Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor... Very Well Strung

Nagesh Kukunoor has given us some best movies like Hyderabad Blues, Rockford, Teen Deewarein, Iqbal and now his latest Dor.... a story of two women - one who undertakes a long journey to save her love and the other who breaks all the traditional customs and lives the life the way she feels.

Dor is a beautiful tale of love, loss, friendship, and courage to live life anew. The film is quite realistic. And this is the reason why its story is so believable and deeply touching.

The ppl who all r quite fond of big budget film with lot of melo drama nd all... may not be tht enthu and excited to watch relatively low budget with stars such as Ayesha Takia, Gul panag & Shreyas Talpade in the lead roles. But.. I tell u... such ppl wld really miss one of the brilliant performances given by these stars.

Dor is a story of two women, Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Meera (Ayesha Takia) ... both living in different parts of India. Their fate is invariably strung together by one incident tht changes both their lives forever.

In the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Zeenat marries her lover Aamir just a day before he leaves for to take up a job in Saudi Arabia.

And there.. In a Rajasthan village, the happily married Meera spends some few cherished moments with her husband Shankar.... before he too leaves for Saudi Arabia to earn some money.

The two men, who are now roommates, send money home to take care of their families. Shankar's father, a proud Rajput now fallen on bad times, uses the income to fix his haveli. Aamir's family gets some respite from the hard work of running the local bakery.... Meera and Zeenat miss their husbands nd get 2 talk 2 thm occasionally on the phone.

Zeenat is an independent woman... who has struggled at every step in her life. Her in-laws were not so v.happy for Aamir's marriage with Zeenat. But later, She takes the financial responsibility of her in-laws after her husband’s departure.

Meera, on the other hand... is domesticated into the strict traditions of a Rajput Gharana.The worlds of the two women collapse.... whn Shankar is killed in Saudi Arabia, and Aamir, his roommate, is accused of the murder. Even though there is a reason to believe it was an accident, Aamir is slated to get a death penalty.

The way out of it..? According to the Saudi law, there is only one condition in which Aamir’s life can be spared... if Shankar’s widow Meera... forgives him by signing on Maafiinaamaa...

Now, To save her husband’s life, armed only with a photograph of Aamir and Shankar taken in their Saudi apartment... Zeenat undertakes an impossible journey to Rajasthan to find Meera.

Her first stop is Jaipur.. on her way... she meets a Behroopiya (Shreyas Talpade) a member of a group that traditionally earn their living by taking different guises in order to entertain ppl. Behroopiya first dupes Zeenat also, but later helps her find Meera whn he realisez tht she is here for some mission. Using his knowledge of the terrain and some clues tht Zeenat does not yet realize she possesses, the two of them piece together bits of information that eventually lead them to Meera's village.

In the meantime... Shankar's father has to rent out the haveli in order to make ends meet... while Meera now lives her life as a widow... a shadow of her former self. Her status, her rights, and her sense of self are all eroded as a result of her loss. Her only excursions into the outside world are her daily visits to the temple.

Zeenat, confident that the papers will be signed, goes to Meera's home... but she is thrown out by Shankar's family. Zeenat waits for Meera at the temple, intending to plead with her. When the two women meet, Zeenat realizes that Meera doesn't know of the visit to Shankar's home and decides to hold off on telling Meera the truth till a suitable moment in the future.

As the two women come together, they become friends and learns the different facet of life from each other. One day, Zeenat comes to knw tht the deadline for Aamir's execution is near... nd she can wait no more.... At the same time, Meera finds out tht her future is endangered.

The truth comes out into the open and the two women have a confrontation.... Meera feels betrayed nd Zeenat helpless....

How is the situation resolved?

Ok Ok... i wont reveal the suspense. :))

The conclusion tht Nagesh Kukunoor gives to the story could not have been better.... The movie’s climax leaves a viewer overwhelmed.

Ayesha Takia has given the best performance of her acting career so far in Dor.... She is looking simple nd beautiful without makeup.... In the first half, she is quiet... susheel housewife with dreamy eyes nd having many desires.... While ... In the second half... she becomes a woman who learns to defy the cruel tradition... who learns to listen to her heart nd live the way she wants to.... And Ayesha carries all these emotions with the skill of a polished actress....

Gul Panag stands in equal stead.... even though her character is shown mentally and emotionally strong but she has played her character very brialliantly.

Aha.... Shreyas Talpade is a complete delight to watch.... His comic imitations of the actors from Hindi film industry.... nd the quick changes in his appearances provide a welcome humorous relief in an otherwise serious movie.... He is truly a very good actor... I liked his performance v.much.

To sum it up... Dor is a film tht definitely ought to be seen once.... The movie’s theme is most relevant and the way it has been brought forth... without any melodrama and overblown emotions... is wht makes the movie truly compelling. The background score (Padharo Maare Des) is just too good..... nd the song Yeh Hoslaa Kaise Ruke... is quiet inspiring. The direction and acting performances are almost flawless. Everyone has given their best.

On the whole... A V. Good Movie... :)