The master director Subhash Ghai is back not with a bang, but with a convincing restraint in his latest film Black and White. Pleasingly, even the leading actors, Anil Kapoor and newcomer Anurag Sinha have portrayed splendid restraint all thru Black and White, the film. The newcomer is given a few lines, while he emotes thru his facial expressions and dramatically intense eyes. Black and White read further…
Anurag Sinha is a fidayeen suicide bomber sent from Afghanistan to India, whose motive is to make the Indian Independence Day celebrations more explosive. He lands up at Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, where we have a broad communal-harmony.
The story is based on a plot by terrorists to blow up the Red Fort in Delhi. The young Afghan bomber (Anurag Sinha) is assumes the identity of Numair Qazi who is now deceased young Muslim by that name, a young man who lost both parents during the Gujarat riots. He convincingly enters the house of an ageing poet Gaffar bhai (Habib Tanvir), by posing as his grandson. He ultimately finds refuge in the home of the courteous senior citizen and respected poet Gaffar bhai, who is very popular in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi. Rajan Mathur (Anil Kapoor) an Urdu professor is another well-liked resident in the locality where this Qazi has found shelter.
Playing the Gujarat riot card, Numair Qazi gains the sympathy of Professor Mathur and he slowly manages to inch his way into the latter’s heart. It takes him longer to win the heart of the Professor’s wife, Roma Mathur (Shefali Shah), but he manages that as well. The professor and his wife are an important part in Numair’s mission to blast the Red Fort, as they are the only one’s who can help him gain entry into its high-security premises on Independence Day. Numair almost succeeds in his mission as he finds himself within minutes of blowing up the Red Fort. This Urdu professor in Delhi’s Zakir Hussian College, unknowingly gets embroiled in a suicide bomber’s (Anurag Sinha), plans to blow up the Red Fort on Independance Day.
Black and White tries to peep into the psyche of a human bomb, a fanatic who has a change of heart gradually. The transformation of a heartless, cold-blooded slaughterer to someone whose inner voice tells him to revolt against his ‘masters’. This transformation is well depicted in this movie.
Subhash Ghai, who is otherwise connected with musicals or colourful extravaganzas, deserves much appreciation for picking a subject like this attempted towards tackling to the main theme of the movie – global terrorism.
The debutante Anurag Sinha fits in his character very well. His serious, calm look is very intimidating though charming. One of his best performances, Anil Kapoor as Professor Mathur, is impressive in this restrained character. Anil Kapoor reiterates his dedication towards Subhash Ghai right from the times of Ram Lakhan, then in Taal and now in this off-beat flick where he’s got grey sideburns and glasses and he performs with equal distinction and vigor. Shefali Shah needs no further praises, the one who needs is the character of an old poet who is both charming and inspiring played by Habib Tanvir. Milind Gunaji is fine here.
The films positive aspect is its above the class cinematography and the haunting screenplay – very good. Excellent scenes and sequences in here, especially the scene where Shefali dies and Anil Kapoor overacts and not to forget the one where Anil Kapoor alongside a tiny girl, panicked crowds, terrorism hanging in the air, and the girl’s stuffed toy, which involuntarily brings panic thru the viewers spine.
A film recommended only for those serious movie buffs, though this film could’ve done with a shorter length and a tighter screenplay.
CAST of Black and White:
Prof. Rajan Mathur – Anil Kapoor
Numair Qazi – Anurag Sinha
Roma Mathur – Shefali Chhaya
Minister – Akash Khurana
Shagufta – Aditi Sharma
Quazi Saab – Habib Tanvir
CREDITS of Black and White:
Banner – Mukta Arts Entertainment
Produced by – Raju Farooqui, Mukta Ghai, Subhash Ghai, Rahul Puri
Directed by – Subhash Ghai
Original Music – Sukhwinder Singh
Cinematography – Somak Mukherjee
Screenplay – Sachin Bhowmick, Subhash Ghai, Akash Khurana
Dialogues – Subhash Ghai
Music Director – Sukhwinder Singh
Lyrics – Ibrahim Ashq
Editor – Amitabh Shukla
Assistant Editor – Kunal Moitra
Art Director – Leela Chanda
Audiography – Rakesh Ranjan
Playback Singers – Udit Narayan, Jagjit Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sadhana Sargam, Shreya Ghosal, Hans Raj Hans
Publicity Designer – Rahul Nanda, Himanshu Nanda
Associate Director – Shilpi Dasgupta
First Assistant Director – Anshuman Jha
Music Company – T-Series
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