Never mind technical flair, special effects, choreography, and the like. What most movie-goers, unless they are the arty-farty types, want to see in a movie is a great tale well told.
With Farhan Akhtar's second film Lakshya, that is just what you get.
Written by Farhan's accomplished screenwriter-lyricist father Javed Akhtar, the story in its essence deals with the growing up not from childhood of course of a typically confused yuppie youth who is not just content but happy to drift along.
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But don't let that fool you into thinking that the film is not good in the technical aspects. It is quite a slick, polished product. Of course, it helps that the film is largely shot in the Ladakh region, where the spectacular vistas ensure that you cannot go too wrong with your cinematography unless you really want to.
The story-telling does drag a bit at times. But it all turns out well eventually, because when push comes to shove Farhan is able to shift gears and provide a riveting climax.
Hrithik Roshan first showed with Koi... Mil Gaya that he can actually play a given character. With Lakshya he proves that his KMG performance was no flash in the pan. Zinta is adequate in her role as a television journalist.
But it is the supporting cast comprising the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Boman Irani, Raj Zutshi and Sushant Singh who give the film a real fillip.
The songs are decent without being superhit material, though Agar Main Kahoon and Main Aisa Kyon Hoon could prove me wrong. But the background score from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy when it really counts, at the climax, is quite fantastic.
The film may be a little long at just over three hours, and you do get the feeling that it could have been tightened at certain points, but the overall package is well worth the time, and money, spent.
Watch out for the complete review soon!