Mumbai Meri Jaan is first hindi film directed by Nishikant Kamat. Nishikant is basically a tamil and matathi film director. Now he has come with his first commercial hindi flick Mumbai Meri Jaan and this film is celebrating the undying spirit of Mumbai backed by the likes of UTV.
On July 11, 2006, the local train service, known as Mumbai's lifeline, was struck by a series of bomb blasts. Mumbai Meri Jaan explores the impact of this devastating incident on the lives six people. There's Soha Ali Khan, a bright broadcast journalist whose life comes to a standstill after she loses her fiance in the blast. There R. Madhavan, who works in a multi-national, who narrowly misses being killed and how he lives with the trauma and fear of crowded locals. There's Kay Kay Menon, a racist unemployed young man who doubts everyone who is a Muslim. There's Paresh Rawal, a cop on the verge of retiring. There's Vijay Maurya, a young rookie police officer, who is as confused as Paresh with the working of the police force. Finally, there's Irfan Khan, a struggling tea vendor.
From a brilliant broadcast journalist to a patriotic corporate man; from a retiring policeman at the twilight of his life to a rookie cop at the dawn of his career; from an angry and xenophobic unemployed young man to a coffee-vendor struggling to survive and belong: Mumbai Meri Jaan follows the lives of people from all strata of Mumbai's bustling society as they tackle the aftermath of a fatal incident that brings out the best and sometimes the worst in them.
Amongst the five stories, the ones that leave a stronger impression are Paresh Rawal-Vijay Maurya, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon. Paresh steals the show. This performance should easily make it into the Top 5 performances of the year. Irrfan is marvellous. Watch him hate the fragrance of the perfume soon after he has been insulted at the mall. It's superb! Kay Kay is fantastic. The actor makes his part appear so real. Soha is a surprise. Watch her emotional breakdown at the morgue and you know that she has gradually evolved into a terrific actor. Madhavan is equally competent, conveying so much even when silent. Vijay Maurya is superb. His scenes with Paresh are incredible.
The story, screenplay and dialogues by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi are terrific. Though the film may seem a little slow paced with the rapid edit switches between narratives nevertheless it's impressive. The dialogues are really hard hitting especially the sequences exploring the lives of the news reporters and the policemen.
On the whole, This is a film that has to be seen. This movie is a real hard hitting well made film. Nishikant Kamat excels with this one and is out to become one of the most sought after directors. It is a well-intentioned film that should win praise for its execution and performances.
