Last night I went to see Nazar at Fame Adlabs with Anand and his friends. Anand Sivakumaran is also the writer of the film.

Let me start by what the film is not. It is not the Eyes of Laura Mars – though the concept of trasnference of “vision” is borrowed – It is not The Eye. The script is instead an amalgamation of many influences that somehow manage to form a good two and a half hours of entertainment. There are tributes to Hitchcock, the Profiler,CSI, Seven. It reminded me a lot of the neo noir thrillers of the 1980’s (as opposed to the noir films of the 1950’s) where morality is ambigious, sexuality is flaunted, relationships erotic, and the sense of human isolation heightened. Everybody here is an island unto themselves. The kind of film a Jagged Edge or a Basic Instinct was. A good 2 hour watch, a good to catch on TV film – not a classic by any stretch of imagination. This is not a movie that is going to be talked about in the same breath as Kurusawa or Ray. And it doesn’t pretend to be. It uses oft used cliches and uses them well. And for the viewer it is paisa vasool.
The synopsis:

Divya Varman (Meera) is a successful singer and dancer. However, she leads a monotonous life until she meets with an unfortunate accident that turns her life around. She is suddenly haunted by strange visions of unnerving murders that make her believe that she is going over the edge. As the story unfolds, she meets Special Investigating Officer Rohan Sethi (Ashmit Patel), who is uncovering a case of serial killings doing the rounds in Mumbai’s beer bars. Sethi employs Divya’s constant visions and flashbacks to solve his case. But these come with bleak consequences…

Meera and Ashmit Patel are competent. Though, i wish she would improve a dialogue delivery. Almost every third scene has her orgasming over a sentance. Meera can’t dance. and the item number in the begining is probably the most awkward performance that i have ever seen in my life. Ashmit Patel is limited, but thankfully the script does not give him too many long lines:). He does look more like a wannabe rock star than a policeman. That hair is definitely not regulation. His one and half expressions is supposed to reflect grief and guilt (like a James Stewert in Vertigo) about not saving his wife on time. Aly Khan is competent as the man strung along by Divya.

The actor who walks away with the film is Koel Purie. She is extremely convincing as a no nonse policewoman.

There are enough twists and turns in the film to keep you hooked. The violence is well executed. I would have preferred to see a cut that was about 25 minutes shorter- taking out some of the songs would probably do the trick. First Time Director Soni Razdan has made a decent first film. The Murderer’s rationale at the end is a bit pat, but somehow you don’t think about the absurdity of its logic. And that’s where the film holds, it doesn’t give you time to think about why!

All in all,worth a dekho.