Guzaarish Movie Review : A Pulp Poetry

Think Bhansali, and you are thinking a peculiar mix of madness and melancholy. At a time when cinema in Bollywood is dabbling with everything but the old- school charm, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s idiom of pulp poetry makes his work unique.

Guzaarish is a rare film in that sense. This is Bhansali’s world of perfection, replete with beautiful people, beautiful locales, beautiful music. In sync with his cinematic style, suffering, pain and darkness are beautiful, too.

By now you must know that the film addresses the controversial issue of euthanasia. Elaborate pre-release hype has made it public knowledge that Guzaarish raises a pertinent question on a man’s right to take his own life if he so chooses to.

The hero in Guzaarish petitions for mercy killing because he is tired of leading a quadriplegic’s life. To that effect, Guzaarish is not an altogether novel Bhansali attempt at exploring the mind of a person who is suffering from disability. The director did it earlier with Khamoshi and Black . Shades of Khamoshi also flood your mind watching Aishwarya Rai- Bachchan as the female protagonist. You recall Manisha Koirala in that 1995 film, and her struggles to carry on a normal facade in her relationship with the sufferer in question.

By way of content, Guzaarish reminds you of Spanish maestro Alejandro Amenabar’s The Sea Inside and Eddy Terstall’s Dutch film Simon . In both films, the hero, suffering from incurable illness, campaigns for mercy killing. Bhansali however narrates a very different story using that inspiration. He crafts an original tale as he did with Black , which was based on the 1962 Anne Bancroft- starrer, The Miracle Worker . Bhansali’s script casts Hrithik as Ethan Mascarenhas, celebrated magician who is rendered paralysed neck downwards after a mishap. He takes up radio jockeying from his wheelchair to pass time. His closest companion is his nurse Sophia (Aishwarya), with whom he shares a bond that gradually evolves into pure love. Then one day, Ethan files a legal petition seeking mercy killing. Sophia can’t comprehend his decision, nor can Ethan’s doctor or lawyer.

A parallel sub- plot marks the entry of young Omar (Aditya Roy Kapoor), who dreams of being a top magician. He requests Ethan to teach him magic. The film works for the sensitivity with which Bhansali handles the issue of mercy killing. Yet, you spot disconnect. Despite a character drawn on the lines of classical tragedy, there is no attempt to explore the mind of Hrithik’s Ethan, a magician who no longer finds magic even in the simple things of life. The focus seems more on creating space for melodrama.

Bhansali elicits the most from his talented cast. Hrithik proves he has grown as an actor and star. Ash — despite playing a harried nurse who never seems to forget her lipstick and make- up — makes a strong impact. Shernaz Patel as Ethan’s lawyer is brilliant. And Aditya Roy Kapoor proves why he is the guy to watch out for.

Rating - 4 / 5