MAVERICK film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish is inspired by two foreign movies, namely the Oscar-winning Spanish film The Sea Inside and the real-life story of Ramon Sampedro, Whose Life Is It Anyway.
Bhansali’s films are notable for their visual splendour and inspiration.
He puts the debacle of Saawariya behind him as he gives us another unique and sensitive story through a series of flashbacks.
Set in the the former Portuguese colony of Goa, an accomplished magician, Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan), suffers a serious spinal injury when one of his magical tricks goes horribly wrong.
He is confined to a wheelchair and has been nursed by Sophia D’Souza (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) for the last 14 years — they share a special bond of love.
Mascarenhas is a radio jockey who hosts a show called Radio Zindagi.
His show generates hope, laughter and sunshine and yet the man behind the megaphone is a quadriplegic.
Mascarenhas’s only connection with the outside world is his radio show.
Ironically, the man tells others to embrace life, but seeks to end his own.
He fights a legal case for euthanasia to end his suffering via his lawyer friend Devyani (Shenaaz Patel).
Even Mascarenhas’s mother supports him in his petition to end his life. As he pursues his own death, a number of events unfold that lead to courtroom melodrama, a petition and a surprising turn in the story.
Roshan delivers a mind-blowing performance as a paraplegic.
It would be a pity if he doesn’t win the award for best actor of 2010.
Rai Bachchan performs her role as the nurse with finesse. Patel and Aditya Roy Kapur also perform well.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish is brilliant.
His telling of the story of an incapacitated man who desires to end his life with dignity enthralls the viewers.
Guzaarish is a very profound and enriching drama and should not be missed.
****
