Kurbaan [DVD]

Avantika is a teacher in a university in Delhi. She has
come back from New York where she teaches, because her father has suffered a
heart attack. During this period, she meets a temporary Professor called
Ehsaan Khan. Soon they begin seeing each other and love blossoms. A few months
later, Avantika receives a call from her university in New York, asking her to
come back for the Fall Semister. Avantika breaks the news to Ehsaan. He in
turn, tells her he doesnt mind coming to the States with her, to find a job.
But first they need to get married.Soon after the marriage, they leave to
start a new life in New York. They buy a house in an Indian neighbourhood and
move in. Just as they are setting up home, their conservative Muslim
neighbours, Hamid and Anjum, invite them over for dinner. The next morning,
Salma, one of the women Avantika met the night before at the dinner, visits
her under the pretext of gifting her sweets. When Avantika invites her in,
Salma tells her that she is in grave danger. Nothing is what it seems. Salma
pleads with Avantika to help her.What follows next, is a series of incidents
that sucks Avantika into a vortex of danger and intrigue. As her life spirals
out of control, Avantika realizes that she is a pawn in a huge game. And no
one is to be trusted. Review Stripped to its bone, Rensil D'silva's Kurbaan is
an edge-of-the-seat thriller that seldom loses its grip on your attention.
Credible performances from its leads, and a nail-biting screenplay make up for
the plot holes that threaten to eat into this otherwise engaging film. Kurbaan
scores for its brisk pacing, and for the fact that it doesn't offer an over-
simplistic view of the terrorism issue. The film allows enough room for all
perspectives and avoids romanticizing the terrorist as a victim seeking
revenge.Armed with Hemant Chaturvedi's efficient camerawork and Salim-
Suleiman's rousing music score that never distract from the storytelling,
director Rensil D'silva makes a confident debut with a film that is both
respectable and engaging. --platform47.com Kurbaan is bloody smart. In its
taut screenplay, stylish photography and good performances by the cast, it
keeps you engaged, does not insult your intelligence and avoids getting
preachy. And that's saying a lot for a film by a debutant director. Kurbaan
deals with a very loaded subject -- terror, Islam, America and the rest of the
world. Something that a bunch of filmmakers have attempted in recent times,
and there's more to come. But this one is executed like a classy Hollywood
thriller, with some great moments of suspense, high drama, blood, gore and
skin. --platform47.com Kurbaan tries to penetrate into the psyche of not just
the terrorist, but also someone who has been a helpless spectator all this
while. This film is sure to spark off discussions and debates, although it
must also be noted that it doesn't take sides or gets preachy. Rensil D'Silva
has chosen a burning issue for his directorial debut, which is a complete
departure from Karan Johar's earlier films. Kurbaan is one of the most
powerful films to come out of the Hindi film industry in 2009. The film has a
captivating plot, gripping screenplay, super performances and a climax that
shakes you up completely. Watching this movie should be on top of your agenda
this week. --platform47.com