Chrysanthepop Review of Indian

Indian (1996)

Shankar's Churns Another Garbage, This Time It's A Patriotic Vigilant Crock

[31 October 2010]

S. Shankar has a reputation for churning out expensive trash. I couldn't help but crack up when I heard that 'Indian' was India's entry to the Oscars. Not that I hold the Oscars as one of the most esteemed awards but they are classy and the idea that someone would even think of submitting what looks like a B-grade product is beyond laughable. 'Indian' is pretty much just another patriotic vigilant film. Kamal Hassan assumes a dual role. He's stiff as the aged patriot Senapathy who wears the same monotonous facial expression throughout the entire film and as Chandra who hops around like a caricature. Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar do not have much screen time but they shine in their few scenes. Matondkar provides some great comic relief. Sukanya is competent. A.R. Rahman's music is very pleasant to the ears. The lyrics may be weird but they're catchy. Obviously the film hasn't dated well in the technical aspect. The special effects are very poor and the cinematography is flat. Anyway, other than A.R. Rahman's music, 'Indian' doesn't have much to offer. S. Shankar needs to learn that a script comes first where filmmaking is concerned.