Guzaarish - Story of a Magician, From a Magician

The debacle of “Saawariya” didn’t stop me from advance booking the tickets for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next – “Guzaarish”. And it didn’t let me down. This is another masterpiece from one of my favourite Directors… 

Cut to Goa, where we are introduced to a helpless, quadriplegic Ethan Mascarenhas [Hrithik Roshan], a victim of Paraplegia and is paralysed from neck to toe. He is dependent on his sincere nurse Sophiya [Aishwarya Rai] on everything but talking. We are then told that Ethan was in his glory days, a big time magician- the best in the business. As fate would have it, 14 years ago he meets with an accident and because of a grave injury on spinal cord, ends up being a paraplegic. He now earns a few pennies by working as a Radio Jockey on FM for a show called- “Radio Zindagi”, inspiring people to live a beautiful life. 

But this magician who is full of life despite his disabilities, surprises all by his decision to file a petition in court for Euthanasia – Mercy Killing! He turns to his old friend Devyani Datta [Shernaz Patel] to fight his case for him. Initially reluctant, Divyani decides to fight the case for his friend. However Ethan’s doctor, Dr. Nayak [Suhel Seth] is not too convinced about the idea, but his mother [Nafisa Ali] and his assistant and love of his glory days Estella [Monikangana Dutta] stand by him with his decision. 

In the meanwhile, we are also introduced to a young lad with a bushy hairdo who calls himself Omar Siddiqui [Aditya Roy Kapoor] who sneaks into Ethan’s house with a lie, and persuades him to teach him his magic tricks. With his little family, the rest of the film is a wonderful journey of Ethan’s struggles with his court plea for a mercy death. It also reveals a strange and unique love between Ethan and Sophiya, as the story unfolds. 

Like all Bhansali movies, this one also has exotic sets and minutely worked costumes. The scenic beauty of Goa is shot with an eye for aesthetics. Cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee’s work is praiseworthy with Hrithik’s magic tricks defying the laws of physics like dancing on light beams, floating in the air, lighting a candle under water, are shot to perfection. Sanjay Leela Bhansali debuts as the music director, and his music adds to the narrative. The songs are not at all a hindrance. Just one song- “Udi..” could have been avoided, but even that is made enjoyable with Aishwarya’s classy act. The story is undeniably different, but it’s sad to hear claims from the critics that the story is lifted from movies like – the Oscar winning “Mar Adentro” and “Who’s life is it anyway” (1981). 

Of the cast, Nafisa Ali as Hrithik’s mother touches the audience’s heart in a scene where she speaks for her son. Shernaz Patel and Suhel Seth as Ethan’s well-wishers do a very commendable job. Aditya Roy Kapoor as the obedient student was better noticed as compared to “Action Replayy”. Aishwarya Rai as Ethan’s nurse is superb. But the show-stealer is Hrithik all the way. He is mind blowing playing Ethan. With this, Hrithik has raised his stature to be with great actors like Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan or Kamal Hassan. I can’t imagine any other actor playing Ethan as perfectly as Hrithik. 

Finally, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s direction is the heart of the movie. His eye for such a detailed portrayal is an attribute worth admiring. A few glitches like, having a court hearing taking place in a house could have been done away with. A bit more light into Aishwarya’s dark past could also add a bit more credibility to the story. But all these can be ignored very easily when we look at the end product.

On an ending note, if Hrithik doesn’t win the Best Actor award for this movie, then I am going to join Amir Khan in his protest against the award ceremonies. 

My Rating: ***1/2

My Reality Check: ****