Wonderfully offbeat film!

Strictly average movie

Absolutely Fantastic

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Afzal Khan's last film MAHAANTA(1997) too took 7 years in making, In 2008 yet again Afzal Khan's Mehbooba takes almost a decade to release. The film brings together Ajay and Sanjay Dutt(who worked with Afzal Khan in Mahaanta)after the flop Hum Kisise Kum nahin(2002) which was produced by Afzal Khan. The film also was a comeback of Manisha Koirala who is hardly seen nowdays in films, she was a queen when the film released. She worked with Sanjay Dutt earlier in Khauff,Baaghi.etc while with Ajay Devgan in Company,Kachche Daage.etc The film has a very old story, it has Sanjay Dutt playing a casanova who cheats girls and then has a change of heart,while his brother Ajay is a dreamer of his girlfriend(something he did in 90s). A mix of Saajan, Dillagi and many other films Many old clichés, weird traditional customs,twists and turns and finally the film ends.The film is set in Budapest which reminds you of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, while in second half it shifts to Rajasthan The film perhaps started in 1999-2000 when Sanju had more hair on his head and looked young,slim and fit while in 2008 he looks overweight and has receding hairline.In the film he has his 2000 hairline for most of the film while in some scenes he has 2003-2004 look too Ajay Devgan looks straight out of Deewane,while Manisha's appearance is a complete give away of the delay.Though unlike Mahaanta the film doesn't have much inconsistency in looks except a few scenes seem to be shot in 2003-2004 Direction is okay Music sounds ancestral,though some songs are goodAjay Devgan as i said looks straight out of his pre Company Days though in some scenes he has his 2003-2004 look too and does a decent job though he has done such roles many times Manisha Koirala looks beautiful and does a good job, reminding one why she was so successful those days, sadly now it's all over Sanjay Dutt repeats his bad boy act and looks slim straight out of his Vaastav days, though in some scenes his hair is inconsistent The only novelty perhaps is he plays a casanova something he has never played perhaps. Kader Khan is good in his role but he suddenly disappears in the second half,perhaps due to the delay. Amongst rest, we have a huge family of Ajay and Sanjay comprising of many names who are rarely seen now Reema Lagoo,Himani Shivpuri are all okay Asrani is as usual, while we have Razzak Khan who has no dialogues rest are okay

About 3 and a half years ago, I remember watching many movies from 2008 and surprisingly, I didn't get irritated too much despite watching garbage films like God Tussi Great Ho and Yuvraaj. Then I heard there was a Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan film that just released and this is something that would've been a superb watch for me. I remember seeing some of Ajay's past films. Despite giving garbage performances in films like Cash, I thought with Sanju in Mehbooba, he would make a grand comeback. However,the film was such a letdown that I was completely disappointed. Rascals was an entirely horrible film but this film gives it a good competition for 1st class nonsense. Never have I seen such a badly handled and corny love triangle. The film was actually in cans for 10 years. It was completed in 2000 but it didn't get a release till 2008. Why the heck would the makers want to complete a jaded and decayed nonsense film like this, what is wrong with people.The movie is about a love triangle between the 3 central characters and most of it is treated in a childish manner. Sure I don't look for realism in films, many movies I've seen are unrealistic and typical but they are well handled and have the entertainment value present at least. Direction by Afzal Khan is completely horrible, he puts effort in a couple of scenes. There are only a few scenes which are decent, most of the film is bad. Afzal Khan gives one of his most garbage films. Even if Mahaanta(1997) was delayed, it was one of his average yet decent films. This film is entirely bad but you can't blame the performances for the film's quality. The stars of the film did what they were required to do.The performances are average but the script is what lets the film down completely. Ajay Devgan probably wanted this film to release as late as 2003 or 2004 however, the 2008 release was against his wishes. He gives a decent performance. However, he has done much better than this. Sanjay Dutt's character is not developed well, his sudden change of heart nearing the end isn't convincing and his acting isn't anything great. Manisha Koirala was an actress back in those days and this is one of her extremely delayed films, she does an OK job. The rest are there but don't provide much of a good support.The editing of the film is OK but its the script that has to be blamed. The film's story is awful, there is no actual flow in the story as well. Technically, the film is OK.On the whole, Mehbooba is one of those long delayed films that would've worked if it released at even 2005 to the latest. A 2008 released gives the film a jaded look and the delay is one of the main weaknesses of the film the other being the script. At the box office, the film took a decent opening but the collections dropped and ultimately the film flopped.

