A compelling tale, beautifully told

turned dacoit. And not in Raag Desh, where three officers of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army — Shah Nawaz Khan (Kunal Kapoor), Prem Sehgal (Mohit Marwah) and Gurbaksh Dhillon (Amit Sadh) — begin to be seen as symbols of unity in diversity while being tried by the British government as traitors, in 1945.

The depth of detail is marvellous, as is the emotional tug-ofwar — one ruling could determine whether these men go down in history as courageous patriots or turncoats and defectors.

And yet, amid the detail, there is ambiguity, and therein lies the beauty of Dhulia’s storytelling.

Being neutral means he represents all sides, allows key characters to be seen from different perspectives, and this leaves you with much to think about even after the end credits have rolled.

The documentary-like feel hampers the drama to some extent, and the cutting back in forth in time hampers the flow, but these are minor issues.

This is a compelling tale told through compelling actors — Amit Sadh shines; it is a pleasure to see him on screen again. Kunal Kapoor is measured and extremely effective. Mohit Marwah holds his own.

You know how it’s all going to end, but you are still moved by the conclusion. This is a film totally worth 137 minutes of your time.

Ithink Anees Bazmee’s Welcome is one of the most underrated comedies of recent times.

That tale of an eligible bachelor in love with a gangster’s sister was followed by Bazmee’s Singh Is Kinng, No Problem, Thank You, Ready, and Welcome Back, all sitcoms centered on marriage.

Mubarakan has the marriage theme too, with a double-role angle. Separated in childhood, twins Karan and Charan (Arjun Kapoor) have been promised by their guardians to ‘suitable’ girls, but they already love Sweety (Ileana D’Cruz) and Nafisa (Neha Sharma) respectively.

Things get complicated when Charan somehow finds himself engaged to another girl, Binkal (Athiya Shetty), while in London. As the family is self-combusting over this development, the boy’s uncle, Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor), arrives to add more confusion to the mix.

Mubarakan is a typical Bazmee film, with its loud background score, slo-mo hero shots, peppy dances tunes and docile lead men. It is also typical in that there is little logic to some of the proceedings. The setting shifts back and forth between Chandigarh and London, without warning; people keep bursting into song. (These are, admittedly, welcome breaks in a film that runs over 156 minutes.)

Anil Kapoor tries his best to hold the family and story together. Arjun Kapoor is wholly committed and effective, but totally outshone by his uncle.

Mubarakan starts off witty but loses its charm through the second half. Expect to laugh, occasionally; don’t expect to leave the theatre smiling.