The verdant green landscape, the magnetic blue waters and the warm bright sunshine of beautiful Goa is home to one of the greatest magicians of his time, Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan). Presently hosting a Radio Show that spreads magic and hope and laughter through his irrepressible wit and humor to every listener and caller, it is difficult to imagine that this is a man who has been immobilized with a spinal injury for the last fourteen years of his life. Ethan is aided through every moment of his present life by the epicenter of his world - his Nurse, Sofia D'Souza (Aishwarya Rai). Theirs is a love beautiful in its implicit silence, unwavering in its quiet strength and spirited in their constant verbal sparring. On the fourteenth anniversary of his accident, Ethan decides to seek control over his own life. He makes a petition to the Court that shocks the world and leaves Sofia in an impasse that challenges their relationship and their love. Alongside all the tumult that follows, a young man named Omar Siddiqui (Aditya Roy Kapoor) bursts into Ethan's world with a single-minded desire to learn magic from the very best. While on one hand Ethan passes on his magical legacy, on the other, he fights tooth-and-nail to demand the most basic right that every human being is entitled to - the right to his own life. The ethics, the morality, the kindness and cruelty of this mission creates a storm in all the lives that it envelops and its resolution forms the startling conclusion of Ethan's remarkable journey.
K**Y
To Understand It Isn't Necessary To Agree
First off, I have to say that this movie robs me of any credibility when it comes to my ability to be objective. For the most part I try to make these reviews balanced, and funny. (I know I fail more often than not at the funny) Unfortunately, there are times when one cannot even attempt at leaving personal beliefs and circumstances out of art. For me, this is one such time. From the opening scene my point-of-view is unashamedly biased. Why, you may rightfully ask? To that question I can only reply, because Ethan and I have a very similar perspective of the world. We view it in treacherous bodies confined to wheelchairs, beds, and couches. In my case my Cerebral Cortex was damaged some time during or before my premature birth resulting in Cerebral Palsy. Ethan's plight was born from an accident. Either way, when you live at the mercy of a fickle and treacherous body which slowly robs you of independence and freedom, you can't help but see life differently from the vast majority of your fellow human beings.So yes, I can't be objective because I've got quite a bit in common with the hero. He's got a radio station, I have this lovely laptop which allows me to indulge my great passions the chief of these being words. Speaking of words, I've picked up quite a bit of Hindi from this raging Bollywood addiction and I have to say that next to Pyar, (love) I'm enthralled with the word Guzarish, (Request) and yes I did spell it properly, Hindi movie titles usually add or subtract letters in words to suit numerology. Guzarish is a powerful word, to request is more than just to ask, it's deeper than that. Which brings me to a lesser reason of why I can't be objective about this film, the request itself, the guzarish to die. Because of my faith, the sanctity of human life is non-negotiable, in other words I would never kill myself or ask another person for assistance to end my life. Now you may rightfully be thinking, "why you little hypocrite! How can you possibly rate this movie five stars when you believe Ethan shouldn't make this guzarish?"Good question! Frankly I haven't decided if I'm hypocritical or not. All I am certain of is I understand the most important thing that makes this movie so important to me. I understand WHY! I understand why Ethan has made his request, I understand why his best friend decides to fight for him, I understand why it breaks the heart of the woman who loves him more than her own life, but stands by him anyway, I understand why his doctor cannot and will not condone it, and I understand why his mother loves him unconditionally. It's the WHY that makes this film work.I admit, I'm no Ethan. I have my hands, my lungs work just fine, my kidneys are great, I'm not even paralyzed. I've just gotten too old and too weak to haul myself around on my legs. I can feel just about all sensation, although as the years pass it decreases in certain areas. Unlike Ethan, I live in constant agonizing pain that never lets up for a moment. There are other difficulties that I face and I've got no hope for major improvements, forgive the expression, 'it all goes down from here.' So there are days when I really wish I didn't wake up. But whenever I watch this movie it hits me, "This man can't feel the touch of his loved ones. This man can't hold a baby in his arms. This man will never make love to the one person he loves with the very deepest parts of his heart and soul! This man can't even hold his mother's hand! This man can't break things in a