xanadu-65205 Adapted from Malayalam film, Razzaq's,'Perumazhakalam' ( Monsoon season ), this beautifully shot movie is set with arid & beautiful Rajasthan as the backdrop. Zeenat (Gul Panag) , a self-reliant Muslim lady, travels from Himachal Pradesh to Rajasthan on a desperate mission to get Meera ( Ayesha Takia ) a cloistered Hindu,haveli bahu, to sign a 'maafinaama' that will stay her husband's execution in the Middle East. Zeenat is so composed & tranquil that it belies her precarious situation while newly-widowed Meera flits around in the background of her in-laws' haveli like a fragile shadow . Apart from the major themes of forgiveness, friendship & other philosophies, the most riveting one was of the dark tentacles of exploitation creeping up around a financially dependant widow , illustrated by Meera's father-in-law, Raghubir ( Girish Karnad ) , a seemingly dignified ,mustachioed patriarch, who, inspite of all his external appearances turns out to be a weak,sleazy man who secretly agrees to barter the lovely Meera to lascivious factory owner Chopra ( Nagesh Kuknoor ) for financial recompense. One of the most arresting scenes was of Raghubir seizing Meera by her elbow, who inspite of her vulnerability & powerlessness,calmly orders Raghubir to let go of her arm since she granted the right to touch her, only to his son , her dead husband & not to Raghubir. Apart from Ayesha Takia's fragile-as-dried-rose-petals & yet hard-as-crystal, portrayal of Meera & Gul Panag's self- reliant yet vulnerable,grace of Zeenat, other notable roles are rendered by Uttara Baokar ( Dadima )& Shreyas Talpade, a charming, petty thief who accompanies Zeenat on her journey. A poetic & moving film.

Rutvij Shah I saw Dor today – a Hindi movie from Bollywood. What a movie!! What a good movie!!!! I must congratulate Mr. Nagesh Kukunoor. When you see a movie that is as real as Dor and that too from Bollywood, the first thing you appreciate is the courage of the producer, who not only invested in it but also let it be without the mainstream songs and masala. Then I realized, who am I kidding – after all Mr. Nagesh Kukunoor has written, directed and produced the movie. And here comes a movie with a passion, emotion, courage, and above all reality. I have not been a loyal fan of Hindi movies but movies like this definitely turn people back to Hindi movies and make them look at where it has gone and landed.Some may argue about the Bollywood type ending, but I think the direction/editing has made the ending lot more realistic. I must praise the directors and actors for such a terrific performance. Worth investing 2+ hours.Enjoy!

HeadleyLamarr I was finally able to get my hands on what was being hyped as possibly the best film of 2006. When there is so much hype I immediately become a skeptic - on the lookout for any flaws. So I watched this film in no complacent frame of mind - no way was I simply gonna like it because others did. Three hours later, here I am compelled to write a few lines about this film.The story is simplistic - Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Aamir (Rushad Rana) marry in remote Himachal Pradesh against his parents wishes and then he goes off to Dubai. In the meantime, far away in Rajasthan, Meera (Ayesha Takia) and Shankar (Anirudh Jayakar) are married and he is getting ready to go off to Dubai. The thread is being spun.. Meera and Zeenat go through many months of separation from their spouses, living for the monthly phone call, the letters. Then one day the unthinkable happens - Meera is told Shankar is dead, Zeenat told that her husband stands accused of the murder and must die unless the widow of the deceased signs a form saying she forgives him. Zeenat does not know who the wife is but is of indomitable will and sets off on a long journey to find her and convince her to sign the piece of paper. The thread is now being pulled together.. With the help of a Behroopiya (Shreyas Talpade) Zeenat eventually finds Meera, and slowly begins to get close to her. The thread is now being woven into a fabric of friendship.. Eventually Meera finds out that Zeenat was using the friendship to get her to sign that piece of paper and rejects the friendship. The fabric is now about to be rent apart... Meera's life is in turmoil as her husband;s family feels acute need for the money he would send home each month. Will Meera realize exactly what gift Zeenat has bestowed on her? Will Zeenat be able to save her wrongly accused husband? The movie has no clichés, no pat answers, no hackneyed situations, and in the end we are left with an overwhelming sense of the triumph of humanity.Nagesh Kukunoor wrote and directed a masterpiece in Dor. The film never drags, never leaves you incredulous, and is sometimes saddening, but in the end extremely heartwarming. It is extremely feminist in its views, but not in a shrill way - it never preaches, just points the way. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are drawn in a masterly way, you feel for both, understand both, sympathize with both, want to be like both - yet they are as different as chalk and cheese. The performances are outstanding - I am hard-pressed to pick favorites between Gul and Ayesha. Where Ayesha charms with her childlike simplicity, her quiet fortitude, and her occasional bouts of mischief, Gul sneaks into your heart with her strong but gentle nature, her quite strength of will, her single-minded belief that her husband cannot be a killer. Shreyas Talpade is charming as the thief/mime/mimic/man of many talents! He takes on every filmi hero known to us, changes costumes at the drop of a hat and is charming, cunning and vulnerable.Outstanding moments in the film include Ayesha's finding out her husband is dead, Gul's telling Ayesha who she is and why she is really there, the grandmother telling the mother that one day she too will be on this side of the door, Ayesha's dancing to You are My Sonia in widows's garb, the dance in the desert, too many others to name. The music is excellent, the songs filled my heart and pleased my mind. I am drunk on the feel of this film.This is a keeper and the film to watch when you are feeling blue. It will take away your sorrows and make you believe in the joy of being human.

Bob Nageesh has proved it again. This is an amazing movie with the right mix of all emotions and a powerful social message. An amazing concoction with well done humor and a very powerful message. The movie is about two distant women (both literally and figuratively) brought together because of circumstances and how their personalities influence each other. Talpade("bahroopiya")seems to have grown with every role he has been cast in (remember Iqbal). I think the brilliance is how Nageesh has brought forward a very important social issue of how women esp.widows are treated. He has kept it subtle, almost subliminal, in a way that the movie wasn't categorized as an 'artsy' flick. His choice of cast(not only the lead cast but esp.Talpade) is great again. He is proving to be a very talented Director. Well Done !!!