Movie Review - Mirza Juuliet by Suhel Johar
Mirza
Juuliet Is A Messed Up Film.
The film is set in North Indian heartland and is
rustic and raw in its treatment. Mirza
Juuliet is a fight between lust and love.
The small town of Mirzapur plays host to Mirza and
Juuliet's "association". For most parts it's just that.
After a politician gets shot in a religious conflict
in Mirzapur, things are tensing up on the political front. On the other hand,
taking the town on her head is Jullie Shukla (Pia Bajpai) who is the sister of
an influential politician, Dharamraj (Priyanshu Chatteerjee) and is also set to
marry in an even bigger political family. Her fiancé Rajan Pandey (Chandan Roy
Sanyal) is a sex maniac and Jullie is quite tired of his antics pre-marriage
itself. The dysfunctional Julie is as
schizophrenic as possible. Docile and obedient to her bullying brothers and
mouthing gaalis and throwing chappals as she steps out.
Things tense up when she meets Mirza (Darshan Kumar)
who is her childhood friend after years. After realizing that Mirza is her
childhood friend, she decides to go on long bike rides with him. The two soon
grow close and even fall in love. Mouthing gaalis she may be but she is
typically nubile in true Hindi films style who knows nothing about love making
but must ask her childhood friend about it.
Will Mirza and Jullie’s love survive amongst the
political involvements is what is left to see.
The love story is completely cliched and extremely
tiresome considering you have figured out the supposed ‘tragic’ end already. The
weak link of the film is its tragic woeful story that has been running for
centuries. The loud colours, the flamboyant storytelling and characters who
have no respect for the law of the land have all been seen before. Although the
length of the film is close to 2 hours but editing is not right, it seems to be
long drawn. In this film there is less emotions and more confusion. The climax
is painfully slow, stretched and illogical. The hero apparently turns into some
kind of an alien who despite being felled with bullets does not die. With so
many guns involved in the climax, you feel like borrowing one just to spare
yourself of the ongoing horror.
It's refreshing to see a Hindu-Muslim love story though
where the lovers' religious identity is never really an issue. Their social
status is.
While it mostly enrages moviegoers with weird cuts
and irrational explanations, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has
surprised us with their “censorship, or lack of it” on a few rare occasions.
Manoj Bapayee’s Aligarh (2015) and
Swara Bhaskar’s Anaarkali of Aarah
are other examples of similar benevolence from CBFC recently.
In Mirza
Juuliet the Censor board has allowed more sex in than any other recent film. So is the Central
Board of Film Certification (CBFC) finally turning a new leaf? Apparently the
cusswords and profanities in the Hindi language which are normally ordered out
were here allowed to stay. Mirza Juuliet has even has a scene with
the hero masturbating, which has not been cut. Sex, it seems, is no longer
taboo. Not when Shakespeare is at its helm.
Coming to Rajesh Ram Singh’s direction, there’s a
lot of mismanagement there. Lots of continuity lapses happen here but most of
the time, you’re too bored to pay heed to that. Singh’s partner in crime in
churning out this abysmal film is its writer Shanti Bhushan who has been
credited with the story, screenplay and dialogues for the film.
Cinematography by Ajay Pandey is somewhat decent in
parts. Editing by Sahil Sai is patchy. Music by Krsna Solo is bad while
background score by Hiesh Sonik is okay.
Darshan Kumar, who was so impressive as Mary Kom's
compassionate husband in Mary Kom and
the honour-killing brother in NH10,
in his first role of a typical Bollywood hero brings a quiet strength to the
role of the troubled Muslim youth who is tired of being used as a political
pawn. Pia
Bajpai is overtly loud as Jullie Shukla. She has a good screen presence and
potential to do better.
Priyanshu Chatterji as Juliet 's misogynist bother
and Swanand Kirkire as the manipulative politician are decent. Chandan Roy
Sanyal as her obsessive fiancé hams his way through the film.
On the whole, Mirza
Juuliet is a waste of time and money.
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