BOLLYWOOD

Nothing is clear; the only thing evident is that there is friction in Kashmir between the militants, religious heads and a reformed politician. When the movie ends, the end line says, ''This movie is dedicated to the children of Kashmir.''

So, aptly, there are two kids who take you through life in a troubled valley. Parzan Dastur (Sikandar) is a 14-year-old who is good at soccer in his school but is targeted by three bullies from his school because of his brilliance with the ball. Ayesha Kapur (Nasreen) another 14-year-old befriends Sikandar and the two become good friends. One day, Sikandar chances upon a gun by the wayside. He picks it up to teach a lesson to his bullies. But that one move, changes the course of his motives.

Though, by the end, you pretty much have things sorted out in your head, you wonder why director Piyush Jha failed to build his characters. There's no bite in the bait and no chill in the kill. Every scene is treated like any other and that's what spells disaster for the film. There is just one definite drone, scene after scene.


Madhavan and Sanjay Suri go about listlessly. Can't blame them really. It's only Parzan and Ayesha who get a scope to display their acting prowess. Arunoday Singh, who makes his debut, injects sufficient life in his portrayal as Zahgeer Quadir, a militant leader.

What Jha was trying to portray was the blooding in of the innocent children by the militants. What he ends up showing is a pale disaster.

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