Movie Review: Mirza Juuliet
First published: Follo.in
A few years back, in 2013, there were around three releases that were based on Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet. Of these, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela went on to become an impressive hit, showing that the audience can still take in tragic romances, if well made. No wonder filmmakers have continued to try their luck with these classics, hoping to make an easy buck. Mirza Juuliet tries playing around the same, except, in this case, the director merges two classics - Romeo and Juliet and Mirza Sahiba.
Mirza Juuliet tries getting into the same milieu as Issaq (2013), which juxtaposed romance and politics in Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, Issaq did not get it right back then, and Mizra Juuliet does not get it right either.
The film is set in Mirzapur, UP where the Juliet, the sister of a strongman, is set to marry the son of a local politician. That’s when Mirza, a guy who has been away from the town for 15 years, enters the scene. Juliet and Mirza are attracted to each other and soon fall in love. Equations change with the political scene. The rest of the screenplay is sheepishly worked towards the obvious tragic end.
It is difficult to point one single drawback in Mirza Juuliet. Nothing quite works. The screenplay is clumsy, the dialogues are loud, the performances are erratic… the list just does not end. And the film is shot like a TV show.
One of the key scenes in the film is when Juliet drags Mirza towards the river bank, gets into a boat and talks about her desire to get physical with him. The way the scene plays out is laughable rather than sensual, which it should have been considering the storyline rides on the sexual tension between the two.
Chandan Roy Sanyal and Swanand Kirkire are probably the best things about Mirza Juuliet. Chandan plays the sexually charged up hubby-to-be who desperately wants to get into bed with his fiancée and he is entertaining. Even better is Swanand Kirkire, the only actor who manages to keep it subtle. Darshan Kumar, as Mirza, is lackluster, almost as if he is sleepwalking through the role. Pia Bajpai is loud for most parts. Priyanshu Chatterjee tries hard but is let down by the writing.
Mirza Juuliet is ironic. It is a tragedy, pun intended. The film falls in the first few minutes and never quite recovers. Towards the end, as the protagonists get into a gun fight with their family leading to their inevitable death, you might feel a sense of relief that the ordeal is soon to end. Extra U in the Juuliet could not save it. Avoidable!
A few years back, in 2013, there were around three releases that were based on Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet. Of these, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela went on to become an impressive hit, showing that the audience can still take in tragic romances, if well made. No wonder filmmakers have continued to try their luck with these classics, hoping to make an easy buck. Mirza Juuliet tries playing around the same, except, in this case, the director merges two classics - Romeo and Juliet and Mirza Sahiba.
Mirza Juuliet tries getting into the same milieu as Issaq (2013), which juxtaposed romance and politics in Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, Issaq did not get it right back then, and Mizra Juuliet does not get it right either.
The film is set in Mirzapur, UP where the Juliet, the sister of a strongman, is set to marry the son of a local politician. That’s when Mirza, a guy who has been away from the town for 15 years, enters the scene. Juliet and Mirza are attracted to each other and soon fall in love. Equations change with the political scene. The rest of the screenplay is sheepishly worked towards the obvious tragic end.
It is difficult to point one single drawback in Mirza Juuliet. Nothing quite works. The screenplay is clumsy, the dialogues are loud, the performances are erratic… the list just does not end. And the film is shot like a TV show.
One of the key scenes in the film is when Juliet drags Mirza towards the river bank, gets into a boat and talks about her desire to get physical with him. The way the scene plays out is laughable rather than sensual, which it should have been considering the storyline rides on the sexual tension between the two.
Chandan Roy Sanyal and Swanand Kirkire are probably the best things about Mirza Juuliet. Chandan plays the sexually charged up hubby-to-be who desperately wants to get into bed with his fiancée and he is entertaining. Even better is Swanand Kirkire, the only actor who manages to keep it subtle. Darshan Kumar, as Mirza, is lackluster, almost as if he is sleepwalking through the role. Pia Bajpai is loud for most parts. Priyanshu Chatterjee tries hard but is let down by the writing.
Mirza Juuliet is ironic. It is a tragedy, pun intended. The film falls in the first few minutes and never quite recovers. Towards the end, as the protagonists get into a gun fight with their family leading to their inevitable death, you might feel a sense of relief that the ordeal is soon to end. Extra U in the Juuliet could not save it. Avoidable!
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