Trailer Watch: 'Mirzya'

It seems that, nowadays, every time a trailer is released, I go through all the emotions of the human spectrum. For instance, last week, I felt disappointment with the trailer for Mohenjo Daro. This week, I felt nothing but utter confusion after watching the trailer release of Mirzya.

Mirzya is a film by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (rumouredly based on the tragic romance of Mirzya-Sahiba, a popular folk tale) whose last film was the deftly directed Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). Mirzya features the much anticipated debut of Harshvardhan Kapoor (veteran Anil Kapoor’s son and Sonam’s sibling) and Saiyami Kher (Tanvi Azmi’s niece), and credits Gulzar with its screenplay and the music to Shankar Ehsaan Loy….. and those are the only coherent aspects of the trailer, if I'm honest!

There’s just so much going on here that it’s difficult to make head or tail of what this film is actually about. Scenes flit between what appear to be two very different timelines, some set in the present day and others set in an a far out fantasy past, where Kapoor’s character appears to be some sort of renegade warrior shooting arrows on horseback, and Kher’s character depicted as a badass warrior as well. The present day timeline appears to be set in Rajasthan with Kapoor's character obsessing over Kher’s character’s relationship with her boyfriend in a somewhat creepy manner (shining his motorbike’s headlights onto them in their car while they’re kissing, crazily enough). Curiously, I got a sense of déjà vu as those scenes reminded me of Ranjhaana with some very similar shots of schoolchildren on bicycles and the theme of the hero obsessing over the heroine!

Mirzya boasts of striking visuals, but no more reincarnation themes please

Kher’s character’s voice over reveals that she had a childhood love whom she lost (presumably Kapoor). It's almost as if there's a theme of reincarnation (please, not again after Mohenjo Daro!), which would explain the two timelines and could be the tie in to the Mirza-Sahiba folk tale.

Lack of clarity aside, Kapoor and Kher do look impressive in their debut. Personally, Kher stands out due to her ‘unconventional’ looks (ironically because she actually looks Indian amongst a sea of fair, light haired wannabe Hindi film actresses!) and has oodles of screen presence. Kapoor, meanwhile looks like a male version of his sister (that’s how alike the siblings look!), and has a rugged demeanour about him. The film itself looks good visually with some impressive slo-mo action shots and gorgeous cinematography.

So little is revealed in the trailer that it leaves the viewer with very little to take away other than a sense of misplaced intrigue and confusion. The promos for the film further down the track will probably lend some more coherence, but for now, my curiosity level is most certainly picqued but with other movie trailers and releases coming up soon, my attention might be divided if my present level of confusion isn’t cleared soon enough!

Mirzya also features a supporting cast comprising of Om Puri, Art Malik, K.K. Raina and Anuj Choudhry and hits the marquee this October.

Are you looking forward to Mirzya?

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