Dor

Let´s do this the other way round this time and start with my conclusion:
I love Dor. Bas. Go and watch it. It will make you laugh, smile, feel good, feel sad, feel angry, fall in love with its some of its characters, hate others genuinly. Oh, I love Dor. Bas.

Finally a movie about women. Average, no better make that - real, young women. Modern but still living in sync with their traditions and strong enough to challenge them if the need arises.

Like a lot of young men in India, the husbands of Meera (Ayesha Takia) the young wife of a destitute rajput family and Zeenat (Gul Panag) a newly wed muslim woman from Himachal Pradesh leave India to work in Saudi Arabia for some months.










Both couples are young, very much in love and genuinly likeable. About 6 months after their departure a tragedy strikes. Shekar, the rajastani husband, is killed by Aamir, Zenaat´s husband. Supposedly in an accident but since there are no witnesses Amir is sentenced to death. Back in India both families are devastated. Meera living in a very traditional Rajastani society has to bear the terrible faith of being a widow there. Sentenced to a life of grief and now treated like an worthless prisoner. In Himachal Pradesh Aamir´s shocked family learns that there is only one option left to save him. According to Saudi law Aamir´s life will be spared if the victims widow signs a mercy petition stating that she has forgiven him. And Zenaat being a very strong-willed woman is taking that chance and leaves her home in search for Meera.










She travels to Rajastan and finds unexpected help Behroopiya (Shreyas Talpade), an endearing wannabe Actor and parttime conartist who decides to help her locating the family. But finding the widow and convincing her to sign are two very different pair of shoes.










What should be a dark and emotional draining story is in fact a statement for dignity, friendship and courage laced with wonderful scenes that are full of life and hope. The Kajra Re sequence in the dunes made me fall in love with this song all over again. The disarming, funny entrance scene of Shreyas Talpade made me giggle.










Apart from the wonderful story that is based on the Malayalam movie Perumazhakkalam, the acting trio of Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas Talpade created the magic of Dor for me. And the cinematography. And the music. And the scenery. Nagesh Kukunoor managed to make a movie that is an arthouse movie with a mainstream feel. Or a mainstream movie with an arthouse feel. Take your pick.










Its been a long time that a movie sucked in me from the get-go like Dor did. So let me repeat my statement from the beginning of this post. I love Dor. Bas. Watch it.