Kurbaan - Review

From the house of Karan Johar, the much awaited & anticipated Kurbaan hits the screens today.....is it worth your money??
I think it makes the cut.

Kurbaan takes on topic of Islamic terrorism tackled by numerous Bollywood films (read: New York, Aamir, etc). It is the story of two professor's Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) & Ehsaan (Saif Ali Khan) who teach in New Delhi. They fall in love & owing to certain opportunities which come Avantika's way, they get married & shift base to New York.
Here they come across very orthodox Islamic neighbours & Avantika is spellbound when one of her neighbor's asks for help, telling her that her life is in peril. What follows next is a whirlwind of events that leave her aghast & turn her life completely around.

The film begins on a slow, romantic note but 20 minutes in, things start picking up. For most of it, the movie does grip you & provide for some edge-of-the-seat entertainment. Though the second half does falter at many points, the end impresses.
The screenplay is well written but the movie is a tad long. The camera work & action sequence are nothing out of the ordinary. The music of the film is great & the director maintains a perfect balance by not overloading the viewer with dance numbers.

The highlight of the film has to be it's performances. Kareena Kapoor looks great & delivers a stellar performance with a meaty role. Definitely one of the best female performances this year. Saif Ali Khan too puts up a brilliant display. Funny, Intense or Poignant, he emotes with ease. Vivek Oberoi is good & plays his part well. Om Puri & Kirron Kher support perfectly. Dia Mirza is a hit-n-miss.
First time Director Rensil D'silva does a good job at taking a done-to-death topic & adding some life to it. Only if the length was trimmed, the film would be much better.

All in all, the film has it highs n lows but finishes off with a great climax. It definitely has it's moments & is a good looking product. At the box office, one sees it doing decent business, though the A certificate wouldn't help its cause.
So go for Kurbaan without expecting much & let this decent entertainer play its part.

Critical: 3/5
Commercial: 3/5