temper." Then I wonder, which is worse feeling nothing, or pain so bad it drives you crazy sometimes? I've come to the conclusion neither is worse, it's all a living hell. But at least my thing doesn't condemn me to a slow and terrible death. Poor Ethan, not-so-fortunate. So yeah, I totally understand why he's made his guzarish, but like his doctor, I can't agree with it.Ethan's flaw isn't selfishness, it can't be selfish to want to spare his loved ones witnessing the inevitable death he's destined for without intervention. Nobody with a heart wants their loved ones to have the agony of sitting by helplessly watching them suffer. I speak from experience. Ethan's flaw is weakness, he simply cannot face the end he's being forced to have. I don't blame him for that! After so many years of fighting and overcoming he's run out of strength, and he doesn't have the capacity to draw it from others. I don't agree with his solution but I do understand. My compassion, my empathy, my own suffering compels me to understand, and because of it I cannot and will not condemn.That doesn't mean I'm on his side, I'm not! If I'm on anyone's side it's Sophia! If there's one thing that's kept me from making my own guzarish over the years it's the simple fact that my loved ones need me alive because they NEED to give me their love. You can't give love to a corpse. Sophia needed to love Ethan more than he needed to die! Ah Sophia, as much as I see myself in Ethan I also see myself in her. Another reason I've never made a guzarish, is that you can't *give* love if you're a corpse. Giving love is a powerful reason to live, and in Sophia's case heal from an abusive husband. If there is one MAJOR flaw in this film it's that Ethan never acknowledges that what he's doing is taking away Sophia's greatest happiness, loving him. Granted she knows, he knows, and he knows, she knows, he knows, (yes I'm going for a tiny bit of levity) but still, would an "I'm so sorry that I'm too weak to endure what's next," be out-of-line here? As a woman, I don't think so!Now enough of this sentimental stuff! Time to get down to the nitty-gritty of movie greatness. Production: Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one heck of a director! Okay my favorite is still Ashutosh Gowariker is still my favorite! He made, Jodhaa Akbar (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) people, and it doesn't get better than that! But Mr. Bhansali is pretty darn close! Like Mr. Gowariker, he creates images like fine paintings on screen. He is one obsessively intense micro-manager, and it works! Every sight and sound is exquisite to experience. I appreciate someone with a vision and the talent to get it. But I just have to say, from the interviews I've read he's a very intense personality, to put it mildly. I think he's the Van Gough of Hindi films. I love Van Gough, but I'm glad I'm not a Bollywood actress that's for sure! Good thing his stars aren't so sensitive, and cue the "love letters" they start now!First up: My Hindi film queen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan! This is actually, the last film she's done since her pregnancy and birth of her little daughter. In other words, it's been three years! Now I'm all for taking time out to be mama, I wish more people liked raising babies better than making money. That said, if you're an actor and you're going on hiatus for a while leave with an ASTOUNDING role! Mrs. Rai Bachchan is a very smart lady. She played all her cards right, she paired with a director who considers her his favorite muse, she teamed up with her best leading man (on film) these two have some white hot chemistry Dhoom 2: Bollywood Movie, and she made sure she got a juicy non-item-girl role with a slamming dance number. Now that is using your brain! Also I have said this many, many, times this poor woman is tragically underrated as a superior actor simply because God decided to break the mold when her DNA was being mixed. Yes she's beautiful! As Ethan says "I don't call her sister" how can he? But this woman is so much more than just beautiful! As great as the script and the Director of this film is, Sophia wouldn't exist without Mrs. Rai Bachchan, ergo Ethan wouldn't exist!Not even the Shashensha of Bollywood can do everything alone.Hrithik Roshan, or as I like to say, here is what would happen if aliens abducted Errol Flynn, Paul Newman, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly mixed their molecular structure and deposited this new amazing creature on planet earth! I've pontificated at great length about how super he is in everything he does, but this (until I see Agneepath) is the culmination of every power. Perfection, sheer, unadulterated, perfection in every way! As I mentioned I live in a chair myself, and I can tell when an "able-bodied" actor just sits in one and la ti da's it. Mr. Roshan is not a la ti da! In fact, he did just as good as Sam Worthington did in AVATAR. He let the chair become his body, and he never once twitched a finger! Why wasn't this movie submitted for Oscar consideration? I