Guzaarish BO – Plunges 62% in Second Weekend

Guzaarish Box Office – Disaster in U.S.

Gosh, thanks to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan we finally got to see a fine Hindi film after, hmmm, an eternity.

Even that utterly worthless Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai couldn’t screw up this decent movie, though we must say the Jonah tried hard to ruin it with her look of what seemed like painful menstrual cramps throughout the movie.

Touch of Class
Packing an unconventional Bollywood story centered around a quadriplegic former magician, Guzaarish is a lavish visual spectacle with a (mostly) spirited performance by its lead character Hrithik Roshan.

After living 14 years as a helpless quadriplegic dependent on others for the smallest things, Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan) has had enough of this planet and wants to say goodbye via euthanasia or Ethanasia as he puts it in the movie.

Who can blame Ethan for the decision. After all, the man can’t even swat a fly that has disturbingly taken a love for his nose.

Sofia D’Souza (Aishwarya Rai) is the nurse who’s devotedly cared for Ethan for 12 of the 14 despairing years.

Hrithik Roshan delivers his career best performance in Guzaarish though we were irked by his occasional tendencies to overact and laugh like a retard (toward the beginning of the movie).

Most Bollywood films are inane love stories and, boy, are we thrilled to see a film like Guzaarish for a change!

Much of the film is shot indoors but handled very aesthetically. The photography and sets are impressively constructed.

Did we tell y’all we liked Shernaz Patel as the lawyer fighting for Ethan’s right to end his life. We sure would love to see more of her.

Truth be said, the vast millions of simians a.k.a. unthinking Bollywood fans, who mindlessly genuflect at the altar of trashy Hindi films every Friday, do not deserve a film like Guzaarish.

Ash Disappoints – So, What’s New?
In any other movie industry, Aishwarya Rai, a completely worthless actress, would be flung on a dungheap and allowed to decompose there.

But in the non compos mentis world of Bollywood where trash reigns, the aging woman continues to bag roles.

Aditya Roy Kapoor – Impresses Again
We liked the young fella Aditya Roy Kapoor in that trashy film Action Replayy and the kid impressed us again here.

Aditya plays Omar Siddiqui, an aspiring magician, desperate to learn from the crippled Ethan.

Faults, There Are
Folks, when we say a Bollywood movie is good it does not mean by Hollywood standards. We’re speaking only by desi standards.

There are some faults in Guzaarish that drag it down.

Foremost, of course, is the decision to hire Aishwarya Rai. Must have happened when Sanjay Leela Bhansali had one drink too many.

Then there’s the story with plenty of holes.

At the small party by Ethan’s bedside, he declares Sofia is the love of his life but we  never see any signs until that moment.

The court scenes and the ridiculous dialogs are utter balderdash. Hell, no public prosecutor behaves that way. Not even in the Indian courts.

Omar becomes the greatest magician in the world at the end of the movie, a growth we seldom see.

Guzaarish’s music is no balm for the soul but merely adequate.

Also, there’s plenty of talk online that the movie borrows liberally from foreign sources without acknowledgment. Given Bollywood’s past history, we’re inclined to believe such talk unless they are refuted in a compelling manner.

Finally, one might even be tempted to say the movie lacks focus touching as it does upon too many aspects and dwelling upon none of them at length.

Go for It
Overall, notwithstanding its inadequacies there’s still a sense of class about Guzaarish, a rare miracle in Bollywood.

And a testament to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s prowess as a filmmaker compared to his peers.

Your favorite blog SearchIndia.com strongly recommends Guzaarish. The movie is playing in theaters across the U.S. including in a few Regal and AMC cinema houses on the East Coast.

Related Stories:
Guzaarish BO – Plunges 62% in Second Weekend
Guzaarish Box Office – Disaster in U.S.

  Guzaarish, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali