SYNOPSIS

The film is set in the backdrop of Mumbai riots. Ajay Devgan is a successful singer whose brother Akshay Anand has been brainwashed to be the youth leader of a Hindu Fundamentalist party. Pooja Bhatt has played the role of their mother. She is a religious person who even during riots goes to the church for her prayers. Ajay on knowing that she is not with his brother goes in search for his mother. At the church he learns from the Police that one old Hindu woman was burnt alive by some Muslim youths.

Ajay goes to the hospital where his apprehensions come true the woman burnt is her mother and is in a critical condition. Akshay swears at the hospital to take revenge. One journalist at the hospital asks Ajay that he is a Hindu but when his mother was brought to the hospital she was murmuring the holy "Koran". Why? The answer is unfolded through a series of flashbacks. Ajay recalls his childhood. His father (Nagarjuna) is a film personality who loved her mother but could not marry her because of her being a Muslim. Nagarjuna dies in an accident. Pooja does not want her identity to affect her children’s upbringing. She asks Ajay to keep her identity a secret the day she dies, for she being a Muslim she has to be buried.

At the hospital chief of the Hindu fundamentalist party is looking forward to Pooja’s death so that he can exploit the situation further as news will spread of the youth leader’s mother being killed by a Muslim mob.

Pooja succumbs to the burns inflicted on her body. Ajay discloses the secret to his brother. The chief is not happy and wants Ajay to conduct the final rites in the Hindu tradition. But Ajay will keep her mothers wishes at any cost. Ultimately Ajay is able to convince his brother to fulfill their mother’s last wish.

The script of the movie is good and different from what we are used to. The pace of the film is quite slow and you do feel some continuity is missing at many places. This could be due to the fact that the film was stuck at the censors and lot of cuts must have taken place. The film is good in patches but much better than Mahesh Bhatt's recent films. Although the film misses the touch of Mahesh’s class, which we saw in "Arth", "Naam" and "Sir". Performances wise Ajay and Pooja have done a good job. Overall I would be surprised if the film is commercially successful. The film sends out a good message on how politicians take advantage of people by exploiting their emotions. It calls for some soul-searching on what happened in Mumbai. Was it only due to Hindu-Muslim enmity?

Songs : -
1. Dil Diwana - Singer : Kumar Sanu Anuradha Paudwal
2. Pardesiya - Singer : Udit Narayan, Anuradha Paudwal
3. Pyar Hamein Pyar Tum - Singer : Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik
4. Dil Dhak Dhal Dhadke - Singer : Jaspinder Narula & Chorus
5. Chehra Tera Chera - Singer : Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal
6. Piya Lagi Lagan - Singer : Anuradha Paudwal, Jaspinder Narula