Kurbaan (2009)

Director:

Renzil D'Silva

Writers:

Renzil D'Silva (screenplay)
Niranjan Iyengar (dialogue)

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (India)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Some Love Stories have Blood on them

Plot Keywords:

Journalist | Muslim | Bomb | Terrorism | Sex

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Kareena Kapoor	...	Avantika
Saif Ali Khan	...	Ehsaan Khan / Khalid
Om Puri
Vivek Oberoi	...	Riyaaz
Diya Mirza		(as Dia Mirza)
Cheryl Alessio
Kiron Kher
Lewis Tan	...	Swat Team Member
Evans Forlidas	...	Husband of Bombing Victim
Faezeh Jalali	...	Anjum
Rupinder Nagra	...	Hamid
Mohammed J. Ali	...	Man falling down steps
Damien Colletti	...	Train Passenger
Joe DeMarzio	...	Student
Gilbert Soto	...	Train passenger
Anita Storr	...	Nypd officer
Ernest E. Brown	...	Train Passenger
Carl Burrows	...	FBI Agent Bill
Teddy Valdes	...	Commuter
Janice LaFlam	...	Train Passenger During a Shooting
Nathan Unsworth	...	Train Passenger
Denise Lynch Murter	...	Standing subway lady
Art Lyle	...	Police Officer
Jae Greene	...	Policeman in explosion
John Schuman	...	Police Officer
Asheesh Kapur	...	Hakil
Milton A. Marsh III	...	Boat Passenger
Eugene Smith	...	Subway Passenger
Joel Ney	...	Confused Thug
Alex Efros	...	Man in explosion
Robb Stech	...	Deli Counter Clerk
Chuck Schanamann	...	FBI Agent
Greg Salvato Jr.	...	TRAIN PASSENGER
Jordan Romero	...	Pedestrian 1
Gahan Haskins	...	Man trips on stairs and jumps turnstile
Michael David Fishman	...	FBI Agent
Dave Droxler	...	Mike
Christine Ka'aloa	...	Boat Passenger
William Pichkan	...	Train Passenger
Jack McKeever	...	Police Officer
Monica DiNatale	...	Desk Clerk
Anthony M. Walker	...	Paramedic
Jim McCauley	...	Big Train Passenger

Also Known As:

Jihaad (India: Hindi title) (working title)
Untitled Renzil D'Silva Project (India: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

161 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | South Africa:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | India:A | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Humayun's Tomb, Nizamuddin East, South Delhi, Delhi, India

Company:

Dharma Productions

Kurbaan is a good thriller

Rensil D'silva's Kurbaan is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that seldom loses its grip on your attention. Credible performances from its leads, and a nail-biting screenplay make up for the plot holes that threaten to eat into this otherwise engaging film. Set in post-9/11 America, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan star as Avantika and Ehsaan, professors at a Delhi campus who move to New York after a whirlwind romance, that involves making out in the college staff room, and a prompt marriage. Avantika, who was teaching in the States prior to her stint in India, returns to her original job, and Ehsaan accompanies her, hoping to find a position for himself too. The couple moves into an Indian neighborhood in suburban New York, where Avantika stumbles upon the shocking secret that her husband is part of a sleeper cell of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists that's hatching a plot to bomb the New York subway. She enlists the help of a news channel cameraman Riyaaz Masood (played by Vivek Oberoi), who infiltrates the gang to foil their attack. More compelling than the similarly themed New York, Kurbaan scores for its brisk pacing, and for the fact that it doesn't offer an over-simplistic view of the terrorism issue. The film allows enough room for all perspectives and avoids romanticizing the terrorist as a victim seeking revenge, even if characters like Bhaijaan (played by Om Puri) and Aapa (played by Kirron Kher) make the same point repeatedly. It's in a dramatic classroom scene in which Vivek Oberoi's character Riyaaz confronts white students and their predictable logic, that the film reveals its neutral stance. The key problem with Kurbaan, however, is that it can't decide if it wants to be a serious film addressing a burning issue, or a commercial potboiler set against the backdrop of terrorism. How else do you explain such lapses in logic as Riyaaz's needlessly heroic decision to explore a possible terrorist situation himself, instead of alerting the cops right away? Or the terrorist group's decision to include Riyaaz in their mission without as much as a thorough background check. Even the love scene between Saif and Kareena, although aesthetically shot, has a distinctly 'filmi' logic - Avantika's seducing Ehsaan to get her hands on vital information that could prevent the attacks. Another careless oversight on the part of Kurbaan is the more-or-less insignificant role the FBI plays in all of this. Anyone who's traveled to the United States post 9/11 or even watched a handful of recent Hollywood thrillers will tell you that America became a different country since September 11 happened. Even a mention of words like 'bomb' or 'terrorist' could get you into serious trouble. Which is why it's a little alarming to note that Ehsaan roams about freely on the streets of New York without bothering with so much as a guise, when the FBI have clear photographs of this most-wanted terrorist. Or that he can walk into a bar and stab a man to death, or escape from a run-in with the cops. Just watch the recent Harrison Ford-starrer Crossing Over in which the FBI swoops down on a teenage Bangladeshi girl for a class essay she wrote in which she may have sounded at best 'casual' to the Twin Towers attack. These irregularities might be dismissed as nitpickings in an average masala entertainer, but they stand out in a film like this which prides itself on attention to detail and credibility of intent. Despite its hiccups, Kurbaan works as a suspenseful thriller, sucking you into its drama even though you may have figured out where the story's going. Refer to that terrific scene in which Ehsaan reveals his real identity to Avantika, or the one in which Riyaaz's secret is accidentally revealed to Ehsaan. There is genuine intrigue in these moments, and you're undeniably hooked. Kurbaan is convincing also for the remarkable acting by its three leads, who are a pleasure to watch. If Saif Ali Khan approaches his part with restraint and minimalist fuss, then Kareena Kapoor goes for a simmering, slow-burning performance that eventually punches you in the gut. Vivek Oberoi, despite the occasionally rickety accent, throws himself into the role and turns in a sincere, spontaneous delivery. As an ensemble, the trio turns Kurbaan into one of the best-acted pieces you've seen all year. Armed with Hemant Chaturvedi's efficient camera-work and Salim-Suleiman's rousing music score that never distract from the storytelling, director Rensil D'silva makes a confident debut with a film that is both respectable and engaging. It's a compelling thriller that doesn't shy away from touching prickly issues.