Right from his debut, Hyderabad Blues, Kukunoor has been bringing something extra on the table as a director. None of his movies have been grand hits or exceptional in style of content or even unduly realist "artsy" type. But I bet watching any of his movies will not make you think you have wasted your time. "Dor" is another example that cements this theory of mine.
The story is simplicity itself. There is Zeenat (Panag), a Himachali woman very strong of character and very independent. And there is Meera, a docile young Rajasthani housewife who has been brought up in a very traditional household. The husbands of these 2 ladies who have little in common leave for Saudi Arabia in search of prospects. After a few months of bliss, the ladies receive the news that Meera's husband is dead and Zeenat's husband is held responsible for it. The Foreign Affairs dude tells Zeenat that the Saudi law has a rider: her husband may be pardoned if she can get a mercy petition signed by the dead man's widow. The problem is the dead man's real address is not known, except the fact the he is from Rajasthan.
Zeenat decides to go on the search herself with a very few leads to help her. Unfortunately, it turns out that it is tougher than she thinks it is. Rajasthan is a huge state, there are thousands of villages and she is running out of time. Enter Bahrupia (Talpade), a small time con-man who makes his living fooling people and is a clever impostor. Bahrupia sympathizes with Zeenat and helps her track down Meera.
However, finding Meera was the easier part of the mission. Will Zeenat be able to convince Meera to sign on the mercy petition before it is too late? The second half of the movie is precisely about this. It is a really simple storyline and I liked it for that. It is one of the better "female-bonding" movies and it is served just right not too mushy. The screenplay is quite OK though may look a tad stretched. There are minor holes in the script but tolerable. The dialogs tend to become a little stereotyped at times, but script recovers quickly. It would have been an out and out weepie but Kukunoor juggles it right.
The entire cast has done a wonderful job. The 2 female leads, especially Panag, have given commendable performances for their non-glam roles. Karnad, as Meera's slightly pompous and over-proud father-in-law and Kukunoor (in a cameo as an investor) have small but good roles, with ample shades of gray. Shreyas Talpade delivers a delightful performance as Bahrupia. He mimics old Bollywood stars, but that's not all to it. Check out the part where he professes his puppy love for Zeenat or when he meets an old "acquaintance" he had thugged. Talpade certainly brings a lot of light-hearted moments to the movie it would have been very drab otherwise.
The story is simplicity itself. There is Zeenat (Panag), a Himachali woman very strong of character and very independent. And there is Meera, a docile young Rajasthani housewife who has been brought up in a very traditional household. The husbands of these 2 ladies who have little in common leave for Saudi Arabia in search of prospects. After a few months of bliss, the ladies receive the news that Meera's husband is dead and Zeenat's husband is held responsible for it. The Foreign Affairs dude tells Zeenat that the Saudi law has a rider: her husband may be pardoned if she can get a mercy petition signed by the dead man's widow. The problem is the dead man's real address is not known, except the fact the he is from Rajasthan.
Zeenat decides to go on the search herself with a very few leads to help her. Unfortunately, it turns out that it is tougher than she thinks it is. Rajasthan is a huge state, there are thousands of villages and she is running out of time. Enter Bahrupia (Talpade), a small time con-man who makes his living fooling people and is a clever impostor. Bahrupia sympathizes with Zeenat and helps her track down Meera.
However, finding Meera was the easier part of the mission. Will Zeenat be able to convince Meera to sign on the mercy petition before it is too late? The second half of the movie is precisely about this. It is a really simple storyline and I liked it for that. It is one of the better "female-bonding" movies and it is served just right not too mushy. The screenplay is quite OK though may look a tad stretched. There are minor holes in the script but tolerable. The dialogs tend to become a little stereotyped at times, but script recovers quickly. It would have been an out and out weepie but Kukunoor juggles it right.
The entire cast has done a wonderful job. The 2 female leads, especially Panag, have given commendable performances for their non-glam roles. Karnad, as Meera's slightly pompous and over-proud father-in-law and Kukunoor (in a cameo as an investor) have small but good roles, with ample shades of gray. Shreyas Talpade delivers a delightful performance as Bahrupia. He mimics old Bollywood stars, but that's not all to it. Check out the part where he professes his puppy love for Zeenat or when he meets an old "acquaintance" he had thugged. Talpade certainly brings a lot of light-hearted moments to the movie it would have been very drab otherwise.