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By Taran Adarsh, March 4, 2005 - 18:00 IST
Been there, done that - the saying befits ZAMEER to the T.
There's nothing in the film that you haven't seen before. The college sequences, the love triangle bit, the archetypical sacrifices… To state that the film is archaic would be an understatement.
In a nutshell, ZAMEER is as tiring and unexciting as a journey on a road full of potholes!
ZAMEER begins in Kolkata. Suraj [Ajay Devgan] is leading a life of anonymity. But Dildar [Shakti Kapoor], a friend and confidant, convinces him to return.
The flashback begins: Suraj is a chemistry professor in an all-girl's college. One of the students, Pooja [Amisha Patel], is a spoilt and bratty girl who believes in playing pranks in the classroom, including bursting crackers to 'welcome' the new professor.
But Suraj's heart beats for Supriya [Mahima Chaudhary], who has had an attack of paralysis. Supriya is currently undergoing treatment in an ayurvedic hospital. In the meanwhile, Pooja continues to rag Suraj - at home, at college, even at Dildar's wedding anniversary.
The story takes a turn when Supriya's father [Kulbhushan Kharbanda] informs Suraj that Supriya has started walking, without any kind of a support. Meanwhile, Pooja plays a cruel joke on Suraj, pretending to have brain tumor. This infuriates Suraj. But Pooja has now fallen in love with him.
Pooja now openly professes love for Suraj. To clear any kind of a confusion, Ajay introduces Supriya as his 'love and life' to Pooja and her friends.
But Pooja takes it as an insult and considers Suraj as a sadist. Pooja decides to quit college and blames Supriya for it. Pooja confronts Supriya, lying to her that Suraj merely sympathizes with her since she is unwell.
On her father's [Alok Nath] insistence, Pooja rejoins her college. There, she learns that Supriya has been hospitalized since she has suffered a mental shock. At this stage, Supriya decides to break off her engagement with Suraj and requests him to marry Pooja.
Supriya's father also wants Suraj and Pooja to marry, since that's what Supriya desires. After a bit of hesitation, Suraj decides to marry Pooja. But post-marriage, the guilt of having wronged Supriya drives Pooja to depression.
Pooja admits her selfish attitude to Supriya, but at this point Supriya's father bursts out and spits venom on Pooja. Suraj walks in at this juncture and gets to know the truth and he walks out on Pooja.
Five years later, Suraj learns that Pooja had committed suicide. But prior to killing herself, Pooja had given birth to a baby girl who is now being mothered by none other than Supriya.
ZAMEER not only has an outdated theme, even its execution gives you the feeling that you are watching a film that's straight out of the 1970s and 1980s. The film is so predictable that you don't even feel excited at the prospects of knowing what's in store next.
From the writing point of view [story-screenplay: Srinivasan], the first question that crosses your mind is what prompts Ajay to shift to a different city [Kolkata] and start leading an anonymous life? In fact, the fight sequence at the very start of the film was not required at all. Also, Amisha's death doesn't evoke any kind of a feeling - either of shock or sadness. One of the reasons could be because by the time the story reaches its finale, the viewer is simply exasperated due to the monotonous goings-on.
Frankly, there's nothing in the film that a viewer carries home - not performances, not music, not any worthy moments/sequences.
Direction [Kamal] is uninspiring. The director seems to be stuck in the long-gone era. Music [Jatin-Lalit] is a weak point. 'Tere Pyaar Mein' is the only song that you'd want to hum. Cinematography [Hari Nair] is just about okay.
Ajay Devgan goes through his part without much effort. Amisha Patel hams throughout. In fact, her addressing Ajay as 'Saaar' [Sir] continuously gets on your nerves. Also, she doesn't look like a college student. Mahima Chaudhary is the only one who convinces with her performance. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is wasted. Alok Nath is efficient in a small role. Shakti Kapoor is alright. Vivek Shauq provides some light moments.
On the whole, ZAMEER is an apt example of inferior form of cinema. At the box-office, a fiasco.
 
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