Guzarish: What a drag...

Hyped up to be a magical hit, the movie is worth a watch, but definitely nothing extraordinary.

Magic and wizardry rocked the silver screen this weekend. Harry Potter from Hollywood and "Guzarish" from its infamous counterpart, Bollywood. Guzarish of course set a precedent of being released in Pakistan on Eid, a couple of days ahead of India.

The much talked about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Guzarish", a story of a quadriplegic ex magician raises some ethical questions about euthanasia. But overall as a movie, it seems to be a drag.

From his first venture Khamoshi, where Mr Bhansali had Manisha Koirala playing a mute person, he  has focused on stories revolving around disabled people. In "Black" with Rani Mukherjee played a blind person, which rightfully won many feathers in his cap and was his crowning achievement. "Guzarish" may be another attempt to repeat another story of a disabled person's plight and the challenges that such an individual faces on a daily basis.

Set in Goa, the characters much like his "Black" are Catholic and the actors try very hard to do justice to their respective roles. Lead actor Hrithik Roshan's portrayal of a paralysed person will surely bring him statutes, come award season. It almost seems like he is sporting the same prophet-like look from his own home production, "Kites", into this movie as well.

The leading lady, a nurse and a caretaker played by Ms Rai-Bachan, is lack luster and character development is weak. In other words, any lady could have gotten this role and perhaps the viewers would not have been dismayed. Ms Bachan seems to be quite wasted in this role. The fans of this pair of Mr Roshan and Ms Bachan will be utterly disappointed, as there is not much on screen chemistry between the two.

The lawyer played by Shernaz Patel gets the real crown. Her dialogue delivery and expressions of a caring friend and a duty bound lawyer will definitely win her accolades and awards.

The castle similar to Harry Potter's castle and some acts of magic borrowed from the infamous Potter show the viewers the usual amalgamation of Hollywood into Hindi flicks. Shot mostly indoors, it has that dull look and lacks real solid cinematograhy.

The story as thought provoking as it is, over all has many flaws and lacks pace, which makes the screen play fairly weak, and thus the movie towards its climax gets to be a bit unbearable.

The music is average and none of the songs are out of the ordinary. Cleverly embedded in situations where a musical reprieve is necessary for the viewers. Costumes and set designs are similar to the music, an average as well.

Overall the movie is worth a watch, but nothing extraordinary. Out of 10, the movie gets a 7 from me.