can't choose a favorite scene, but I do know the one that made me believe he was Ethan. I won't say what happens but it involves a vase, and all I could think was, "he gets it! He knows exactly what it is to be trapped inside your own body!" This man, possibly one of the absolute greatest dancers of all time understood the rage and helplessness of being denied control over his physical self. That's not acting, that is truth! O-Zeem-O-Shashensha!Shernaz Patel, is one of my very favorites now. It's hard going up against two of the most amazingly beautiful and talented people in creation and play the guy's best dosti (friend) who also happens to be a woman. But Devyani is quite a wonderful dosti, and she reminds me of some of my many good guy-friends that I occasionally flirt with on a day when I need cheering up. Come to think of it, she also reminds me of my two tigress sisters. By the end of the movie I want her to hug me too! And I want a chai and gossip fest but... Yeah.Suhel Seth, Scary brilliant! I have flashbacks to my childhood and a certain Doctor who absolutely refused to put up with my nonsense! Oh boy, I know the movie is in Hindi, but I rarely needed the subtitles to know what he was saying. I love watching him.Okay I admit it, there is one major thing about this movie I'm not too keen on. Aditia Roy Kapoor, AKA: Omar, Omar, Omar, Omar! I don't know if I wasn't keen on Omar, or I just don't like the actor. I keep thinking to myself, "why can't this guy be played by, Imram Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, or even Harman Bawjea!" All of whom I like to watch so much more than Mr. Roy Kapoor. Omar, or more likely, the actor irritates me to no end. Thankfully, his seniors make him relatively obscure.Special shout out to Mama Isobel! AKA Nafisa Ali, what a lady! As if I hadn't been crying enough she made me lose all control, and then she... whoops I won't spoil.Music: UDI! Is just great, but Mr. Roshan ACTUALLY singing "What A Wonderful World" made me forget about Louis Armstrong for a split second. I think I might have committed a sin by saying it, but lying is a worse one. There are other amazing songs as well so Mr. Bhansali is also a great musical director. Even if he didn't believe his hero at first when he mentioned he could sing! Oh to be a fly on that wall, or nose.I've rambled quite a bit, but this time it's personal. But then the best art challenges you and makes yourself aware of things in your heart you didn't know were there. This movie shows me something new about myself every time.
L**3
U'i
I'm not a paid critic, nor a paraplegic or a nurse! I'm definitely not an actor! But this film brought to sense, what one does in the past can or cannot formulate your present. What you do with the present sets the path for your future...what would you like your quality of life to be, in a moment, minute, hour, day, week, year, lifetime! Often times we see suicides for reasons like, debt, drugs, insurance and various inhumane causes (war/politics) and they are self-imposed. This is not such a case. This film made me cry, laugh, wanna get up an dance to 'Udi' and appreciate 'What A Wonderful World' I have seen in my life! You could feel Ethan's rage when Sofia was beaten and taken away by her husband and there was nothing he could do as a paraplegic to help and save her. Or how it tore his soul when he couldn't embrace his loving and supportive mother. You could see the change in Sofia regarding Ethan's feelings and wish and how it changes her life. Who chooses the worth of a man's life and soul? Society, law, religion or the man. In Ethan's case he gave to all; society, law and religion...and nothing in return replaced what he truly was, a man with feelings, emotions, wants, needs yet would never feel them again. He could imagine, but imagination does not fill the soul. Sophia saw this and because of it was willing to give her own life for his. Such profound love, one to another. It goes beyond the soul with a promise of forever! I encourage others to view this film and give it great thought. How would you handle this situation if you were given such a circumstance?Roshan and Rai have been blessed with a powerful chemistry and have shown it in every film they have done with one another. They bring realism to a film like Tracey and Hepburn! Goa...beautiful! I'll see it one day.
H**Y
emotionally visual ride
Hrithik Roshan does an absolutely beautiful job in this film. His role as a magician who is left a quadriplegic in a freak accident allows you to not only see his struggles with everyday life, but the emotional toll it takes on him and those he's surrounded by. This film also covers the topic of human euthanasia which is a topic not many want to touch but this film does it in a way that allowed you to see it from both sides. It does make you question whether people should be allowed to choose to die or not. The director Sanjay Leela does another excellent job with visuals in this film like his previous films that just captivate you.
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