Mausam (2011 film)

Plot

The main story of the film spans over a period 10 years, from 1992 to 2002 and includes references to Demolition of Babri Masjid, Bombay Riots, 1993 Bombay bombings, Kargil War, 9/11 attacks and Post-Godhra Riots.

Mausam is the story of two lovers, Harinder Singh, known as Harry (Shahid Kapoor) and Aayat (Sonam Kapoor). Harry is a happy-go-lucky Punjabi guy, whereas Aayat is a Kashmiri girl. In 1992, the two meet and fall in love at Mallukot, Punjab, where Harry's family is from. But before they get to spend some time together, Aayat leaves for Mumbai with her uncle and aunt; and Harry joins the Indian Air Force. In 1999, Harry, now a Squadron Leader meets Aayat in Scotland, where they get closer once again. However, before their marriage, the Kargil occupation happens in Kashmir, and Harry is called back to India to fight in the war, fate separating them once more. After this separation, they begin to long for each other. Harry paralyses his left arm during a special mission in the Tiger Hill. They both want to speak to each other but fate always brings them closer and then separates them again. At the end, in Ahmedabad during post-Godhra riots, they finally find each other and decide to settle down with an orphan child rescued by Harry from the riot which also results in his arm cured, with a child of their own on the way.

Cast

Production

In early August 2010, Nawman Malik claimed that the title Mausam is registered under his name and filed a complaint with the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programme Producers. He was also claiming that the story of Mausam is his. Now, Mallik has moved the Mumbai High Court asking for an injunction against producer Sheetal Talwar and director Pankaj Kapur for using the title. He has demanded a compensation of Rs10 million for the title and has submitted a digital film called Mausam, which he claims he made.

The film was shot primarily in Edinburgh and India while the Air Force scenes were shot at the Gwalior Air Force Base. The shooting took two years to complete, part of the delay caused by Sonam Kapoor's illness during the shoot.

In September, the film was denied submission for censorship because the Air Force had objected to a 30 second long aerial action sequence with Shahid Kapoor who plays an Air Force pilot in Mausam. Special permission had been sought and granted to shoot in a real airbase. The Air Force were objecting to a dramatic action fight sequence with Shahid on board a Mirage fighter plane. Mausam producer Sheetal Talwar announced: "We had the script cleared by the Air Force on August 23, 2010. Now suddenly they're objecting to a sequence after it's been shot, edited and the film was ready for censoring?"

Critical reception

Zee News bureau gave the film 4 stars saying "‘Mausam’ can be best described as a wonderful blend of offbeat and mainstream cinema which is full of charm, elegance and vivacity." Bollycurry gave the film 4 stars out of 5 praising Pankaj Kapur's direction and saying "In his directorial debut, he tells an old-fashioned story of love, separation and reunion with flourishes and flashes of great cinema igniting what would in lesser hands, appear to be a trite tale of love gone frightfully cliched." Nikhat Kazmi of Times Of India rated it three out of five saying "The film tries to strike a balance between art and mainstream cinema and succeeds partially." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it 3 stars out of 5. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 stars out of 5, saying that, "On the whole, Mausam is a slow movie!" but praises the Shahid Kapoor's performance saying "Shahid gives his all to this role, submitting himself to his director-father to mould him the way he chooses to. It won't be erroneous to state that Shahid surpasses all his previous performances, including the one in Kaminey, with this film. The film also marks the coming of age of this actor."Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN, was also not kind to Mausam. He rated it 2 out of 5, saying, "Director Pankaj Kapur infuses his story and his characters with a delicate, old-fashioned charm that is pleasing and quaint at first, but gets progressively exhausting when logic goes out of the window"

Box office

The film made with the budget of 28 crores, opened good at the box office but collections fell on after a week at release of force and the film grossed Rs.415 million in India. It collected ₹44 crore (US$6.9 million) net in its first week and ended its lifetime collections with ₹74 crore (US$12 million) net.

Soundtrack

The music of the film is composed by Pritam while the lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil. There are two other songs which was seen itself in the movie but it was not released. One of them is sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal and is a romantic track by Pritam "Zara Si Mehdi"; the other is sung by Shreya Ghoshal, a romantic track "Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar", adapted from an old Hindi film.

Reception

Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said: "Mausam is a fantastic album and has all the ingredients that make for a popular soundtrack. While 'Sajh Dhaj Ke' and 'Mallo Malli' are the pick of the lot when it comes to instant chartbusters in the making, 'Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye' and 'Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi' are good enough to enjoy a rather extended shelf life. Just pick this one up!"