Remember Sahir Ludhianvi's classic song of hope, Woh Subah Kabhi to Aayegi in the 1958 Raj Kapoor-Mala Sinha film Phir Subah Hogi? No such idealism, beliefs, hope and renewal in our films anymore. Almost five decades later, we now have a Sehar which signifies the dawn of a nihilistic and violent world. It's a film that left me flummoxed. It's engrossing, well-made, a good first effort. But what do I make of its message? That you can't escape bloodshed? That taking to arms is the only way out in a decaying society? That unbridled machismo is the way to cleanse the corrupt system?
Sehar is a no-nonsense look at the mafia in UP, the dons who fight for railway tenders, who network with the arms dealers, who align with political parties during elections. Into this "system" steps in a new don, Gajraj Singh (Sushant), who wants total control. It's up to the honest cop, SSP Ajay Kumar (Arshad), and his force to clean up the organised crime. Even though Kaushik's story and characters might cliched, it's the context that makes the film different. It's able to create an authentic feel of UP, a dystopia where nothing functions, where no one knows the meaning of law and order. It's vital, throbbing, real. And much of it is also to do with the film's lingo—shuddh Hindi with all the delicate turns of phrase.
The vignettes of police life, the intricacies of established corruption that they are fighting against, are well portrayed. Particularly amusing are the scenes where cops try to understand cellphone surveillance. If the film has a point of view, it's that of the police. So every act of the trigger-happy cops is justified. As the cops get humanised, the accompanying issues of human rights violation and atrocity are barely touched upon and issues of morality, of right and wrong, left tantalisingly open-ended. Most of the actors perform with ease and confidence. Arshad gets a role of substance after a string of comic acts and he delivers. Wish he would have done something about those streaked locks. Not many UP cops visit fancy hairdressers, they definitely didn't in the late '90s when the film is based. The sour point: Mahima dolled up in chiffons and matching lipstick looking more like Sushmita Sen's Chandni Madam in Main Hoon Na than a real economics professor in Lucknow University.
INDIAN Top 5
1. Maine Pyaar Kyun Kia
2. Viruddh
3. Sarkar
4. Dus
5. Saadhe Saat Phere
US Top 5
1. Wedding Crashers
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3. Sky High
4. Stealth
5. Must Love Dogs
Courtesy: Film Information
