Movie Moment: Mausam

In my opinion epic love stories are hard to come by. Many films and dramas carry the tagline and though we may get drawn into the story, “epic” doesn’t quite fit. I think I’ve only seen as many as I have fingers and even then, I can’t say I actually liked them all. Mausam, however doesn’t bill itself as “epic” but rather “timeless” and I have to admit, it really does look promising.

Mausam is the long awaited first directorial project from Pankaj Kapur (Maqbool, Roja) which happens to star his son Shahid. If you know anything about the Indian Film Fraternity, nepotism runs deep but given what I’ve seen of the film so far,  Shahid seems to be physically made for this role. [This project took a grueling two years to make and hit several speed bumps out of the gate (one pushing back it’s premiere a full week), which also stunted my reporting on it sooner.]

Tagline: A love beyond romance. (Four seasons. Four colors. Four phases in their lives. Four historical events.)

Official Synopsis: Mausam(Seasons of Love) is a story of the timeless love in the face of political hostilities and religious conflict, between a proud Punjabi Air Force Officer, and an innocent Kashmiri refugee, Aayat. Set against as landscape that transcends a decade and spans continents, Mausam is a classic journey that transports one into a world is indestructible bonds of love enveloped by the roulette of destiny.

Watch Official Trailer here. The score in the preview is a little pretentious for me but from this sneak peek, the film looks worth your time.

Release: September 23, 2011 (specifically about 9 hours ago in India).

Actors: Shahid Kapoor (Vivaah, Kaminey) and Sonam Kapoor (Aisha, Saawariya) portray the lead roles and it seems that the entire story is all about them. Ultimately, Shahid is the more experienced actor and the stronger actor by far but I actually do like Sonam as well. They are both actors that try very hard to do their jobs well and their projects reflect this. I admit, I would’ve loved to see Amrita Rao in this role, but Sonam has a face that translates beautifully into this theme of innocence, coupled with growth and the passage of time.  Shahid and Sonam looks stunning together and like I said before, seem to be made for this film. Shahid’s transformation as a military officer is dapper and handsome, probably the best I’ve seen him. He comes across intelligent and strong, qualities I’m sure any officer needs to be successful.

Music: This is the second time that I’ve commented on the music in a film, and believe me, I do not plan on making it a habit. However, Mausam is a film that should reflect different seasons and time periods and I felt that the music in such a film is worthy of a prior listen.

The soundtrack has 6 original tracks with several reprises and remixes bringing the total tracks up to 13. I have to admit that the music in this film transports to another time and place and seems perfect for the theme of the story and film as a whole. It’s not a modern love story but is rather a story that has a particular time stamp that is re-imagined in it’s music. The tracks mix a whimsical and referential concept that I haven’t heard it quite awhile. Of course there are at least two dance numbers, though Mallo Malli may break the spell of this time period a little for me ( but I wil hold out to see how this translate in context.)

The title track Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye has this magical and whimsical feel to it, that I haven’t felt since perhaps Guru‘s Teri Bina track. It definitely makes you want to fall in love. There are two versions of this song, sang by Rahat Feht Ali Khan and the other by Shahid Mallya. Though I love the song by both singers, Khan’s voice seems to melt within the song making it a much smoother and soothing. But overall both men do a beautiful job. Mallya doesn’t blow me away with his Rabba verision but his reprise of Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi is nothing short of beautiful. I honestly can’t say enough about this song, for even the Wadali Brothers, Melfi Remix is enchanting.

I find that with each film, not only are you looking for the film to deliver a certain quality, that idea extends to the soundtrack and this album hits all those buttons for me. If not in the original tracks, in the remixes or additional tracks from different artists and singers. It’s definitely a must listen.

Thoughts: The more I see stories on screen the more each story reminds me of another (those that rarely aren’t remakes). Mausam is no different. Several films swarm in my mind when I think of this film but Veer-Zaara (Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta) is the one that sticks. That being the case, my hopes are relatively high for this film. I actually believe that Mausam has a chance of being better on a few levels, especially considering that the actors are younger and the story is about love, politics and probably  a sprinkle of religion but without the jail time.

“Mausam” actually translates to mean weather, therefore, the film has a seasonal motif and given the synopsis, may perhaps be broken visually and dramatically into seasons. This idea fascinates me, for I wonder how this will all unfold on-screen. The story explores young lovers that grown and change from flirty innocent teenagers to “seasoned” passionate adults and honestly I can’t wait to see some real passion on-screen again. The weakest link, given the premise, is the ten year separation. I find it very hard to grapple with lovers being torn apart in this day and age. Especially if the circumstance have anything to with miscommunication (or the lack there of). This is where the film could become contrived and tedious but we’ll just have to see, won’t we? Hopefully, silly notions, noble idiocy and just plain stupidity won’t be spewing it’s mindless juices in this film.

[stills and official synopsis courtesy of Mausam Official Website]