Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi: The Movie

Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi ki har Khwahish pe Dum Nikle
Bahut Nikle Mere Arman Lekin Phir Bhi Kam Nikle
-Mirza Galib

Bollywood is getting matured day by day. Its trying to get out of boy-meets-girl-and-falls-in-love type, or Indo-Pak bashing grip. Since 2004 there have been lot of off beat movies. Like Raincoat, Black, Page 3, My Brother Nikhil, Parinita, Virudh, Iqbal etc. Made on different subject, with a "hatke" attitude. Most of the movies were small budget, and most of the movies dint do so well at box office. But a segment of people have appreciated these films. As these were the sensible movies made on sensible subject there was not much for the mass. A big segment of bollywood audience still need to get maturity.

In late 2004 there was another movie released named, "Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi", starring Kay Kay, Siney Ahuja, Chitrangada and Yashpal Sharma in lead roles.The movie is set in mid 60s to early 70s. The move is journey of a person (Sidhrath) from Marxist jargon to the Maoist (Naxalite) rebellion, as he rages on about injustice. The movie opens with a scene where Sidhrath (kay Kay) writes a letter to his girl friend Geeta (Chitrangda). Shidhart is person of principles and want to make a difference in the system where as Vikram is practical man and want to make a difference for himself.

I don't want say any other word about the story. This movie also gives you the glimpse of emergency, its consequences, law and order in rural areas, and dirty and ugly politics during that period which was not visible to a common man. Movie is so close to reality that there are few scene in the movie where you will feel ice flowing in your spine.

As movie was set in a period when I was not even born, so I was very curious to know what happened, how was the society and how different we are now. Most often I felt that Indian History books have stopped publishing what happened after independence. I know more about what happened during Mughals and British rules, but don't know what happened during 60s and 70s, except Indo-Pak war. This is the time to write a new history and let the billion know what happened during 50s,60s and 70s.

After watching the movie I believe that law and order situation is still not much different than 70s in certain states in India (specially Bihar, UP and MP). Education will be the most appropriate solution to this problem, which our governments (specially UP, Bihar, MP and other northern states) have forgotten long back.

The movie ends with lots of insight and questions to audience about the society, its problem and the complicacy of the problem. In one sentence "A must watch". Thanks Sudhir Mishra!

Sehar: A Must Watch

There are numerous of movies in Bollywood on the same concept and theory. However movie closely resembles with Ab Tak Chhappan, But still this movie has its own presence even though there are numerous of movies based on the same theme. As a first film of the director Kabeer Kaushik, he has made his mark in the bollywood. He used an un-explored territory, the northern India, which is considered to be home for the most corrupted people in India. In UP there is huge nexus of Politicians and criminals actively operating? As shown in the movie, things are organized in real life too.


Sehar, is so close to reality, that the Officers of STF that have been instrumental in the rescue of the Mumbai Stock Broker's son, have been very closely involved in this movie by providing the key inputs for it. The film brings out the issues that eclipse the cultural heritage of Lucknow and was actually shot for 62 days in Lucknow to bring in the real essence of the place. But this will surely go against it, especially as far as Mumbai and the other metro cities are concerned.


Sehar describes the journey of a newly-appointed, S.S.P. of Lucknow, Ajay Kumar (Arshad Warsi), who is determined in bringing together a group of committed police officers under the support of the Special Task Force. This Force has a single agenda, succeeds in challenging the might of organized crime in Uttar Pradesh. And in the process, what unfolds is the ever-changing dynamics of Uttar Pradesh's siyaasat: Railway contracts, ISI involvement, politician-mafia-police-builder nexus, rigid red-tapeism and criminalization of University students.


Sehar, also gave a chance to Arshad, to come out of the shell which was created by the movies like Munna Bhai MBBS, Hulchal etc. The performance given by Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Kapoor and Sushant Singh is excellent. The movie runs on the shoulder of these three people. Like any other gangaster movie, there is not much for Mahima to do, but she makes her presence felt.

At the end, there is nothing new in the movie, but what attracts me is resemblance to reality, picturisation, narrating style and out of box territory (Mumbai is not only the place for gangster, there are UP and Bihar too). May be this movie gives an idea to Ram Gopal Verma (King of Gangester Movies in Bollywood) to get out of Mumbai for his next movie.