Mausam

Running into rough weather

The first hour of Mausam is so beautiful that it feels like a breeze. But there are two more hours to go, and that is when the hurricane strikes. So, what started off as a youthful romance turns into an ailing drama that has no ‘retirement’ plans.

Shahid impresses as the charming, spirited Punjabi boy who is waiting to hear from the Indian Air Force. His friends and folks are lovably loud and funny (the village chief is a knockout). Sonam, the Kashmiri beauty on the run, comes down to Punjab, and becomes the sole focus of Shahid’s eyes.

It’s early 90s when cellphones are still alien to ears. Maybe it’s this silence that makes the love story attractive in the beginning. Soon, first-time director Pankaj Kapur falls short of fuel to charge the proceedings.

You lose count of the seasons as the love story runs, limps and pants through unrests at home and abroad — Kashmir gunbattles, Babri Masjid, Kargil, Bombay blasts, 9/11, Godhra riots...

In the meantime, Shahid and Sonam climb a lot of steps and wait on balconies across the globe (from Punjab to Ahmedabad to Scotland to Switzerland). IAF pilot Kapoor (now with a moustache and six packs) gets to fly some birds. Alas, his girlfriend-of-a-decade Sonam is sandwiched between a Supriya Pathak (who is just required to look sad and sigh) and an Anupam Kher who mouths relatively happier lines.

When the lovers finally (and thankfully) meet, they still have two hurdles to clear — a white horse and a toddler! Sounds absurd, but the climax can’t get more bizarre. See it to believe it. But don’t. Bad weather is the forecast. So stay home.