After weeks of no show at multiplexes, we have all been waiting for a ‘good’ movie and quite frankly we haven’t yet had a decent release the whole of 2009. Watching the promos of New York, I had this feeling that this John – Neil – Katrina starrer could be the one to break the trend of disastrous movies. New York produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by Kabir Khan (Kabul Express) is set against the back drop of a city filled with opportunities and freedom. The film talks about friendship, freedom, racism and consequences of the 9/11 attack. At a time when Bollywood is dire, will such a theme that talks about social relevance work with the audience? New York revolves around three young, energetic and trouble-free friends Sam (John Abraham), Maya (Katrina Kaif) and Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who discover a new world of happiness in each other’s company. But one day an event that put the entire world into a state of shock changed their lives drastically, a change that was way beyond their control. Roshan (Irrfan Khan), an FBI undercover agent, in attempts to protect the freedom that he believes everybody in America enjoys, takes us on a roller coaster ride. New York Bollywood Movie Review Unlike some of YRF films, this time New York (the city) is the backdrop with a relevant reason. The movie has a little dose of friendship as its strength but it widely deals with racism and more importantly the inhuman treatment of innocent suspects in the detention centers of USA post 9/11 attack. After Kabul Express, director Kabir Khan has come a long way and New York could well be his claim to fame. His second outing, yet again carries a very humane and sensitive plotline, well written by Aditya Chopra. The director finds the perfect balance between happy and conflicting moments to make New York a great watch, filled with riveting moments. Although some sequences are over looked to avoid controversies, that such movies usually generate, the unbiased screenplay is convincingly written and executed grippingly that you find yourself glued to the screen guessing what could happen next and each time you are left surprised. New York starts off brillianty with no beating-around-the-bush in introducing and establishing the relationship between the three friends, the director gets down to the point in no time. Both the light and the aggressive moments are shot extremely well. Post interval, the movie neither looses its pace nor its grip on the audience. The climax although not extraordinary is told very convincingly. Cinematography is first-rate. Editing and background score is brilliant. The dialogues are good. The music is very good too, among all you’ll find yourself humming to the tunes of Junoon. It’s not just the story that makes this movie a great watch but also the first rate performances by its lead cast. John Abraham does well in a powerful role. Be it while playing an innocent family man or a man out to set the society right, its clear the John has put in a lot of effort into this.. Neil Nithin Mukesh is brilliant, from the beginning to the end, a very consistent performance. Katrina Kaif is the surprise package and proves herself in a de-glam role. Undoubtedly, her career best performance. Irrfan Khan manages to amaze once again. Overall, New York is a must watch – well scripted, well directed and add to it the stellar performances. One of Yashraj’s finest movies, in a long long time! With fingers crossed, we hope the film succeeds at the box-office. Dont miss it and remember to watch it only in theatres. Immense amount of work goes into the making of each film, so we kindly request you not to buy, rent or download pirated copies! Rating: