BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Film: New York (Drama)
Cast: John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan
Direction: Kabir Khan 

After star craved months of waiting arrives Yash Raj’s latest, New York. Director Kabir Khan tells us a story of friendship conceived, cherished and tested over the span of time before, during and after terrorist attacks of 9/11. Kabir Khan’s earlier movie Kabul Express too had references to 9/11, but this time around the documentary filmmaker slowly but surely shows signs of the making of a maverick filmmaker.

New York does not beat around the bush and gets to the story right away. Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is detained by the FBI for interrogation after arms and ammunition are found from the trunk of a car owned by him. FBI agent Roshan (Irrfan Khan) along with his boss are actually after Sam (John Abraham), Omar’s friend who they believe runs a terrorist sleeper cell in New York and intend to get to Sam through Omar. Omar refuses to accept the allegations against his friend as he recollects his early days in the US as a student at NYU. 

The campus of NYU serves as the meeting ground for Omar, Sam and Maya (Katrina Kaif) and life is just beautiful for the three musketeers as they bond over games, food and music. Omar falls in love in Maya only to realize that she is actually in love with Sam. Before he can express his feelings to Maya on 9/11, they learn about the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and their world comes to a crashing halt literally and emotionally. Omar decides to walk away and has not been in touch with either of his friends since then. Roshan however insists that Sam is guilty and Omar agrees for the under cover operation only to prove him wrong. 

While on the surface everything seems perfectly normal, Omar does uncover the truth Sam has been hiding. And there are many shades of gray where the “truth” is concerned. Kabir Khan does a wonderful job of never going over the top in dealing with any of the issues, and yet raising a whole of questions mostly about right and wrong. Does one wrong really cancel another wrong? “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” the Mahatma guided us. Some profound thoughts do arise at the end of the movie and all this while we enjoy the regular Bollywood masala on the side, now that’s good work. How and why Sam becomes a part of terrorist activity and the dilemma Omar faces when faced with the truth all culminate to an exciting climax.

Not exactly known for their acting prowess John, Neil, Katrina surprise us with their sincere performances in New York. It looks like Katrina packed in some pounds which works in her favor because she is not just a glamour quotient in the movie, but definitely part of the plot. John and Neil too render some of their better performances to date. Irrfan Khan is a natural. Aditya Chopra, the producer and Kabir Khan the director clearly make a good pair. Kabir Khan shines mostly because of the balanced viewpoint portrayed throughout the movie that carries a rather sensitive subject matter of terrorism at the heart of its storyline. Music by Pritam blends with the story and is never overbearing. “Hai Junoon” is easy on the ears. While everything seemed to work perfectly for New York, the make up artists could’ve easily gone easy on the lipsticks where male actors were concerned, especially Neil. Cinematography compliments the cleaver direction.

New York is one of those movies where everyone involved has given their creative best. The narration is clean and clear all the way. All incidents and characters small or big contribute to the story. It is entertaining and yet feeds ample food for your thoughts. This one well deserves its successful run at the box office.