A very well-written unbiased review by one of our readers, Akhlaq. Worth a read.
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Every life is a journey…pain; joy; love; hate, all are like milestones along the road. Starting points are different, destinations are different and even rout maps a re different as well, but irrespective of these differences, the four milestones are there in each and every journey. MNIK is nothing but such a journey, and what a journey it is !!! A journey of Smiles & Tears, Realism & Exaggeration, Love & Hate. This journey is not only physical, but has a beautiful soul in it as well.
First thing First, As a Muslim, I can confidently say that this is the most Pro-Muslim movie ever from bollywood. The references of Quran and Hadith are 100% relevant and correct. There are only few things which are not properly propagated…
A. Zakat is not applicable to non-muslims. But charity is very much allowed. A little bit more research in this aspect could’ve made the makers use the word charity or help instead of Zakat. Anyways this is just lack of accuracy and not at all a negative portrayal of Muslims.
B. The marriage between Muslim and Non-Muslim issue. Not allowed in Islam. But what can we say? majority of Muslims in Bollywood are married to non-muslims.
Mind it…Both of these issues are not at all portraying negative image of Muslims in anyway. Its just a lack of understanding. Otherwise Muslims have never been projected in a more positive way than MNIK. Even the Pakistani film “Khuda Key Liye” had more negativity about Muslims than MNIK.
Honestly speaking, when I saw the trailers of the movie, i thought that SRK is going to be way over-the-top in this role (as he has a tendency to do so). But I must admit that this is the very first time when I feel that he really deserves awards for this performance. I rate this performance by SRK above Chak De or Swades or a=for that matter any of his earlier performances. In a role that could easily made him go over-the-top, he restrains himself beautifully and literally makes you fall in love with his character. One of the rare characters for whom you really feel. In my humble opinion, this is his best work ever and this should work big-time in further strengthening his position.
Frankly speaking, I didn’t like Kajol’s performace that much. Well its not bad at all, but she has been doing much better than this. The scene where she tells Rizwan Khan to leave…well the scene was well written and well executed, but I felt that Kajol has gone a bit to loud and glimpses of over-performance. She looks elegant though.
The support cast is as good as it was allowed to be !!!
Direction wise, this is definitely Karan’s best work. No second opinion on this. Execution might seem a bit slow-paced to a few, but it is this execution which makes MNIK something special and unique. Loved it.
Dialogues are nicely written. Few of them are out-standing. (for example… “Namaz jagah aur logo’n sey nahi…Niyyat sey parhi jati hey” & “meri ammi ka dil kuch zaroorat sey zyada hi bara ho gaya tha”)
Music was in sync with the narrative and thank God there was no lip-syncing.
There are a few small aspects though which (if handled differently) could’ve enhanced the impact even further…
- The scene at the church where Rizwan speaks in Urdu and everyone understands him is hard to swallow. If you notice there is another scene later on in the film where Sonia Jehan (Rizwan’s sister in law) started wearing Hijab again. In this scene she’s speaking in English but Urdu is over-dubbed on it. Now that makes sense. If the church scene was also handled similarly it could’ve been better.
- I don’t know why, but the climax could’ve been better.
- I personally feel that rizwan’s relationship with his brother should’ve been a bit more deeply defined.
- The short episode of Rizwan gettign stabbed seems unnecessary.
Anyways… these are just minor things…which are minimal in front of the simplicity of the narrative, good story, brilliant execution and SRK’s career-best performance.
At the B.O. the curiosity factor and the wait of SRK fans will ensure a grand opening and then the movie itself has enough spunk to make it a Block Buster. Though i don’t think that it can break the records of 3 idiots at all, as the entertainment quotient and repeat value of this film is far less than 3 idiots.
For now, grab the tickets; soften up your heart and enjoy the spiritual journey of Rizwan Khan, who is not a terrorist.
My Rating: A confident Rating: 
