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Mission Kashmir (Action Movie ,2000)  Starring
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Synopsis
So it is Hrithik-time again. And how! Just his colored eyes showing with a killer's expression from a black monkey cap covering the
rest of his face, tells you clearly that the guy is out on a tough mission.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's tough mission is Mission Kashmir. And as the name suggests, the film is built around the strife-ridden
Kashmir. Though militancy is fast becoming a way of life in the Valley, the film still, very pertinently questions the need of
violence that has been consistently disrupting peace, order and beauty of Kashmir.
Vinod brought his film to New Delhi for a special screening for the President of India. And insiders say that the first family liked
it. After debacles like 1942: A Love Story and Kareeb, Vinod needs a hit to bring back his diluted glory and Mission
Kashmir should be the right instrument for it.
That the film's release coincides with the release of Yash Chopra's Mohabbatein is not a dampener because Vinod has the mighty
Hrithik to back him. Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy have done good work for the music of the film and Preity looks a perfect Kasmiri beauty
providing romantic relief in the otherwise action-packed militant affair.
Mission Kashmir is the story of a Kashmiri boy who is witness to the wiping out of his entire family by a BSF officer. The boy
develops a hatred for the BSF officer and wants to avenge the death of his family.
The boy grows up, gets himself adopted by the BSF officer and his wife and lives with them like their son. All the while clandestinely
designing their murder. Not for a moment do the foster parents get to know of their adopted son's intentions.
The boy, now a handsome young man, trains himself under a dreaded terrorist and his gang and becomes a terrorist himself, all
circumstantial. His beloved tries to dissuade him from going on the path of militancy, explains him the futility of wars but the
memory of his murdered parents fail to subdue the burning embers within him.
The young Kashmiri man on war-path is played by Hrithik Roshan, his love is Preity Zinta. Sunjay Dutt and Sonali Kulkarni are
Hrithik's foster parents. Jackie Shroff appears in a brilliant cameo as the terrorist whose group Hrithik joins.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra is famous for camera work and editing. With the backdrop of the original Valley, some beautiful and rugged faces,
brilliant performances and good music, Mission Kashmir should be worth watching. Another interesting aspect of the film is that
its script has been co-written by award-winning novelist Vikram Chandra for his brother-in-law Vidhu Vinod Chopra. So there's no
reason why the audience should not be in the grip of such a narrative.
Review
There seems no stopping Hrithik Roshan. With only two releases so far the star kid has achieved unprecedented success and his third
film is a no let down either.
In every film the brawny lad has dared to be different. In Mission Kashmir he dons up as a Kashmiri Muslim who takes up arms to
avenge his parents' killer. Both Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff pack in powerful performances and the dimpled damsel Preity plays the
demure TV journalist. Music by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy has the folksy feel to it and has already made waves at the music charts.
Who could have been a better man than Vinod Chopra (a Kashmiri himself) to bring to fore the burning subject of insurgency and
bloodshed in the Valley that was once a paradise on earth?
"The film", says Vidhu, " is a labor of love, a response to the agony of Kashmir, a call for sanity and peace and an offering to the
spirit of Kashmiriyat"
In the strife-torn valley of Kashmir lives the family of a policeman, Inayat Khan (Sanjay Dutt), his wife Neelima (Sonali Kulkarni)
and their adopted son Altaaf (Hrithik Roshan), an orphan whose parents were murdered by a masked killer. One day Altaaf discovers that
the man behind the mask was none other but his abba Inayat Khan.
On the spur of the moment of this discovery a warrior is born. Swearing vengeance on his parent's killer Altaaf wears the same mask
and disappears in the dead of the night.
Years roll by and Altaaf is hardened by the scourge of harsh realities in the Valley. Enters the famed and ruthless guerilla fighter
Hilal Kohistani (Jackie Shroff) who leads a band of renegades on a special mission codenamed 'Mission Kashmir' which, if successful,
will change the face of Kashmir forever, be that be attained at the cost of million lives. To be able to accomplish his mission
Kohistani needs a fearless fighter with unparalleled valor and unerring skill on the battleground. He finds his man in Altaaf.
Meanwhile Altaaf meets his childhood friend Sufi ( Preity Zinta) who now works as a TV reporter. Captivated by her beauty Altaaf
surrenders to her affection and compassion. Soon loves sprouts between them.
But still lingering in Altaaf's heart is the vengeance for the killer of his parents. As the D Day for 'Mission Kashmir' draws closer
Altaaf engages in a deadly duel with Inayat Khan. The outcome of this duel will not only determine the success or failure of
Kohistani's mission but also have bearing on the fate of Kashmir.
Although fictitious, the film is a bold and almost true account of the ground realities in the insurgency torn valley. Penned jointly
by Vinod Chopra, Vikram Chandra (the US- based novelist and scriptwriter), Suketu Mehta and Abhijit Joshi Mission Kashmir
weaves together in a colorful tapestry the themes of war, love, friendship and violence. In its tone, it is neither pro-Indian nor
pro-Pakistani, its pro-Kashmiri.
The film described by Vinod Chopra as his 'most challenging and difficult film to date' culminated as a result of unflagging
determination of the star cast and the entire unit. While a considerable part of the film was shot in the actual locations in the
thick of the action in Srinagar, for some special sequences award-winning art director Nitin Desai literally transformed Mumbai's Film
City into Kashmir's Dal Lake.
Hrithik once again cuts a splendid performance as a youngster sucked in the vortex of terrorism. He is portrayed as anti-government in
the early part of the film-- a bold role to play for even a seasoned actor, leave alone a budding superstar. Preity Zinta is no longer
a bubbly chatterbox. With the characteristic ease of a veteran she plays the demure TV reporter. While Jackie again cuts a dash for
himself in an award deserving performance, Sanjay Dutt too has essayed his role of a cop with aplomb.
Vinod Chopra's films have always been different, away from the regular masala kitsch Bollywood churns out every Friday. Beneath
all the drama that goes on in the movie there lurks the aspiration to get across to people the message of what actually people of
Kashmir are going through