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By Taran
Adarsh, June 5, 2008 - 22:37 IST
 Sometimes, big things come in small packages. On
face value, AAMIR doesn't really look enticing. The
director is a first-timer [Rajkumar Gupta], the
protagonist [Rajeev Khandelwal] also forays on the
big screen with this flick, the film is set in the
dingy bylanes of Mumbai, so visually too, it's not
alluring.
But this small film has lots to offer!
It would be erroneous to evaluate a film like AAMIR
from the box-office point of view. If it rakes in
money, great. Films like AAMIR are more for the
discerning audience, for the thinking viewer. It's a
film that attacks your mind, rather than your heart.
It's a film that pricks your conscience.
Aamir, the name, means leader, but the protagonist
[Rajeev Khandelwal] becomes a follower out of fear.
The moment Aamir lands in Mumbai, he's transported
to a world he never knew: The dingy areas of Mumbai.
In its lanes and bylanes, cheap restaurants and
lodges, amongst nameless pimps and whores, run-down
buildings and over-crowded markets, filth and
squalor, Aamir sees a different world in those few
hours.
AAMIR truly defies the stereotype. It's not a love
story. It has no 'heroine'. Nor does the lead man
break into songs. Also, it's not filmed at stunning
locales of USA or Europe. On the contrary, the film
takes you to dingy locations which not many of us
must've never ever witnessed. Given the realistic
theme of the film, the debutant director has filmed
it at realistic locations.
One of the prime reasons why AAMIR works, and works
big time, is courtesy Rajkumar Gupta's execution of
the subject. The twists in the tale don't take the
beaten path and Rajkumar's expertise shows while
handling this difficult subject. The helplessness of
the protagonist has been captured remarkably on
celluloid.
Rajkumar gets able support from his cinematographer
[excellent], editor [razor sharp editing] and the
composer responsible for the background score
[topnotch].
 Rajeev Khandelwal is remarkable in the title role.
The film would've fallen flat had it been entrusted
to an inferior actor, but Rajeev lends the right
shades and emerges trumps. Watch him emote with his
eyes in the latter reels mainly, and you realize
that he knows the craft so well. An excellent debut!
On the whole, AAMIR is a remarkable film. It may not
set the box-office afire, but it succeeds where most
films don't -- it hits where it hurts. The message
this film sets out to convey comes loud and clear.
Very strongly recommended!
Rating * * * 1/2
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