Mukhbiir

Starring: Sameer Dattani, Om Puri, Jackie Shroff, Suneil Shetty, Sushant Singh, Rahul Dev

You may have watched terrorist movies under varied themes: the most common being a terrorist on the run from the Interpol, a Gangster's love story, a don running a Company (RGV fame), a Satya and perhaps more.

But have you ever given a thought about the 'informer' who tips off the cops about the 'terrorist'? His life? or even his mere anonymous existence? The answer is a big NO.

The first rushes of Mukhbiir would make you think that its one of those 'run-of-the-mill' terrorist movies. But as the scenes unfold, each layer of the movie reveals new details you would never have imagined.

Kailash (Sameer Dattani) as the protagonist, plays his role of an anonymous informer with aplomb. Like other police officers, the local SP (Om Puri), also picks up Kailash in one of the rounds and uses him as his informer for dangerous operations. From helping the police to find a naxal leader to exposing the top brass of the police department involved in drug trafficking and global organ trade, he leads a dark, anonymous existence. Apart from this, with every operation, Kailash has to change his appearance and even religion to protect the operation and his identity.

For a police officer, his Mukhbiir is his biggest asset to cracking cases and in this case, Om Puri is under pressure at all times, to reveal the name of his informer. Mukhbiir empathises with this informer whose life is quite unstable, and often unpredictable. It borders on the extremes as he has to put his life in danger at all times.

So as to not make it look like parallel cinema, Mani has even managed to insert a love angle with Raima Sen playing Sameer's love interest (just one scene!).

The film has spine chilling moments when Sameer is tortured by a gang to identify his cop 'friend' Om Puri and also when he is asked by gang leader (Sushant Singh) to shoot at a woman and child. Sameer's intense acting manages to Mani Shankar has managed to keep the film gripping towards the second half.

Perhaps the movie's USP lies in the fact that unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining unknown.

The movie has its weak moments which have been overshadowed by some brilliant piece of acting. The musical score of the movie has been given by Illayaraja and Karthik Raja.

Whether it is protagonist Sameer Dattani who breaks his chocolate boy image, Sushant Singh as the cruel gangster warlord or Rahul Dev as a calculative, global terror leader, Suneil Shetty and Om Puri as the honest cops - director Mani Shankar has managed to keep the intensity of the film and the audience focus on the theme. And unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining largely unknown.

This movie may not be a song-and-dance one, but it will surely give you something to take back and cherish!

Mirroring Persia in frames...

Veils, iron curtain, underground schools, war, veiled women with guns ('Nuns with guns' was the most famous caption for these women) ... these are the images of Iran that come to mind. Iran is indeed an elusive Islamic republic! But I realised there's more to this tiny country. The book Persian Mirrors written by an Italian scribe exposes the fallacies of Iran's rulers and clergymen who ruled Iran for decades and in the name of Islam's tenets, how they instilled fear among women, so much so they all got closeted within the four doors of a household/gym/private parties!! Whether it is Khamanei, Khomenei, or Mohammad Khatami: authority has not managed to put down the Iranian women. They all seem to have carved their own niche in society; they run their own business, are doctors, lawyers and even sportswomen. Some women featured in the book have shown remarkable courage in speaking out openly against authority, have courted arrest. One of the women's newspaper even faced shutdown thrice. Yet she continued her fight for women's rights unrelentlessly!
At the end of it all, the book manages to shatter many myths and perceptions about Iran! The USPs of this book: the author's narrative abilities! What totally appealed to me is Elaine's courage to have gone to Iran and reported events over 3 decades - sometimes even putting her own life in danger (covering the hostage crisis and the Iran-Iraq war) - the signs of a true journalist!
This is one of the best books that I've read and strongly recommend to everyone out there... :)