Shaurya
Movie Report
Shaurya is not a war film. It is not patriotic. It does not spew venom on the neighboring country. It does not show mutilated bodies or blood-soaked faces and limbs. This movoe has backdrop of armed forces. This film is about court martial. Shaurya is a serious film and raises a serious issue.
The story rests on five actors - Rahul Bose, Kay Kay Menon, Jaaved Jafferi, Deepak Dobriyal and Minissha Lamba. Captain Javed Khan (Deepak Dobriyal) is charged with killing his superior. He is also charged with mutiny and treason. And even though the case appears to be an 'open and shut' one with the army just following proceedings of the Court Martial with a Defense and a Prosecution lawyer appointed, things do not look so simple as they seem. For one, Javed does not make anything easier because he prefers to stay silent. For Major Siddhanth Chaudhary (Rahul Bose) who is appointed to defend Javed, life is one big excursion in the wild. As for Major Aakash Kapoor (Jaaved Jaffery) who is the prosecuting lawyer and Siddhant's best friend, conviction for Javed Khan is just a matter of procedure. But there's more, and there in lies the intense courtroom scenes which is the highpoint of the movie.
Kay Kay Menon performs with such intensity that the force of his belief in the character he portrays hits you with the power of a sledgehammer. He goads you to loath him so much that you sit terrified in his presence even though he is just on screen. As Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh, he has his set of beliefs on how the army should function. His performance is so cunningly menacing that it even puts a real life Adolf Hitler to shame!
Jaaved does a decent job. However, his character is relegated to the backseat after a point. Deepak conveys a lot even when silent - that is the sign of a fine actor. Minissha is effective. Besides, she looks the character. Amrita Rao handles her part with maturity. She is first-rate. Seema Biswas, as always, is a complete natural.
Shaurya is not a flawless script. But it has been treated with utmost realism and sensitivity by Samar Khan. Talking of the narrative, the film could have done without the item song at the very start.
On the whole Shaurya is just a garnish, which does well in masala movies. This here is a taut courtroom thriller. However, the film deserves to be tax-exempted since it is a genuinely deserving case.
