlpool of politics of the place and becomes an unofficial leader of sorts, even while continuing to romance Chaani. In the two and half hour duration (tad too long), Gowarikar touches upon many pertinent issues which transcend time or period; the sweet freedom of democracy, how not to mess with nature and the importance of staying true and just even in the face of adversity.
It is difficult to take one’s eye off Hrithik, even as he woos Chaani or grooves to A R Rahman’s not so inspiring melody. Visibly older but still very much a piece of eye candy, Hrithik Roshan puts his heart and soul into the role. Pooja Hegde is pretty and makes quite a confident debut. The rest of star cast, which includes the delectable Sharad Kelkar and seasoned actors like Nitish Bharadwaj and Suhasini Mulay, provide good support. Cinematography (C.K Muraleedharan) is pretty good and plays a major part in recreating the era.