If you were around in the 1920s and 30s you might have read what were commonly referred to as "Modern Morality Plays." These were basically extensions of medieval plays in which the main character (generally a young woman) was punished for attempting to legitimize a blatant violation of social norms. A typical story might be a young woman in WWI era America trying to live life independent of marriage, motherhood, or patriarchal social customs. She would try to survive, suffer in the process, and ultimately die or be outcasted from the town in which she lived, torch-wielding villagers and all.That was then. Today (in the post-feminist 21st century) moral standards are decidedly different. But what hasn't changed is our desire to punish those who violate them.Case in point: Afzal Khan's "Mehbooba", a much-delayed and surprisingly anti-patriarchal love story from the House of Bollywood."Mehbooba", as it were, translates to "female beloved" who in this case is Varsha, played by Manisha Koirala, one of India's finest dramatic actresses who not so long ago (i.e. Pre-Aishwarya Age Bollywood) was one of the nation's leading marquee attractions.But she isn't the one who violates social norms in Khan's film; rather, it is the treacherous chauvinist Shravan (Sanjay Dutt) who spends his days and nights informing women that they are to be used and discarded for his sexual pleasure as he wills. All of this takes place in New York because of course women are always respected within India's borders . . . (ahem, ahem).Varsha becomes of one of his victims, except that she doesn't go as quietly as the others. She curses him, leaves the country, changes her name to Payal, and heads to Budapest where she meets the charming and gentle Karan (Ajay Devgan) who thinks she is the woman of his dreams.She eschews his advances, informing him that she doesn't trust men having lost her virginity to a misogynistic snake. Karan tells her it he doesn't care about her past; at last she relents, becomes his fiancée, and they are united.Sort of.Since this is Bollywood, she must of course go to Karan's home in India (where he apparently lives in a government palace) and receive the blessings of his astrologically inclined mother. Karan leaves first, arriving home to his family and an elder brother who turns out to be (zoinks!) Shravan. Cue the bombastic background music.What happens next? Shravan, it seems, has turned a leaf and now deeply regrets the pain he caused Varsha and spends his nights drinking and playing the piano a la Rishi Kapoor in every film he made in the 90s. He professes (incredulously) that he loves Varsha and that she is the greatest specimen of femininity on the planet. Karan counters, professing his Payal is the greatest specimen of femininity on the planet. Sibling rivalry and ribbing turns into melodramatic irony as the audience knows they are unwittingly talking about the same woman.At this point, Payal/Varsha returns . . . and thus the unraveling and punishment of Shravan begins. Several twists and turns later, the film reminds us that when you disrespect a respectable Indian (or Nepalese) woman, prepare yourself for ugly (and fierce) retribution.The film borrows heavily from Bhansalli's puerile "Hum Dil Dechuke Sanam", not just in terms of characterization (Dutt plays an extremist version of Salman Khan's cad, Devgan is back as the knight in corduroy armor), but in terms of structure as well – the story spans three continents, involves a once happy-go-lucky girl understanding the unhappiness of relationships, and comes to center around a typically large extended family prone to celebrating all things Hindu, signing and dancing throughout.In all, "Mehbooba" is pretty standard Bollywood melodrama. If there's any reason to watch, it's Manisha Koirala. This is definitely not her best or most interesting work – for an actress who's built a resume of offbeat and non-romantic roles, including starkly brilliant performances in films like "Dil Se", "Khamoshi", "Bombay" and "1942 A Love Story", "Mehbooba" is very middle-of the-road. She's very well presented and seems at ease in the chic getups, though not particularly interested in the emotional swell that surrounds her. One may even argue that she's the one Bollywood performer who looks better without makeup than with. But such superficial evaluations are exactly what she's not (and has never) been about.Several actresses, including Karishma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, and Kajol vied for this typically glamorous role, but Khan went with Koirala. One wonders why. Her role in "Mehbooba" is the film's central one, but it doesn't provide her the kind of structure she requires to shine. It is yet another reminder that her talent far exceeds what mainstream Bollywood offers her to play. Surely Tabu, Urmila, and Manoj Bajpai will concur (with frustration).Hopefully, bolder filmmakers will cast her in more complex and interesting roles. Wot say, Deepa Mehta?

Isn't this movie a replica of "Agni Sakshi"? Manisha Koirala was also starring in that movie. How could there be two movies of the same story? I was amazed when I rented this movie from the store. I expected old, wrinkled Manisha.......but what was in front on the TV was mind blowing. I thought now will come old Manisha and old Sanjay and old Ajay but I waited too long and ultimately I just switched my DVD and TV off. Disgusting - how could they do this!!! Anyone knows this movie was released in 2008?????? Why did they even release it now? This is no era for such movies!!!! Oh Lord, how could they be so senseless? Were they expecting the movie to be a hit? I am so disappointed.