When your first film is 'Dil Chahta Hai' a movie that not only clicks with Urban audiences all over India, redefines cool amongst the aspiring yuppie crowd and stylistically influences the Chopras, Johars and other filmmakers in terms of what GenNext wears and does, there are going to be huge expectations from your second effort.
Director Farhan Akhtar does not disappoint with Lakshya, the story of an urbanite Delhi slacker named Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan) who's just graduated from college and is still not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. His patient girlfriend Romi (Preity Zinta) loves him and is confident that he will excel in whatever he sets out to do, but even she is beginning to get weary of his attitude towards his life and their relationship. On a whim, Karan decides to join the Indian Army, clearing their grueling entrance exam, with a friend. It's a decision that puts further strain on Karan's relationship with his overbearing father (played masterfully by Boman Irani).
Once in boot camp however, Karan is unable to withstand the pressure & discipline that army life places on new cadets. He drops out of the academy after a few weeks and reunites with Romi at their favorite spot. Romi is however, devastated to hear Karan has dropped out and decides to end their relationship once and for all, citing that Karan has no aim in life whatsoever. This turn of events pushes Karan to return to the army and to finish what he started - for Romi, and more importantly for himself. It is at this point that the father-son pair of Javed & Farhan Akhtar make things interesting by weaving the fictional story of Karan together with an actual piece of 20th Century Indian Army history.
Fans of 'Dil Chahta Hai' may be surprised at how less light-hearted the tone of the movie is especially in the second half where it strays into the realm of pure action. What Farhan displays here is how adept he is at managing realistic action and provides a fresh look at the war genre, free from the cliché-ridden plots of J P Dutta. Amitabh Bachchan makes a memorable appearance as Karan's superior officer who leads our protagonist to a final, tangible Lakshya (aim/goal/target). Cinematography in the mountain ranges of Kashmir is wonderful and as is becoming apparent with Farhan's films, the story in extremely grounded and rarely leaps into the realm of 'far-fetched'. The music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy suits the tone of the movie, and Farhan wisely limits the number of songs to carefully selected arenas. He does however recognize that in Hrithik Roshan he has the most gifted dancer in Bollywood and in the song 'Main Aisa Kyon Hoon' he lets his star cut loose in a wonderfully choreographed piece by Prabhu Deva. I think it is Hrithik's greatest performance on the dance floor to date.
Finally onto Hrithik himself, someone who I've admired more for his dexterity in dance scenes than for his acting chops. Hrithik delivers his best performance to date in Lakshya (I thought he was over the top in Koi...Mil Gaya) and manages to capture the initial confusion and eventual determination of Karan wonderfully. When his character returns to military training you see his metamorphosis into a man obsessed. The scene where he reconciles with his father over the phone before setting out on his mission is dignified and soulful. You really believe that Karan's dad has accepted his son's decision. Finally when Karan reunites with Romi after years of army service and points out to her with sincerity "This is my Lakshya", you believe in the conviction of this young man. This it truly Hrithik's movie all the way and for once his theatrics outshine his foot skills.
Lakshya is mainstream Bollywood cinema with a difference. Just as with 'Dil Chahta Hai' there is a 'hatke' quality about this film which audiences should appreciate. Farhan doesn't make conventional 9 song love stories and he doesn't need to. His unique vision is a welcome addition to Bollywood. With Lakshya there is a lot of maturity in his storytelling and direction. The action/drama quotient has been upped in favor of humor which was a smart decision considering how sensitive and serious the final act is.
In a final note, some people have commented that the factual incident weaved into the storyline & Javed Akhtar's remarks on the matter means that 'Lakshya' is an Anti-Pakistan film. I would suggest instead that it is a pro-army and pro-determination (if that's a word) film. Karan's example shows us that if we focus our minds onto achieving one task then no power on earth can prevent us. If we look inside ourselves and dedicate our energy on achieving our Lakshya then nothing is impossible. One now expects great things from Farhan Akthar's 'Don'.
Director Farhan Akhtar does not disappoint with Lakshya, the story of an urbanite Delhi slacker named Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan) who's just graduated from college and is still not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. His patient girlfriend Romi (Preity Zinta) loves him and is confident that he will excel in whatever he sets out to do, but even she is beginning to get weary of his attitude towards his life and their relationship. On a whim, Karan decides to join the Indian Army, clearing their grueling entrance exam, with a friend. It's a decision that puts further strain on Karan's relationship with his overbearing father (played masterfully by Boman Irani).
Once in boot camp however, Karan is unable to withstand the pressure & discipline that army life places on new cadets. He drops out of the academy after a few weeks and reunites with Romi at their favorite spot. Romi is however, devastated to hear Karan has dropped out and decides to end their relationship once and for all, citing that Karan has no aim in life whatsoever. This turn of events pushes Karan to return to the army and to finish what he started - for Romi, and more importantly for himself. It is at this point that the father-son pair of Javed & Farhan Akhtar make things interesting by weaving the fictional story of Karan together with an actual piece of 20th Century Indian Army history.
Fans of 'Dil Chahta Hai' may be surprised at how less light-hearted the tone of the movie is especially in the second half where it strays into the realm of pure action. What Farhan displays here is how adept he is at managing realistic action and provides a fresh look at the war genre, free from the cliché-ridden plots of J P Dutta. Amitabh Bachchan makes a memorable appearance as Karan's superior officer who leads our protagonist to a final, tangible Lakshya (aim/goal/target). Cinematography in the mountain ranges of Kashmir is wonderful and as is becoming apparent with Farhan's films, the story in extremely grounded and rarely leaps into the realm of 'far-fetched'. The music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy suits the tone of the movie, and Farhan wisely limits the number of songs to carefully selected arenas. He does however recognize that in Hrithik Roshan he has the most gifted dancer in Bollywood and in the song 'Main Aisa Kyon Hoon' he lets his star cut loose in a wonderfully choreographed piece by Prabhu Deva. I think it is Hrithik's greatest performance on the dance floor to date.
Finally onto Hrithik himself, someone who I've admired more for his dexterity in dance scenes than for his acting chops. Hrithik delivers his best performance to date in Lakshya (I thought he was over the top in Koi...Mil Gaya) and manages to capture the initial confusion and eventual determination of Karan wonderfully. When his character returns to military training you see his metamorphosis into a man obsessed. The scene where he reconciles with his father over the phone before setting out on his mission is dignified and soulful. You really believe that Karan's dad has accepted his son's decision. Finally when Karan reunites with Romi after years of army service and points out to her with sincerity "This is my Lakshya", you believe in the conviction of this young man. This it truly Hrithik's movie all the way and for once his theatrics outshine his foot skills.
Lakshya is mainstream Bollywood cinema with a difference. Just as with 'Dil Chahta Hai' there is a 'hatke' quality about this film which audiences should appreciate. Farhan doesn't make conventional 9 song love stories and he doesn't need to. His unique vision is a welcome addition to Bollywood. With Lakshya there is a lot of maturity in his storytelling and direction. The action/drama quotient has been upped in favor of humor which was a smart decision considering how sensitive and serious the final act is.
In a final note, some people have commented that the factual incident weaved into the storyline & Javed Akhtar's remarks on the matter means that 'Lakshya' is an Anti-Pakistan film. I would suggest instead that it is a pro-army and pro-determination (if that's a word) film. Karan's example shows us that if we focus our minds onto achieving one task then no power on earth can prevent us. If we look inside ourselves and dedicate our energy on achieving our Lakshya then nothing is impossible. One now expects great things from Farhan Akthar's 'Don'.